The Curiosity Code: How One Executive Unlocked His Future by Asking One Simple Question

“The leaders who will thrive in the age of AI aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones brave enough to keep asking questions.”

Atip Muangsuwan
CEO Coach and Coach Supervisor

There’s a moment in every leader’s journey when they realize that the very thing that got them here won’t get them there.

For Jonathan, that moment arrived not in a boardroom, but in the quiet hour of a coaching session with me. Managing Director of a Business Unit at a global company, Jonathan was already logging fourteen-hour days—the kind of relentless work ethic that had propelled him up the corporate ladder. But as he set his sights on the next leadership role, two grades above his current position, he sensed something was missing.

It wasn’t effort. He had that in abundance.

It was curiosity.

The Problem with Being Full

Jonathan’s new role demanded new skills. The rise of AI was reshaping his industry, introducing complexities and uncertainties that no amount of hard work alone could navigate. He was working harder than ever, yet feeling like he was falling behind.

“I want to learn how to be more curious,” he told me.

It’s a confession most leaders would never make. We’re trained to have answers, not questions. To be certain, not curious. To be the expert in the room, not the student.

But here’s the paradox Jonathan was beginning to understand: the leaders who succeed in the AI era aren’t the ones who know the most. They’re the ones who are most willing to learn.

Emptying the Glass

Our exploration began with a simple question: Are you a full glass or an empty glass?

A full glass holds water, certainly. But it cannot receive anything new. An empty glass, on the other hand, is ready to be filled with fresh understanding.

This is what Zen masters call shoshin—the beginner’s mind. It’s the mindset of approaching every situation with openness, free from preconceptions. It’s choosing “I wonder” over “I know”. It’s embracing a growth mindset instead of a fixed one.

Jonathan recognized himself immediately. He had been operating with a full glass—the expert who had all the answers. But that expertise, hard-won as it was, had become a cage.

The Prince Siddhartha’s Questions

Then I shared a story that would change everything.

Over two thousand five hundred years ago, a young prince named Siddhartha looked at the world around him and asked four questions: Why do we have to be born? Why do we have to grow old? Why do we have to get sick? And why do we have to die?

These questions didn’t have easy answers. But they sparked a journey of discovery that would ultimately lead to enlightenment and the Lord Buddha.

Jonathan’s eyes lit up. He didn’t need to achieve nirvana—but he did need to start asking why.

The Four-Step Framework

What emerged from our sessions was a simple yet powerful framework for cultivating curiosity:

Step One: Possess the Beginner’s Mindset. Empty your glass. Approach every situation as if you know nothing. Replace ego with curiosity.

Step Two: Start with Why. Ask why something happened—or why it didn’t. Ask why things are the way they are. Ask why not.

Step Three: Search for the Answer. Explore. Experiment. Verify. This is where curiosity transforms into discovery.

Step Four: Make Connections. Connect with people and learn from them. Connect the dots between and among your existing knowledge, skills, and ideas. As one leader discovered, “Learning from others isn’t just efficient. It’s the fast-track to wisdom”.

The Liquid Paper Lesson

I shared with Jonathan the story of the liquid paper inventor—a woman who made a connection between her painting technique and a typing error. Her curiosity about solving a simple problem led to a million-dollar invention.

Curiosity isn’t just about asking questions. It’s about seeking solutions. It’s about making unexpected connections or links.

The Homework

Jonathan left our session with two simple action steps:

First, he would connect with his senior leaders to learn from them. Not to impress them with what he knew, but to discover what he didn’t.

Second, he would always ask why—and seek to find the answer.

Your Turn

If you’re a leader who’s working harder than ever but feeling stuck, ask yourself: Is your glass full or empty? Are you approaching your challenges with a beginner’s mind or an expert’s certainty?

The future belongs to the curious. The leaders who will thrive in the age of AI aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones brave enough to keep asking questions.

Start with why. The rest will follow.

Are you ready to become that kind of leader? If you are, then let’s connect!

About Atip Muangsuwan: Atip is an executive leadership coach who specializes in helping high-achieving leaders overcome internal barriers to unlock their full potential and drive organizational success. Through a blend of strategic frameworks and profound personal insights, he empowers leaders in transforming their mindsets, emotional states, and behaviors for lasting impact.