Leaders sometimes send mixed messages about curiosity. They may say one thing but lead their employees in another direction, says Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino.

“Although leaders might say they treasure inquisitive minds, in fact most stifle curiosity, fearing it will increase risk and inefficiency,” Gino writes in a recent Harvard Business Review article.

In an interview with Inc., she offered two specific tips for smaller businesses and organizations that want to make sure curiosity flourishes: one, ask a large number of thoughtful questions; and two, take steps to help employees broaden their horizons. This combination helps to move a team beyond repetition.

“In small business it is even more important for the leader to model curiosity for others,” Gino said.

Better Influencer Marketing

8 Tips to Better #InfluencerMarketing Programs by @domnicastro https://t.co/gj3UhbStU3

— CMSWire.com (@cmswire) September 19, 2018

Influencer marketing is rife with headaches and ethical challenges, but if you can navigate those, something valuable often emerges.

Over at CMS Wire, contributor Dom Nicastro has a series of tips for improving your influencer marketing program, including to cultivate authenticity and to ensure that you’re hitting the right target. It’s not as easy as finding someone you like and just getting them on board. You need to make sure that their influence is directed at achieving your larger goals.

Other Links of Note

“The innovators in your membership are the ones who will eventually change the profession or industry.” At Smooth the Path, Amanda Kaiser discusses how embracing innovative members can help put your association in a leadership position.

When should you let go of your lapsed members? In a new podcast, The Moery Company’s JP Moery discusses why maintaining lapsed members for too long is problematic for associations.

Big social media growth is great, but don’t rest on your laurels. At Forbes, Stryde VP of Marketing T.J. Welsh says you can turn that success into longer-term organic growth.

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