Leading With Curiosity, Not Just Confidence
The Confidence-Curiosity Equation
Confidence helps leaders shine, but curiosity keeps them growing. This balance of strength and humility is what makes the art of Taekwondo so unique.
No one represents this principle more than Solomon Park, owner of Hong Park Taekwondo College in Edmonton. I was first introduced to him during my year as a general member at our self defence workshop. I recently had the chance to connect again for a conversation on how curiosity has shaped his journey, and guided his approach to leadership.
Here’s everything I learned, and don’t want you to miss either.
Leadership Defined
All meaningful conversation is anchored by a shared understanding of the topic. When I asked Park what leadership meant to him in the context of Taekwondo, he didn’t hesitate to articulate his vision clearly.
Park shares: It's important we teach our students and we teach the future of our world how to lead by example, how to be a light. But that comes with the balance of knowing we're not perfect. As long as we try to bring out the best version of ourselves, I think that's what it means to be a leader. Understanding we have the power to make a difference, and then exercising that power with a proactive attitude by trying to make other people’s day a little bit better.
Is there a specific moment in your own journey (whether as a student or instructor), when curiosity changed how you approached something?
Park responds: Our school has a demonstration team and our demonstration team was under the leadership of my father. Our grandmaster was very linear. He had a very traditional style of performing. Then I did a lot of research and I piqued my interest in the new age of Taekwondo performances, and after studying a lot and diving into that creativity, our demonstration team has evolved into what might be Edmonton's best martial arts demonstration team right now. We've overcome so many creative obstacles, and just really expanded our ability to express ourselves through our training. Which wouldn't have happened if I didn't take the approach to expand beyond what my father was doing. That little bit of curiosity really sparked into something we're quite proud of.
What’s something you believed about leadership early on that you no longer believe? And what changed your mind?
Early on in his leadership journey, Solomon believed leaders were infallible. They always had the right answers, and perfection was the standard to live up to. This perspective grew from what he now recognizes as the idolization of his predecessors, having put them on a pedestal where they could not change or grow. Over time, as he gained experience and stepped into his own leadership role, he realized no leader has all the answers. Challenges and struggles were a daily part of reality, and what may appear perfect to others is actually the result of navigating difficulties behind the scenes. Transparency is important: normalizing challenges to those who look up to you, teaching them growth comes from learning how to navigate these challenges rather than negating them entirely.
How do you balance being confident in your expertise while staying open to new perspectives or feedback?
Park explained leaders need “a very strong foundation of why they're doing it.” When you have that, “it will naturally birth confidence” even in the face of mistakes (or confrontation, yikes). “If you are rooted in a strong foundation of why, then mistakes are natural, mistakes are OK. Not only that, you're able to fight for yourself.”
At the same time, staying open to new perspectives depends on your willingness to continue your why: “Are you interested in evolving? Are you interested in taking yourself to the next level?” If not, you might “close yourself off to new perspectives.”
Is there a quote, philosophy, or martial arts principle, that reminds you to stay open?
Park reflects: Two things come to mind.
One, my father told me this when I had my first serious confrontation when I was in my early 20s. He told me to make my mind a net in the wind. And it was only many, many years later that I started to get a grasp of it. A net in the wind doesn't catch everything that goes through it; you have to train yourself to let some things go through you. Every time you hold onto something, then it becomes your burden.
Two, Bruce Lee says to be like water; when you put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. When you put water into a cup. it becomes a cup. So it can mold and take the shape of anything, but it also flows. Be like a chameleon where you can adapt to different surroundings and quickly adjust, and you will find the most success in life.
If you could ask the next generation of leaders one question to spark reflection, what would it be?
Park observes: I would say, how much meditation do you do? How much time do you sit in reflection? We live in a world where we are so immersed in content, we have instant access to pretty much all the information we ever could have. And not only that, we are being fed instant gratification; we have everything we always want every second and it's in our pocket. And if we do not balance that with just quiet time in the mind, walks in nature, meaningful interactions with people, then we're going to just lose our humanity. We're going to lose ourselves. We need a lot more meditation and reflection and quiet time.
Confidence, Curiosity, and Beyond
I ended the phone call that morning and realized my house was still asleep. It was quiet, and for what felt like the first time in forever, I sat in it.
Maybe leadership was never about having every answer, but about asking better questions. When we stay open, we find the courage to keep on learning. In the end, confidence gets you started, but curiosity propels you forward.
A special thank you to Solomon Park for the privilege of sharing his incredible journey. His story reminds us that leadership is as much about listening as it is about leading.