Curiosity Is My Competitive Advantage

One of the questions I get asked most often is, "How do you do what you do?"

Once people see me in action, there's often a moment where they just kind of look at me and ask, "How did you do that?" More than one leader has jokingly referred to it as my "magic brain."

The truth is, it isn't magic. It's that I've spent my entire life being fascinated by understanding how things work. I've been this way for as long as I can remember.

When I was five years old, my father worked as a general contractor. He would come home with piles of fittings, hardware, and construction materials. While other kids might have found that boring, I could spend hours sorting them. He brought home an old broken radio once. I asked him if I could have it. When he asked me why I said “I want to take it apart and see how it works.” And that’s exactly what I did. I found a fascinating world hidden inside. Then I carefully put it back together just to see if I could.

Not because someone asked me to. Because I was curious. I wanted to know what belonged together. Why these pieces were different. What patterns existed that nobody had explained. I didn’t want anyone to tell me. I wanted to explore it for myself.

Looking back, I wasn't really sorting hardware or playing with a radio.

I was learning to make sense of complexity. Over forty years later, I still do exactly the same thing. Only now the pieces are people, processes, organizations, technology, and strategy.

I don't see departments. I see relationships.

When I walk into an organization, I don't see departments. I see relationships.

I don't see isolated problems. I see systems interacting with one another.

I don't stop at asking what is happening. I want to understand why it's happening.

That curiosity drives everything I do.

The same process, every time

That same curiosity has followed me throughout my career.

Whether I was untangling a $100 million litigation pipeline, rebuilding an accounts receivable process, or helping a founder finally understand why growth had stalled, the process has always been the same. I have spent my career helping others see what was there all along.

I get curious.

People often describe this as systems thinking or root cause analysis. Those are certainly part of my work. But they aren't where it begins.

It begins with curiosity.

I genuinely love understanding how things work.

And I find deep satisfaction in helping others see what has been there all along.

That's why my work isn't about fixing symptoms. It's about making the invisible visible.

Because once you truly understand a system, better decisions become possible.

If that sounds like the kind of conversation your organization needs, I'd love to get curious with you. Every meaningful solution begins the same way: by asking the right questions.

Every organization has a story hidden beneath the surface. I simply enjoy taking the cover off long enough for us to see it together.