13 November 2025
Care, Curiosity and Clarity: the three qualities every great leader needs
By
Kate Hill
Care, Curiosity and Clarity: the three qualities every great leader needs
You know those weeks when leadership feels like assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions?
Half the team are flat out, half are frustrated, and you’re caught somewhere between firefighting, forecasting, and keeping morale alive with biscuits.
In moments like that, great leadership isn’t about superhuman stamina or sharper spreadsheets - it’s about something far simpler, but much harder to master: care, curiosity, and clarity.
Over 30 years of leading agencies and coaching leaders, I’ve found these three qualities are what separate good managers from great leaders, who know how to build trust, inspire growth, and keep teams aligned. Especially important when everything around you is shifting.
In this blog, I break down what they look like in action and give you actionable advice to make a change.
Care: the foundation of leadership
In fast-paced workplaces - where deadlines move, clients change their minds, and inboxes rarely sleep - care can feel like a nice-to-have.
But it’s not that at all. Care is the foundation that holds everything else up.
Why care matters
Targets and deliverables matter - but they’re not the whole story. Leadership is about supporting the people who deliver the work, helping them hit those targets, and guiding your managers so they can do the same.
Gallup research shows that when employees feel genuinely cared for by their manager, engagement and loyalty soar. Care isn’t about lowering standards or dodging tough conversations - it’s about creating conditions where people want to do their best work because they feel supported.
Think of care as the soil - performance is what grows from it.
Below are five practical ways to strengthen the care aspect of your leadership - the real, everyday actions that build trust and performance.
The balance between empathy and accountability
Care starts with empathy, but it’s not the “tea and sympathy” kind. It’s the practical, curious type that asks:
“What’s getting in the way?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?”
There are two sides to empathy:
Cognitive empathy — understanding how someone thinks
Emotional empathy — understanding how someone feels
Strong leaders balance both. They listen with head and heart - they notice tone as well as timelines.
Listening like you mean it
Active listening is one of the simplest ways to show care - and one of the most overlooked.
It means putting your phone down, closing the laptop, and giving someone your full attention.
Try this: in your next one-to-one, aim to speak for 20% of the time and listen for 80%. You’ll learn far more than if you filled the silence.
Recognising people’s wiring
Care also means recognising that people are wired differently. Some are detail-obsessed; others are ideas-first. Some need quiet reflection, others thrive on brainstorms.
A caring leader doesn’t make everyone fit one mould - they flex their own style to bring out the best in each person.
That’s why tools like DiSC® profiling, which we use inside The Leadership Accelerator Premium, are so powerful. They help leaders understand themselves and others - turning “why does she always…” into “ah, that’s why she works that way.”
Care in conflict
Care shows up most when things get tough. In conflict, it’s tempting to either avoid the issue (“I’ll smooth this over”) or go in too hard (“this needs sorting”).
Neither builds trust.
Try something like: “I’ve noticed a few times recently you’ve joined a little later than planned, and I wanted to check in to see if everything’s alright? Is there something getting in the way that we can look at together?”
It’s clear, it’s firm, and it invites dialogue. That’s care with backbone.
Real-world example
One client I coached inherited a team with low morale, missed targets, and sky-high turnover.
Instead of diving into performance plans, she started with listening sessions, smaller team meetings, and moments to celebrate wins. Within months, engagement rose - and so did performance.
There’s nothing “soft” about that.
Care doesn’t mean rescuing people or lowering standards.
It means saying:
“I believe in you, and I expect a lot from you.”
That’s real care - it challenges people to grow.
If you’d prefer to listen, you can hear the full episode of Leading with Care How to Lead: the podcast here
Curiosity: the engine room of good leadership
If care builds trust, curiosity builds learning.
It’s what turns tension into insight, conflict into collaboration, and “I don’t know” into “let’s figure it out.”
What curiosity really is
Curiosity is a disciplined willingness to explore before you decide. It’s not dithering or overthinking — it’s pausing long enough to ask why before you act.
It’s saying:
“Tell me more about that,” instead of, “No, that won’t work.”
Leaders often avoid curiosity because they’re busy, or because they think asking questions will make them look unsure.
