ABSTRACT
The power of inquisitiveness and its role in driving and sustaining global leadership came up consistently during our most recent interviews. Global leaders are exact opposite of those whose lives revolve around how many points they collect in frequent flier and hotel programs. Naturally as global leaders travel, employees in the various offices, plants, labs, etc. want to hear from them. Inquisitive global leaders not only ask provocative questions, they also encourage them from people both inside and outside their organizations—even though such questions can often pose challenges to deeply held beliefs. To some extent, Steve Burke’s Disney’s retail experience illustrates what we consistently observed in the best global leaders—the humility to recognize that they “don’t know what they don’t know.” A famous Yiddish proverb suggests that a person should live if only to satisfy his curiosity. Exemplar global leaders not only gather facts and gain experience, but they master the application of facts and experience in the global marketplace.
