Are you asking the questions that actually move your business forward—or just managing the chaos? In this episode of the Move The Chains podcast , Ryan Munsey sits down with Jon Bassford, JD, MBA, CAE—best-selling author, TEDx speaker, and founder of Lateral Solutions—to unpack how curiosity-driven leadership can transform growth, operations, and culture.

Jon reveals how he’s helped venture-backed startups, nonprofits, and small businesses unlock innovation and scale by building systems that start with better questions, not just better answers. You’ll hear how his background in law, philosophy, and executive roles like VP and COO shaped his belief that curiosity is a leader’s most underused competitive advantage. 

You will walk away with practical frameworks for operationalizing curiosity in your own teams—how to diagnose bottlenecks, disarm resistance to change, and create a culture where everyone is empowered to challenge “we’ve always done it this way.” If you’re a founder, executive, or high performer looking to drive innovation, improve decision-making, and build resilient systems, this conversation will change how you think about leadership.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Power of Curiosity in Leadership

• 02:46 Curiosity as a Guiding Principle

• 05:55 Challenging the Status Quo

• 08:48 Creating a Culture of Curiosity

• 11:31 Psychological Safety in Organizations

• 14:47 Embedding Curiosity in Processes

• 17:52 Curiosity in Personal Development

• 20:27 The Methodical Audit Process

• 23:35 Navigating Change and Resistance

• 28:04 The Importance of Leadership Processes

• 29:36 Understanding Value and Cost in Business Decisions

• 32:15 Agile Operations and Continuous Improvement

• 33:12 Curiosity and Self-Reflection in Personal Development

• 33:40 Identifying Blind Spots Through Curiosity

• 37:09 Receiving Feedback and Building Self-Awareness

• 40:07 The Journey to Self-Awareness and Behavioral Change

• 43:59 Forgiveness and Grace in Behavioral Patterns

• 46:17 Common Leadership Mistakes and Powerful Questions

• 49:23 Busting Myths About Control in Leadership

Links:

• Connect with Jon Bassford

  • Jon's Lateral Solutions Website 

  • Jon's book: The Curious Leader

  • Jon's Linked In

• Connect with Ryan Munsey

  • Website

  • Follow Ryan on Instagram

  • Subscribe to Ryan's YouTube Channel

  • Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn

• Get Your Copy of  F*ck Your Feelings

  • Audible

  • Amazon

• Save 10% on your first melin hat, the world's best hats: Use the code MoveTheChains10 at melin.com