But curiosity doesn’t weaken authority - it earns it. It shows confidence in your people and maturity in your thinking.
Curiosity isn’t about endless questioning or analysis paralysis. It’s about knowing when to pause, probe, and learn before deciding. Here are five focus points to help you lead with curiosity in the real world - not just in theory.
The two-minute reset
When you feel the urge to jump in with your opinion, try this quick reset:
Pause your judgment - park it, don’t delete it
Ask yourself: What am I assuming here?
Ask one question: What problem are we really solving?
Listen for both the headline and the hesitation
Two minutes of curiosity now can save two weeks of rework later.
Using curiosity to de-escalate conflict
We’ve all had those Monday meetings where tension fills the room before anyone says a word. Leading with curiosity helps you break that pattern. It gives people a chance to feel seen before they feel judged - and that’s where resolution starts.
This four-step structure could help: Name, Validate, Explore, Align
Name what you see
Validate the feeling
Explore the story
Align on the goal
For example:
“I’ve noticed a few times recently you’ve joined a little later than planned (Name). I can imagine that’s been stressful trying to juggle everything (Validate). Can you talk me through what’s been happening from your side? (Explore). Let’s look at what we can put in place so it’s easier for you - and the team stays on track (Align).”
Or, in a team context:
“I can hear you’re frustrated about how this project was handled (Name). Given the last-minute change, I completely understand why (Validate). What did you expect that didn’t happen within the project? (Explore). Let’s make sure next time we set clearer sign-off points so everyone’s aligned earlier (Align).”
This approach addresses the issue without anyone losing face - and without you losing authority. It balances care with accountability and helps you turn conflict into a moment of connection.
Leading through questions
You don’t need a long list of fancy questions. A few good ones work every time in different scenarios:
“What feels most important to understand first?”
“What assumptions are we making?”
“If this were easy, how would we do it?”
“What part of this are we already aligned on?”
If you only remember one, make it What else?
That single phrase can shift any conversation from defensive to constructive.
Curiosity in action
Curiosity doesn’t need to slow you down - in fact, it speeds up learning when it becomes part of how your team works.
One leader I coached started asking a single question at the end of every project review:
“What surprised you most?”
It changed everything. Instead of running post-mortems that focused on what went wrong, her team started spotting patterns - missed assumptions, communication gaps, or over-promised deadlines - and fixing them before the next project even began.
That’s the real power of curiosity: it turns reflection into a system, not just a soft skill.
It normalises learning, invites honesty, and makes feedback feel safe. When leaders show they’re willing to learn too, teams follow suit - and improvement becomes part of the culture, not just a quarterly initiative.
Curiosity leads to clarity
Curiosity isn’t the opposite of clarity - it’s the path to it.
When you ask before you decide, you build clarity that lasts. You ask, you listen, you connect the dots - then you decide.
By skipping curiosity, you make shallow decisions. Stay in curiosity forever, and nothing moves.
The magic is in the balance: curiosity to explore, clarity to act. The best leaders use curiosity to uncover context and clarity to move forward with confidence.
As one of my clients put it, “Curiosity opens the door - but clarity gets everyone through it.”
If you’d prefer to listen, you can hear the full episode of Leading with Curiosity How to Lead: the podcast here.
Clarity: turning trust and insight into action
Clarity is what keeps everything running when the pressure’s on. It’s what stops teams from spinning in circles, stops rework, and builds confidence - especially in fast-moving businesses where priorities shift daily.
Why clarity matters
Clarity isn’t just about communication. It’s about energy.
Without it, people waste time guessing what “good” looks like or worrying if they’re missing something. When clarity is strong, everyone knows where they’re heading, why it matters, and how to get there.
In the chaos of client changes, new priorities, and shifting briefs, clarity is what keeps everything moving. Here are six practical ways to cut through the noise and lead with direction, not confusion.
Delegation made simple: The PORT Framework
Most leaders think they’ve been clear. Their team often disagrees.
Here’s a framework to fix that:
P – Purpose: Why are we doing this?
O – Outcome: What does success look like?
R – Responsibility: Who owns which parts?
T – Timing: When is it due, and when will we check in?
