Jodi’s Journal: The power of this underrated skill

Feb. 8, 2026

It’s rare for me to hear about a column I’ve written weeks after it has been published, but I continue to be grateful for the response to this message I wrote in January on the need for more mentors in this community.

Some of you reached out to me directly; others contacted organizations mentioned in the column. As recently as a few days ago, I heard from both individuals and groups that were moved to learn more about mentoring. It’s such an encouraging reminder that we live in a community that truly does care about having an impact on the ones who will shape our shared future.

I saw that on display again last week when I was asked to speak at a program called Power Lunch.

I loved the idea for this initiative as soon as I heard about it from founders Natalie Eisenberg and Margaret Carmody. They began Power Lunch at Whittier Middle School in 2022, and it expanded to two more schools the following year.

The concept involves gathering a selected group of eighth grade girls each month for a free catered lunch and the chance to hear from women in various careers. There’s a curriculum that teaches a different “power” each session: the power of creativity, the power of resilience, etc.

I was invited to speak to the group that meets at George McGovern Middle School and was assigned the lesson I’m sure I would have chosen given the chance: the power of curiosity.

Luckily for them, the program was less than a half-hour because I’m sure I could talk twice as long on the importance of this topic.

More than ever, I see the need for people who are curious. As I told the students, I would hire the person who is curious any day even if it meant investing more time to teach them other elements of the job.

The curious person recognizes opportunities, discovers gaps, builds relationships and often becomes an innovator. These are the skills it will take to differentiate — both as an individual contributor and for an organization. As I told them, technology is advancing so quickly I cannot come close to predicting the sorts of jobs an eighth grader will hold over the course of a career.

But if you put your curiosity to work, you will find those career paths. You’ll discern what it takes to succeed in them, or you’ll create an opportunity.

As employers, we need to create space for and encourage curiosity in our workplaces. Instead, we sometimes have a tendency to hoard information and issue directives more than we hold discussions.

I realized in speaking to the students, though, that we need more curiosity at work far beyond the work world.

Consider bringing more curiosity to how you interact with others, I told them.

“You know what causes most relationship and friend drama?” I asked.

That caused a few more heads to lift up and pay attention.

“It’s when you don’t really understand what’s going on with the other person.”

That’s a communication issue that curiosity can address.

Ask. Keep asking until you come closer to understanding. Imagine if, as adults, our discourse of the day were more rooted around curiosity than conflict and confrontation.

Power Lunch, like mentoring, is one more example of how you can give your time to bring a positive influence to young people in this community. You can learn more here.

I also left my session with a little reporting assignment courtesy of one of the students: Stay tuned for that if I manage to chase it down!

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