What great leaders are unlearning in 2025

Key Takeaways

• Letting go of control opens space for faster, better decisions and higher team engagement.
  
• Admitting you don’t have all the answers strengthens credibility and encourages collaboration.
  
• Curiosity is a practical tool that drives adaptability, creativity, and trust in leadership.
  
• Co-creation with teams builds ownership, shared problem-solving, and better execution.
  
• Embedding curiosity into daily leadership behaviours leads to lasting cultural and performance gains.

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The strongest leaders are defined not by what they know, but by what they’re willing to unlearn. This may seem counterintuitive, but consider how much the leadership landscape has shifted: a decade ago, CEOs typically juggled four or five key priorities; today it’s closer to double that number. The old playbook of top-down control and having all the answers is buckling under this complexity. Great leadership now demands shedding the instinct to cling to control and embracing a mindset of curiosity and continuous learning. It’s a profound shift: from knowing-it-all to learning-it-all.

Clinging to control is holding leaders back

Many leaders rose through the ranks by maintaining tight control over decisions and information. But in an environment of rapid change, that habit has become a liability. Top-down, command-and-control leadership is eroding trust and agility. In fact, only 21% of U.S. employees now strongly trust their organization’s leadership (down from 24% in 2019)gallup.com. Similarly, just 32% of employees are engaged at work as of mid-2025 – a stagnation pointing to deeper organizational issues. These dismal numbers speak volumes: employees are disengaged and skeptical when leaders hoard control and shut out others’ input.

Why is clinging to control so damaging? For one, it slows everything down. Decisions bottleneck at the top, front-line insight gets lost, and talented people feel stifled. Perhaps most critically, a control-first style undermines the very trust that modern organizations rely on. Nearly a third of workers say they lack clear, honest communication from leaders – they crave transparency and two-way trust, not edicts from on high. Leaders who fail to let go create cultures of fear and compliance, where people hesitate to take initiative or speak up. In an age when businesses must adapt on a dime, this is a recipe for obsolescence. As one corporate study bluntly noted, today’s leadership is an exercise in trust and co-creation, not one-man heroics. In short, the need to control is holding leaders back, and the best are learning to finally unhand the wheel.

Unlearning the need to have all the answers

For generations, we’ve been taught that a great leader is the person with the best answers. Admitting “I don’t know” was seen as weakness. That mindset is now outdated, and the savviest leaders are actively unlearning it. The pace of innovation and volume of knowledge today simply outstrip any one person’s expertise. Effective leadership has shifted from being the smartest person in the room to unlocking the smarts of the whole room.

Research confirms that high-performing leaders practice humility over certainty. A recent McKinsey analysis found that the best leaders “never consider themselves to be the highest expert or the smartest person in the room. Their superpowers are their humility and willingness to be vulnerable”. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella captured this evolution well when he championed a “learn-it-all rather than a know-it-all” culture at the company. In practice, this means leaders ask questions, invite others’ ideas, and aren’t afraid to say “I don’t have the answer – let’s figure it out together.” Unlearning the need to have all the answers creates space for collaboration and learning to flourish.

There’s a compelling business case for this change. When leaders drop the pretense of omniscience, they model a growth mindset for their teams. It signals that curiosity is welcome and mistakes are opportunities, not something to hide. In the early uncertainty of 2020, many executives learned this lesson the hard way. The leaders who openly admitted what they didn’t know – who listened to front-line employees and asked for input – were able to steer their organizations through chaos with far more trust and credibility than those who clung to a false sense of certainty. Unlearning “having all the answers” doesn’t diminish a leader’s authority; it amplifies it by empowering others. The truth is, in 2025 no single person can or should have all the answers – and the sooner leaders internalize that, the stronger their organizations will become.

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“The old leadership playbook was about having the right answers; the new one is about asking the right questions.”

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Curiosity is rewriting the leadership playbook

If letting go of control and certainty are what leaders must unlearn, curiosity is what they must learn instead. In boardrooms around the world, curiosity is emerging as a defining skill – not a fuzzy nice-to-have, but a critical leadership muscle. One global survey of 1,500 executives across 90+ countries found that adaptability was the most important leadership quality in today’s environment (cited by 71% of executives), and traits like creativity, curiosity, and comfort with ambiguity ranked close behind. As one participant put it, “the soft skills…are not soft anymore.” Curiosity, in particular, is proving to be a strategic tool rather than a soft skill – a catalyst for agility, innovation, and resilience.