Compare:
“Can you sort a client presentation?”
with
“We need a 10-slide deck for Tuesday’s client meeting. You’ll lead the first draft, I’ll review Monday morning, and we’re aiming for a design-ready version by end of day.”
One invites chaos. The other creates calm.
Clear decisions save teams
Few things drain morale faster than unclear decision-making. When people don’t know how or when decisions are made, they fill the silence with assumptions - and that’s where frustration, second-guessing, and disengagement start to creep in.
The fix is simple but powerful: name the decision mode upfront.
Before any meeting or discussion, make it clear which approach you’re using:
Consultation: “I’ll decide, but I want your input”
Consensus: “We’ll decide together”
Delegated: “You decide, and I’ll support you”
That one minute of clarity at the start saves hours of confusion later. It also builds trust - because people know whether they’re being asked to contribute, collaborate, or take ownership.
Honesty beats false democracy every time; let’s not pretend it’s a group decision when it’s already been made.
Clarity across teams
We are all pulling in the same direction to make the boat go faster… sometimes.
Cross-department battles are something to observe.. The Sales team promises the earth, and Delivery ends up firefighting. Marketing launches a campaign before Finance signs off on the budget. Operations announces a new initiative before HR has been briefed on hiring the right people.. Eek!
It’s not bad intent - it’s a clarity gap. When goals and handovers aren’t clearly defined, each team fills in the blanks their own way. That’s how silos become turf wars.
One of my clients solved this by introducing a simple “contract-ready checklist.”
Both Sales and Delivery had to sign off before work began. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked. Everyone knew what “ready” meant. Tension dropped, and trust returned.
That’s what clarity does. It stops collaboration from becoming chaos and turns friction into flow.
Clarity in crisis
In a crisis, clarity doesn’t mean pretending to have all the answers. It means being transparent about what you do know, what you don’t know, and what you’re doing next.
The formula is simple:
“Here’s what we know. Here’s what we don’t. Here’s what we’re doing next.”
When pressure is high, people don’t expect perfection - they expect honesty. Silence breeds anxiety, but clarity builds trust.
Think of leaders like New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern during the pandemic: calm, direct, empathetic, and open about uncertainty. That style translates beautifully to business leadership too.
When people know the plan - even if the plan is “we’ll update you Friday” - they can stay grounded and focused, rather than burning energy on speculation.
Clarity doesn’t make the crisis disappear, but it gives everyone something solid to hold onto while navigating through it.
Rituals that reinforce clarity
Clarity sticks when it becomes routine. The goal isn’t to over-process, but to make transparency a habit.
You could try:
Monday “Top 3 Priorities” reminders - keep everyone aligned on what really matters
Decision logs - record what was decided, why, and any risks discussed
Behaviour grids - two columns: “What we expect” and “What we don’t”
Monthly one-minute vision reminders - reconnect the team to the bigger picture
Small, consistent rituals like these make clarity part of your culture, not just a meeting topic.
Self-clarity comes first
You can’t give clarity if you don’t have it.
I encourage you to pause and ask yourself:
What are my top three priorities?
What’s non-negotiable?
Could I explain this project’s purpose in one sentence?
If you can’t answer confidently, neither can your team. Clarity starts with you.
If you’d prefer to listen, you can hear the full episode of Leading with Clarity How to Lead: the podcast here
The Leadership Trifecta
Care builds trust.
Curiosity builds learning.
Clarity builds focus.
Each matters on its own - but it’s their combination that transforms leadership.
Care without clarity creates comfort zones.
Curiosity without clarity leads to endless exploration.
Clarity without care burns people out.
The best leaders hold all three - balancing empathy, exploration, and direction.
As I say at the end of every How to Lead episode:
“Until next time, if you want to be less like Linda, keep leading with clarity, care, and curiosity.”
If you want to put this into practice…
If you’re ready to apply these principles - not just read about them - I’d love for you to explore:
The Leadership Accelerator Premium - a 24-week accredited group coaching programme that blends easy-to-apply techniques, coaching, and live peer support
How to Lead: Digital Academy - a self-paced online course packed with videos, workbooks, and reflection guides
Or, if you’d just like a peek behind the scenes, watch my short walkthrough video where I take you inside the Leadership Accelerator programme and the Academy library.
