Are you leading to learn—or to be right?
In Blindspotting, I introduce two powerful leadership archetypes: Seekers and Knowers. The difference isn’t about intelligence or experience—it’s about mindset.
Seekers are leaders who stay curious. They ask honest questions, welcome challenge, and change their minds when new evidence appears. They value learning over being right. In contrast, Knowers double down. They resist feedback, rely on certainty, and ask questions to win, not to understand.
We all shift between these modes. But the most effective leaders know which one to use, and when.
Seekers build cultures of trust, innovation and inclusion. Their openness creates space for others to speak up. Their flexibility helps teams adapt. They see feedback not as a threat—but as fuel for growth.
The Knower mindset has its place—during a crisis, in emergencies, when decisive action is needed. But outside of those rare moments, staying in Knower mode shuts down learning and creates blindspots.
Three actions for the week:
Ask your team: “What might I be missing here?”
Catch yourself when you feel defensive—and get curious instead.
Reflect on one belief you’ve held for a long time. Could it be re-examined?
🟨 LINKS TO PRE-ORDER - all the links to pre-order Blindspotting, available from 3 June in hard copy, e-book and audio book - https://www.kirstinferguson.com/books/
🟦 FREE PERSONALISED REPORT - Take the Blindspotting Leader Self-Assessment Tool for your free report comparing your results to other leaders - visit www.blindspotting.com.au
I turned out to be a seeker, raised in a family of religious fundamentalists (knowers). It got me into a fair bit of trouble. I was always wondering why we do things the way we do (because it often seemed obvious there were better ways to go about things). You can be perceived as deliberately contrary and argumentative, when you are genuinely just asking, so you can understand. For people who are ‘knowers’, maybe they have great difficulty understanding the need to question things, in the same way I struggle to understand how anyone can believe ideas without trying to understand where they come from. I think the thing that led me to wonder about everything, was my Nan introducing us to nature and buying us eg nature magazines etc. Emphasis on the natural world was huge in the 70’s, there was also maybe something in the zeitgeist to question everything. I think Substack attracts a community of seekers- hello my peeps!.
Seeker. A sponge for opportunities to learn.