Why is curiosity so vital now? Because rigid playbooks fail when conditions keep changing. Curiosity, by contrast, leads leaders to probe, learn, and adapt continually. A curious leader faced with a problem doesn’t default to old solutions or hierarchies; they explore new possibilities and ask deeper questions. This mindset is rewriting the leadership playbook from one of authority to one of discovery. Harvard Business School research describes today’s effective leaders as explorers – defined as “curiosity in action” – who constantly scan for weak signals and new insights rather than relying solely on past experience. In practice, that might mean a CEO visiting an upstart competitor to learn from them, or a manager running small experiments instead of imposing a grand 5-year plan.

Crucially, a curious leadership approach drives real outcomes. Curiosity compels leaders to stay open to the unexpected, which is key to spotting opportunities early and avoiding blindsides. It fosters a culture where employees at all levels feel encouraged to share ideas and challenge assumptions – exactly the kind of culture that can respond quickly to change. In short, curiosity turns learning into a continuous strategic advantage. The old leadership playbook was about having the right answers; the new one is about asking the right questions. And as we’ll see, that shift transforms more than just the leader – it transforms the whole team.

Leadership is co-creation, not solo heroics

The myth of the lone visionary leader, making all the decisions and saving the day single-handedly, is fading fast. Modern leadership is much more collective – it’s about co-creating solutions with your team, not being the solo hero. Unlearning the hero mentality goes hand in hand with embracing curiosity and humility. When a leader stops trying to have all the answers, it naturally opens the door for others to contribute. The role of the leader evolves from directive chief to chief collaborator.

This evolution is more than a feel-good notion; it’s emerging as a best practice for high-performing organizations. Research on digital-era leadership emphasizes that the ability to “orchestrate collective action – co-creation instead of top-down direction – has never been more important”. In other words, great leaders now act as orchestrators, bringing people together to solve problems, rather than as conductors dictating every move. They distribute authority, empower diverse team members, and actively seek input across levels and silos. No leader, no matter how brilliant, can keep up with today’s complexity alone – and the best leaders no longer try to. As a refrain in one study noted, “No organization can go it alone.”

Real-world leadership dynamics bear this out. Consider how psychological safety and involvement have become competitive advantages. Teams where people feel safe to speak up and share half-formed ideas will inevitably outperform those where employees bite their tongues, waiting for the boss’s direction. Gallup’s workplace analysis finds that barely 28% of employees strongly feel their opinions count at work – a sobering reminder that many organizations are still squandering their collective intelligence. Great leaders are flipping that script: they’re turning decision-making into a team sport. By co-creating solutions, leaders build ownership and buy-in throughout the ranks, which in turn fuels engagement and execution. And when things don’t go as planned, co-creation means shared problem-solving rather than finger-pointing. In 2025, leadership done right looks less like a hero at the helm and more like an intrepid crew co-navigating uncharted waters. The leader’s job is to guide the journey and harness everyone’s strengths – not to row alone.

Curiosity unlocks innovation and engagement

Perhaps the biggest payoff of unlearning control and embracing curiosity is the surge of innovation and engagement that follows. When leaders lead with curiosity – asking better questions, encouraging exploration, and showing genuine interest in new ideas – they unlock their organization’s creative potential. People respond. They bring forward suggestions, experiment more freely, and collaborate with new energy. The workplace shifts from a compliance mindset (“do as you’re told”) to an inquiry mindset (“what could we try?”). This shift has tangible effects on performance. Studies have found that when our curiosity is triggered, we actually think more deeply and rationally about decisions and produce more creative solutions. In short, curiosity makes us smarter and more innovative in how we tackle problems.

There’s also a profound impact on trust and engagement. A curious leader signals respect – they show they value others’ insights – and that builds respect in return. Harvard research points out that cultivating curiosity at all levels helps leaders and employees adapt to uncertainty, and “in addition, curiosity allows leaders to gain more respect from their followers and inspires employees to develop more trusting and collaborative relationships”. In practice, that might look like a manager who regularly asks their team for input on tough challenges; over time the team sees that their voices matter, and mutual trust grows. Employee engagement is no longer a mystery when leaders behave this way. People who feel heard and challenged in a positive way are far more invested in their work. Contrast that with a controlled environment where new ideas are swatted down – it’s night and day. It’s no wonder that organizations known for innovation, from high-tech firms to manufacturing companies, deliberately foster cultures of curiosity. They know curiosity fuels experimentation, which in turn fuels breakthroughs.

