The Art of Curiosophy
Customized Executive Programs
Why The Art of Curiosophy
The average person spends about 90,000 hours, more than 11,000 days and 30 years at work. For directors, executives and senior managers, this number is often even higher. That should be enough time to make an impact. Yet daily work is increasingly dominated by a growing and complex stream of challenges.
These challenges are far too complex to be simply solved. Is it our company’s responsibility to reduce environmental pollution? Should we focus on profit or on purpose? How is it possible that the feeling of unsafety remains, even after launching twenty projects to create a safer culture? Tensions often rise around such questions. And according to the World Health Organization, the greatest pandemic is yet to come by the end of this decade: burnout, largely caused by the increasing complexity of work.
It seems we have not yet touched the deeper cause of these problems. We believe that something essential is missing, something subtle, difficult to define yet powerful enough to change the course. Our curiosity. Our capacity to inquire.
Welcome to The Art of Curiosophy.
What Will We Do?
The program is a journey in which participants experience the essence of inquiry-based leadership and learn to apply both the mindset and the accompanying skills. The ten principles of inquiry-based living and leadership form the central thread throughout. In co-creation with people from your organization, we shape the flexible elements together.
We work with the participants’ own experiences, with carefully designed settings, and with engaging, light-hearted as well as deep and challenging exercises. What you learn throughout the day is supported by insights from science, neuroscience, change management, philosophy and social psychology. Handouts and relevant literature will be shared afterward for further reflection.
The foundation of inquiry-based leadership is to view what arises in the here and now as ‘research material’ for what you aim to achieve. This means that we embrace the right to deviate from the program whenever something emerges along the way that helps the group experience the true essence of inquiry-based leadership in the moment.
Your Key Takeaways
After this program, you will:
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Move through work and life with an inquiring mindset.
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Actively apply the ten Curiosophy principles in your professional and personal life.
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Understand the difference between solving problems and engaging with complex questions.
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Know how to navigate yourself, your team and your organization through complexity.
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Be able to focus on what is truly essential in the challenges you encounter.
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Make decisions that are collective, conscious and deeply grounded.
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Intervene with greater precision and effectiveness while fostering genuine engagement.
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Use your full range of leadership capacities with greater awareness.
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Build a unique network of unlike-minded allies who challenge and inspire you.
Practical Information
Duration: To be determined in consultation. Achieving the results described above typically requires a three-day program.
Dates: To be scheduled in consultation.
Location: Either the inspiring Genieloods in Aalsmeerderbrug (the Netherlands) or the beautiful Terra Nova at the foot of the Pyrenees in France.
Group size: 10–16 participants.
Price: Depending on location and program design.
The program includes:
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Tailor-made guidance by two senior facilitators.
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Artistic interventions and/or nature expeditions.
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Accommodation for all days and nights (Netherlands or France).
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Breakfast, lunch, dinner and full coffee and tea service.
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Connection to a vibrant network of unlike-minded peers.
Who Is It For?
You possess a strong sense of life and leadership wisdom. You lead transitions of considerable scope and complexity. You understand that effective leadership is not only built on knowledge, but also on a broader repertoire of humanity. Yet, amidst the pace and pressure of daily life, you may sometimes find it difficult to fully access your own potential.
You know that genuine connection with clients and employees is essential for exceptional performance. Still, in practice, you often find yourself occupied with fixing problems rather than shaping possibilities. Your days are long, and the constant rush of governance, pressure and complexity makes it challenging to bring your vision to life.
You may have CEO, CFO or another three-letter ‘Chief’ combination in your email signature. You might be an executive, senior leader, entrepreneur or board member. But even if your title is different, this program is for you—provided your intention is clear: to make real progress.
By Whom
This program is developed and facilitated by Suzanne Leclaire and Peter Rombouts. Both have built extensive experience as executives, cultural scientists, change experts and dancers. What unites them is their ability to engage the many layers of wisdom within and between people, using dialogue and the arts as primary sources of insight.
In The Art of Curiosophy, each brings their own unique energy, role and expertise to create a deeply experiential and transformative learning environment.
Suzanne Leclaire is an experienced executive, cultural scientist, leadership expert and dialogue specialist. In her roles as CEO, board member and facilitator, she has guided numerous complex transitions by engaging people in innovative processes and encounters that enable them to act collectively on what they most deeply wish to change.
In 2020, she founded The Curiosophy Collective, a community of exceptional professionals with a shared mission: Curiosophy, the practical philosophy of inquiry-based living and leadership. Suzanne is known for her inspiring, empathetic and empowering approach to guidance and transformation.
Peter Rombouts is a renowned expert in change and leadership and a three-time world champion in Argentine Tango. In addressing complex leadership challenges, he combines the worlds of transformational change and physical movement.
He guides leaders and organizations in creating their own sustainable movement forward. With a systemic approach, Peter reveals the potential of leaders beyond words. He is incisive, authentic, and has a rare ability to touch both the essence and the hearts of those he works with.
Experience as a Source
Wisdom is the integration of knowledge and experience. In this program, the group itself is the source of wisdom — with each participant’s deeply personal experience serving as raw material. To tap into this collective intelligence, we invite you into carefully designed experiences that respond to what the group asks for or needs in the moment.
These experiences may take place in nature, through artistic interaction, or through play. At times, we collaborate with Curiosophists from our collective or with our partners at Terra Nova and their community at the foot of the Pyrenees.