If you asked me what matters most to me as a leader, in my practice and in the world today, I would without hesitation say curiosity. It’s a word often heard in conversations about leadership and innovation, yes, but to me, it’s so much more than that – it’s a way of being that has guided me to remain open when I could have easily shut down, a way of finding possibility in moments that feel unyielding.
Looking back, curiosity has always been there in quiet ways, but it began to take really shape in the early years of my career, immersed in the GBVF sector. Like so many others, I poured myself (and more) into the work with the conviction that if gave enough, I could make a difference. And yet, I was confronted day after day with the unrelenting reality of what womxn face in this country; another name in the news, another life stolen by violence. And those were just the lives given visibility. It was, at times, incredibly debilitating.
At first, I was fuelled by a sense of justice, of right and wrong, and while that conviction carried me for a time, it also drove me to burnout. It was then that I realised that this mindset, on its own, could only take me so far. With the guidance of invaluable mentors, I began to listen to a quieter instinct: the one that urged me to ask “why?”. Why this pattern? Why this outcome? Why these barriers? Over time, that instinct sharpened and I began to see the interconnectedness of the problems we were trying to address – to notice systemic patterns and levers for change. This change in perspective didn’t make the work less urgent or the realities any less grim, but it gave me a way to keep going – a way to channel fear, anger, and uncertainty into energy for learning and discovery.
When I joined the DGMT Innovation Fellowship team, that instinct began to evolve into a deliberate practice. I was not only learning what it meant to be a facilitator but also learning alongside, and from, the Fellows themselves. I learned to hone my questions, to sit with complexity, and to see the power of curiosity not just in problem-solving but in leadership. It expanded my way of thinking, showing me that in deeply systemic problems, no single actor holds the answer, but that asking better questions can open the way for something new to emerge. That experience shaped how I understand innovation; that it is not the chase for shiny solutions nor quick fixes, but as the discipline of staying open, learning, and creating the conditions for meaningful change.
In some ways, that shift influenced my journey to where I am now – working within government, a core part of the system I once grappled with from the outside. It’s been a journey of learning and unlearning, of letting go of what I thought I knew, recognising that the view from outside a system is never the full picture. What I’ve learned from this space has been as valuable as anything I brought into it, shaping how I work, how I lead, and how I show up in the world.
I’ve let go of the belief that leadership requires certainty or control. Instead, curiosity has taught me to lead with authenticity; to stay grounded and to adapt when the ground shifts. Being a leader isn’t about having all the answers – it’s about creating space for honest questions, for others and for myself, and through that, inviting change.
To me, curiosity brings a sense of alchemy – the way it transforms fear into energy, frustration into insight, and uncertainty into possibility. It’s the practice I hold onto, in my work and in my life, to keep learning and unlocking pathways for change, even when the way forward isn’t yet clear. Amid the complexity of the systems we work in, we may not always control the outcomes, but we can choose how we show up. And for me, choosing curiosity is a powerful way to do that.