Kedron Rhodes

Here’s something that might surprise you → the leaders thriving in today’s chaos aren’t the most confident ones. They’re the most curious.

While most executives are doubling down on certainty—more data, bigger plans, clearer forecasts—a contrarian group is doing the opposite. They’re embracing not knowing. They’re asking better questions instead of demanding better answers. And they’re systematically rewiring their brains to turn uncertainty into competitive advantage.

I’ve been tracking this pattern across industries. Netflix restructured around dual leadership because complexity demands collaborative intelligence. Pharmaceutical CEOs are running structured experiments instead of betting on traditional strategic plans. Financial operators are focusing on new metrics that reveal whether rapid growth actually generates cash. Even the language around AI is evolving so fast that staying fluent requires intentional effort.

The conventional wisdom says leaders need confidence to inspire followership. But in volatile environments, confidence without curiosity becomes rigidity. And rigidity, in case you haven’t noticed, is expensive. The question isn’t whether you’re smart enough to navigate what’s coming—it’s whether you’re curious enough to rewire how you think about it.

How curiosity rewires your brain for change 🧠

But what exactly happens in the brain when leaders choose curiosity over confidence? Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s research into neuroscience reveals the mechanics behind this competitive advantage. When we’re curious, our dopaminergic system creates positive anticipation around learning, while enhanced hippocampal activity boosts memory formation and retention. The real breakthrough is that curiosity promotes neuroplasticity, literally rewiring neural pathways to handle new experiences more effectively. While most brains activate stress responses when facing uncertainty, curious brains transform that same uncertainty from threat into invitation. This increases tolerance for prediction error—the gap between what we expect and what actually happens—making leaders more flexible and less reactive. The strategic implication is profound → systematic curiosity isn’t just a nice leadership trait, it’s a cognitive skill that physically restructures your brain for adaptability. In environments where change is the only constant, this neurological advantage separates leaders who thrive from those who merely survive. (Discover the Science →)

🪏 Take it a bit deeper with these…

🎯 Strategic Leadership

• Four Traits of Forward-Looking CEOs — MIT Sloan identifies the capabilities that define tomorrow’s leaders: navigating complexity, holding enterprise mindsets, enabling excellence, and building future talent. These aren’t soft skills—they’re competitive necessities.

• 3 Reasons Small Wins Crush Big Goals — Leadership expert Craig Groeschel reveals why “super habits” fail and small, consistent systems win. The insight: your identity shapes your actions, not the other way around.

💰 Financial Strategy

• The Simple Ratio That Can Save Your Margins — One critical metric (gross margin dollars ÷ total compensation) helped a $100M company stop “growing broke.” With inflation here to stay, this ratio reveals whether growth actually generates cash.

🤖 Cultural Intelligence

• 8 slang terms every creative should know in the AI era — From “AI slop” to “alignment tax,” understanding AI’s emerging vocabulary isn’t about being trendy—it’s about participating in conversations where your industry’s future gets decided.

👋 Sign-Off

Leadership in complexity requires different muscles than leadership in stability. The leaders who thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones with all the answers—they’ll be the ones asking better questions, building adaptive systems, and treating uncertainty as advantage rather than obstacle.

Keep building that competitive edge, one small win at a time.

⁓ Kedron

P.S. Growing up, I dreamed of being a Disney animator but had no clue how to make that happen (hence the business degree). I’ve always loved animation—especially 2D, which has become frightfully rare on the big screen because of how labor-intensive it is. We’ve had some wonderful 2D treats recently, and I’m genuinely excited about “Light of the World” releasing September 5th. Earlier this summer I had the joy of meeting Tony Bancroft, the Animation Director (his brother Tom Bancroft is one of the film’s directors). Tom and Tony are two of my animation heroes—their work on classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Mulan shaped my love for the craft. Ilana and I caught an early screening, and wow—it’s stunning. I laughed and cried through the entire film. Already have tickets for this week and next! We get the arts we support, and this one is absolutely worth supporting.