Why Curiosity Might Be Your Greatest Leadership Advantage

A few weeks ago in Chicago, I had the opportunity to meet up with Paul Pirkle, my friend and Rhythm Systems client. Paul is the President and COO of Midwest Groundcovers, a company that grows and distributes container nursery products. 

What’s really interesting, as Paul shared with me over dinner, is that his background is not in botany - it’s in manufacturing. That’s right: no botany degree, no green thumb, and no decades of nursery experience.

So, how did he gain the trust of his new team and lead a thriving business in a completely unfamiliar industry?

Simple: He led with curiosity.

Don’t “Pop Out of a Cake”: How to Transition the Right Way

Paul joined Midwest Groundcovers in 2023. He described his journey of accepting and transitioning into the position on a recent episode of The Journey to CEO Success podcast. He did not rush the process. In fact, he took great care to avoid surprising anyone at the company. In the past, he had quickly seized an opportunity to be President of a different business and had hit the ground running.

“It was like popping out of a cake!” he described. 

Back then, his younger self had the confidence for the job, but could have leaned more into being curious. He did not set himself up for the smoothest transition or provide the groundwork for strong relationships with the people he was suddenly leading. 

When the Midwest Groundcovers opportunity came up, Paul committed himself to doing things differently. He took his time learning about the company and letting the company learn about him. He wanted the team to know who he was and what he believed in, and he wanted to make sure he was the right fit.

“Interview other people,” he told them, “and then decide on me.”

This time, Paul put curiosity first and sought to understand everything he could—before and after he accepted the job. What had made Midwest Groundcovers successful in the past? What could he, with his unique background and skills, do to influence the company’s future success? 

When it came to people, he knew he had to show them his inner mission: Building bridges, unlocking opportunities, and adding value to all relationships. Many team members quickly embraced him - but not everyone. So, he committed to building those more tentative relationships.

“You have to take the people who are resisting you and try to make the best of that,” he told me.

18 months later, Paul is leading the company joyfully. 

Paul’s approach is exactly what we recommend: slow down to speed up.

Eyes from a Different Industry May See Commonly-Accepted Issues 

Paul has transitioned into his role with grace. But no amount of curiosity or confidence can magically change your past work experience. Paul had zero experience in botany, and now he is leading a company which grows plants!

“[Midwest Groundcovers’ work] is a manufacturing process,” he told me. “I have to do all the things that manufacturers do: forecasting and managing the manufacturing— growing —process.” 

This work is actually pretty similar to what he had done before, except for one critical difference: delayed consequences. On the manufacturing line, you can see the nasty results of a screw-up almost immediately. With plants, it can take years to see that something went wrong.

Outsiders See What Insiders Accept

Instead of being intimidated by the unknown, Paul leaned into it. He started thinking like a biologist. He ran experiments. He let results speak for themselves. He brought fresh eyes - and used them to ask questions others weren’t asking.

That’s the magic of outsider experience, when paired with the right mindset. Someone who comes from a different industry can be particularly effective in a new space, because they do not know or accept the status quo. People from the same industry - even experts - may see the daily mistakes and challenges as part of the accepted norm. Since talent from a different industry lack knowledge of accepted industry norms, they might instead see the real issues, ask the “dumb” questions, and find new solutions. 

This is why innovative strategies often come from “outsider” talent. If they have a mindset of curiosity, they could be the right disruptive thinkers for you.

Experience Alone Can Be a Hammer

Of course, curiosity alone isn’t a magic wand - and experience can hurt more than help if it’s wielded recklessly.

Take the story of Ron Johnson, for example. After major success at Target and Apple, he took over as CEO of JCPenney. But instead of learning from the JCP team or listening to their customers, he tried to transplant his previous playbook. The result? A $1 billion sales loss and a 55% stock drop.

Experience, when not paired with curiosity and humility, can become a hammer, flattening everything in its path.

The Real Formula: Curiosity + Personal Mission + Process

So what makes Paul different?

He didn’t just bring experience. He brought a mindset.

His mission of “building bridges, unlocking opportunities, and adding value to all relationships” guided every move. He asked, listened, and learned before leading. And by combining his manufacturing background with Midwest Groundcovers' deep horticultural roots, he created a leadership model that’s thriving.

That’s not luck. That’s intentional leadership.

Paul did not pop out of a cake and bend his new team to his will. Instead, he led with humility, seeking to learn the business and contribute his fresh perspective in areas that needed an outsider’s point-of-view while valuing the experience of his team. 

As you bring new executives into your business, don’t automatically exclude candidates from different industries with patterns that might transfer well. However, it is critical that they also have a mindset of curiosity and the humility to learn. Combined with the right mindset and attitude, their different background could be a strong asset.  

To read more stories about successful leadership transitions and how not to use experience as a hammer, check out my book, The Journey to CEO Success: 7 Practices for High Growth Leadership.