Why Fostering a Culture of Professional Curiosity in the Workplace Is Important — And How to Do It

What is a culture of professional curiosity?

Let’s start with a couple of working definitions.

Professional curiosity is the deep, active desire to understand the experiences of those we lead and serve. It's often a term used in safeguarding but can also be used in reference to workplace culture.

Culture, in the context of this article, refers to the way a community’s vision, operations, systems and lived experiences come together to shape how people behave and work.

So when we talk about a culture of professional curiosity, we’re talking about an environment where intentions, systems, and behaviours enable people to ask meaningful questions, give honest answers and engage in collective sense-making, all in service of positive change.

Why is professional curiosity important?

Professional curiosity gets to the heart of what’s really happening. It uncovers what is and isn’t working for your team, your pupils and your wider school community. If we want to lead positive, meaningful change, we need a clear view of the current reality.

All too often, leaders jump to action, implementing well-meaning solutions before they fully understand the root of a problem. Whether it’s a concern with one child, a team of staff or whole-school systems, we can’t fix what we haven’t taken the time to truly understand.

In her book Rising Strong, Brené Brown talks about the courage it takes to seek truth, especially when that truth is uncomfortable. While she’s speaking about personal stories, her ideas are deeply relevant to leadership.

She writes:

“Curiosity is a s***-starter. But that’s okay. Sometimes we have to rumble with the story to find the truth.”

In organisational life, this “rumble” - the process of leaning into discomfort and questioning assumptions - is where real insight and progress begin. Brown frames this process as The Reckoning, The Rumble and The Revolution,  a sequence leaders can embrace to foster real, transformative change.

I’ve been there myself: a staff survey revealing some painful feedback, when you feel you're bending over backwards to support your team. It stings. The instinct is to get defensive, retreat or blame. But as leaders, we must resist that urge. We have to get curious, not furious, because only by seeking the truth can we move forward.

What happens when we truly seek to understand?

We gain clarity. We can connect different forms of data - hard numbers and soft intelligence - to build a clearer picture. We can see where things are thriving and where there are barriers. In short, we become more accurate in our diagnosis and more effective in planning our response.

But this doesn’t happen by chance. We must ask ourselves:

Do our vision, strategy, systems, and daily behaviours reflect a culture of professional curiosity?

And then we must apply rigour and be courageous in answering this question.

So how do we build this culture?

It starts with trust

Professional curiosity cannot exist without trust — and specifically relational trust. Anthony Bryk and Barbara Schneider, whose work has shaped much thinking around trust in schools, found that relational trust significantly impacts school improvement (see my previous blog).

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) reinforced this in 2023, identifying relational trust as a key strategy for teacher retention.

So, what is relational trust?

It exists when there’s respect, personal regard, competence, and integrity in the way people work. It’s supported by psychological safety and a shared sense that people genuinely care for one another. In this kind of environment, people feel safe enough to speak up and contribute honestly.

The skill of listening and noticing

Professional curiosity isn’t just about asking questions — it’s about noticing. Leaders must learn to decode both the spoken and unspoken signals within their community. They need to identify patterns in behaviour, in relationships, in data. In the school environment standing back and noticing can be hard but it is important.

Within Bryk and Schneider’s framework, competence is critical to trust. So how competent are you, and your team, at listening and noticing?

These are skills that must be developed. Leaders need to ask good, open questions, notice nuances in what’s said (and what isn’t), and interpret how different data points intersect. In my work with schools, I’ve seen that middle leaders often need support in this area — especially in navigating the space between senior leadership and those they manage.

Listening well doesn’t mean over-promising. One common leadership trap is hearing feedback and rushing to implement it, or suggesting changes that aren’t realistic in order to please and reward the giver of information. We need to be clear that listening doesn’t guarantee automatic action, but it does mean being heard.

That’s why establishing parameters and communication loops is essential. Leaders must regularly say:

“We listened. Here’s the picture we see. Here’s what we’re doing, and here’s why we’re not doing some of the things you suggested.” (and maybe there’s a “yet” there too)

That’s professional respect and good communication. And it’s how trust is maintained.

Leadership team meetings: a powerful space for curiosity

A common point of failure in schools is the leadership team meeting. These are often underused, becoming a space for information dissemination rather than collaborative thinking. When this happens, people disengage — they come to listen passively, not contribute.

But when done right, leadership meetings are a goldmine for professional curiosity.

Each team member has a role to play — not just to represent their area, but to share insights drawn from deep listening and observation. Effective leaders become masters of noticing: the relationships, the emotions in the room, what’s being said, what’s not. These insights are critical for collectively making smart, strategic decisions.

In The Trust Revolution in Schools, Jeanie Davies writes about the ZOUD - Zone of Uncomfortable Debate (from Bowman 1995) a powerful tool for embedding honest conversation into meetings. She suggests every leadership meeting should create structured time for open, even challenging, debate.

At first, this requires scaffolding and skilled facilitation. But in time, it becomes second nature. Yes, it can take longer. But the value far outweighs the time cost.

A real-world example: The lunchtime dilemma

A scenario:

Imagine a senior leadership meeting discussing a change to lunchtime routines. The EYFS leader in the room represents a specific group of children, families, and staff. They are the eyes and ears of that lived experience.

Lunchtime decisions might seem operational, but they’re critical. They affect mood, behaviour, learning and relationships across the day and also impact home. The EYFS leader’s role isn’t just to report back; it’s to speak from a place of deep professional curiosity: What is the knock-on effect for children? Staff? Parents?

And if you’re the headteacher chairing the meeting, have you been clear on the expectations? Are your team members expected to bring those insights? Have they been trained to listen, reflect, and represent well?

Better decisions come from shared insight. When all leaders engage in listening, sense-making and honest debate, you avoid unnecessary disruption and design more effective, sustainable change.

The efficiency trap

Many headteachers worry about meetings overrunning. Or they feel a pressure to be efficient and get to a decision quickly. But the pressure to get thing done can be the enemy of effective change.

Of course, not every meeting needs a lengthy debate. But leaders must invest time in learning how to facilitate productive conversations — when to pause and reflect, when to probe deeper, and when it’s time to move on.

This is a skill. And it’s one worth developing.

Serving the whole community

Professional curiosity, by definition, means seeking to understand those we lead and serve.

So, who do schools serve?

Children. Families. Staff. The wider community.

Everything discussed above - the systems, the behaviours, the skills - applies beyond the leadership team. We must remember that true stakeholder voice isn’t just about having people "around the table" - it’s about truly wanting to listen, about valuing the views of others and about equipping people to engage meaningfully.

Whether it’s staff representatives, student councils or community panels, we must support people in developing the skills of listening, noticing and representing others well.

Questions for reflection:

• How are you building relational trust within your school?

• How are you training and supporting your leaders and stakeholder representatives to listen, notice and share insights?

• What are your next steps to ensure professional curiosity is embedded — not left to chance?

  
  

If you’d like to work with me to help you and your team build a culture of professional curiosity, I’d love to speak with you. Every school is unique and I can help you explore how to equip your leaders to drive lasting, positive change for your school.