The Power of Curiosity in Leadership I Dr. Debra Clary

In this episode of the 40% Better Podcast, Bill Lennan sits down with Dr. Debra Clary, Founder & Leadership Advisor at The Clary Group, to explore the powerful connection between curiosity, leadership, performance, and personal growth. Dr. Debra Clary shares why curiosity is not simply an innate personality trait, but a skill and mindset that can be encouraged and developed. They discuss how curiosity impacts leadership performance, why organizations often unintentionally discourage curiosity, and how leaders can create a culture where asking questions, exploring ideas, and challenging assumptions are encouraged. The conversation also explores the neuroscience behind curiosity, learning, fear, and dopamine, including why curiosity can help reduce fear and unlock better thinking. Dr. Debra explains practical ways leaders can build curiosity into meetings, encourage teams to ask better questions, and create environments where people feel safe sharing their perspectives. Bill and Dr. Debra also discuss the role of curiosity in education, parenting, conversations, social anxiety, and personal development. Bill shares his own journey of overcoming social anxiety through a structured system of small, repeatable steps and explains how learning to talk with strangers transformed his approach to networking, job interviews, public speaking, and everyday conversations. Whether you're a leader, entrepreneur, manager, educator, or simply someone interested in becoming more curious and confident, this episode offers practical insights into how curiosity can help you learn faster, lead better, and improve performance. In this episode, you'll learn about: * Why curiosity can be learned and developed * The connection between curiosity and leadership performance * How curiosity influences the brain and learning * Why fear and curiosity cannot easily coexist * How leaders can create a culture of curiosity * Practical ways to encourage questions in teams and meetings * Why leaders don't need to have all the answers * How curiosity can improve resilience and problem-solving * The importance of curiosity in children and education * How to encourage better conversations in a screen-driven world * The connection between curiosity and social confidence * How small, repeatable habits can help overcome social anxiety * Why experimentation and failure are essential for innovation * How curiosity can help individuals and organizations perform better About Dr. Debra Clary: Dr. Debra Clary is the Founder & Leadership Advisor at The Clary Group and an expert on curiosity, leadership, and organizational performance. She is also the author of The Curiosity Curve, exploring how curiosity can transform leadership, culture, and performance. About the 40% Better Podcast: The 40% Better Podcast explores leadership, technology, personal growth, performance, and the ideas that help people and organizations become better at what they do. Connect with Dr. Debra Clary on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdebraclary/ #Leadership #Curiosity #LeadershipDevelopment #DrDebraClary #TheClaryGroup #CuriosityCurve #OrganizationalCulture #LeadershipSkills #PersonalDevelopment #40PercentBetter I hope you enjoy this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Bill and the 40 % Better podcast team Connect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wblennan/ Visit the 40 Percent Better website here: https://40pb.com/ Listen to 40 % Better on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qkqdMPkR9BqYPM7UPa4P0 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40%25-better---engineering-leadership/id1709546347 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01ad162e-7a33-4df4-8c29-04c4af0405fc/40-better---engineering-leadership #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #Leadership #TeamPerformance #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #BusinessGrowth #Kaizen #EngineeringLeadership #Coaching The 40% Better podcast with Bill Lennan unlocks previously unheard-of performance levels in teams and leaders. Bill Lennan, founder of 40 Percent Better, interviews experts on employee engagement, psychological safety, engineering leadership, and actionable mental models. Learn how to foster high-performing teams, improve team productivity, and achieve sustainable success in business through a focus on human-centered systems. #technologyleadership #productmanagement #engineeringleadership #leadershipdevelopment #careergrowth #podcast