And the benefits don’t stop at innovation – curiosity also breeds agility and resilience. In a curious, learning-focused workplace, change is less threatening because everyone is used to learning and adapting. Employees become more willing to venture beyond their comfort zones since the culture treats failure as learning, not disaster. The net effect is an organization that can pivot faster and bounce back from setbacks more readily. Curiosity isn’t a “nice-to-have” in such settings; it’s the engine driving continuous improvement and engagement. Leaders who recognize this are creating the conditions for their teams to thrive even amid uncertainty. By unlearning the old habits of control and certainty and making curiosity the norm, they are effectively future-proofing their organizations – turning them into hotbeds of innovation and engagement, where people are passionate about what they do and constantly discovering better ways to do it.

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“A curious leader signals respect – they show they value others’ insights – and that builds respect in return.”

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How Curious as Hell helps leaders rewire for curiosity

Making this kind of leadership shift doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentional rewiring of habits and mindsets. Curious as Hell helps leaders do exactly that. Rather than abstract theory, this approach immerses leaders in practical exercises and real-world reflections that reinforce a curious mindset. For example, leaders learn to pause their instinct to give directives and instead ask open-ended questions that spark dialogue. They practice active listening and make a habit of saying “tell me more” in conversations. These might sound like simple changes, but they fundamentally alter a leader’s day-to-day behaviour. Over time, such practices break the old reflex to control and cement a new reflex to explore and co-create. The program also introduces frameworks for unlearning – like identifying one’s deeply held assumptions and systematically challenging them. By working through these steps, leaders effectively retrain themselves to approach situations with curiosity first, judgment second.

The impact of this rewiring is both immediate and lasting. Leaders often report that as they adopt a more curious stance, they see trust levels rise on their teams almost in real time – people notice the difference. Decisions start improving too, because more perspectives are considered and innovative ideas surface that would otherwise stay hidden. Crucially, Curious as Hell ties these behavioural shifts to concrete outcomes, ensuring that curiosity isn’t viewed as just a warm-and-fuzzy trait but as a means to better results. Leaders learn how to channel curiosity toward strategic goals: using it to probe customer needs, to energize problem-solving sessions, and to navigate uncertainty with confidence. The approach instills an understanding that curiosity drives agility – a curious leader iterates and learns fast, which is exactly what a high-performing, adaptive organization needs. By rewiring leaders for curiosity, this program helps create the ripple effect every company wants: engaged teams, bolder innovation, and a culture of trust that can weather whatever the future brings. In a world where unlearning old ways is the new key to success, that kind of change is not just valuable – it’s essential.

Common Questions

How can I shift from a control-first leadership style without losing authority
Letting go of control does not mean losing your influence—it means reallocating it. When you start empowering others to contribute ideas and make decisions, you gain credibility as a leader who trusts their team. The outcome is a more engaged, accountable group that works with you toward shared objectives. This shift is exactly the kind of mindset change that we help leaders build into lasting habits, so curiosity naturally replaces over-control.

What steps help me stop feeling pressure to always have the answers
The key is reframing your role from provider of all solutions to facilitator of the best solutions. When you openly acknowledge gaps in your knowledge and invite perspectives, you create space for better options to emerge. Over time, your team sees you as approachable and collaborative, not infallible. We guide leaders in integrating these behaviours into their daily routines so this openness becomes second nature.

Why is curiosity such a valuable leadership skill for 2025
Curiosity prompts you to ask deeper questions, examine assumptions, and explore new possibilities without defaulting to the familiar. It builds adaptability and sparks innovation because you’re constantly learning from multiple angles. Leaders who practise curiosity create environments where teams feel safe to experiment and share ideas. Our approach gives you tools to embed curiosity into how you lead, so it drives both culture and outcomes.

How do I foster a culture where people feel comfortable contributing ideas
It starts with modelling the behaviour—showing genuine interest in input and acting on it when appropriate. Recognise contributions publicly and ask follow-up questions that encourage more dialogue. Over time, this consistency creates trust and increases participation across the team. We help leaders design these interactions intentionally, ensuring they result in measurable engagement gains.

What are practical ways curiosity can lead to innovation in my team
When curiosity is part of daily work, people explore beyond the obvious, test unconventional ideas, and learn from results. This not only improves solutions but also boosts morale as team members see their input shaping real outcomes. Small, iterative experiments become the norm instead of rare exceptions. We work with leaders to make these practices sustainable so innovation is continuous, not occasional.