Curiosity Doesn’t Retire: Lifelong Learning and Leading with Authenticity — Paul Sanford
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been driven by one simple instinct: I need to understand how things work. Whether I’m sitting in a room with technologists, board directors, or startup founders, I’m listening, asking, and learning — because the day I stop learning is the day I stop adding value.
That curiosity — that constant hunger to go both deep and broad, to ask not just what but why — has fueled my growth over the years. I’ve always believed in what some call the “T-shaped” learner: someone who dives deep into their areas of expertise, but who also stretches horizontally to understand adjacent disciplines, diverse viewpoints, and broader systems. To me, that’s not optional. That’s how you stay relevant. That’s how you stay useful.
But if curiosity is what drives me, authenticity is how I stay grounded. In every role I’ve held — from advising startups to serving on nonprofit boards — I’ve learned that you can’t separate learning from the way you show up. Being a lifelong learner requires a willingness to be wrong, to ask for help, and to evolve in real time. It requires honesty. Vulnerability. Humility. In short, it requires you to lead with your full self.
That’s what I value most about my involvement in two organizations that live at the intersection of learning and leadership: The Outstanding Directors Exchange (ODX) and The Leverage Network.
ODX, hosted by the Financial Times, is an annual convening of corporate board directors focused on pressing governance challenges — from ESG to executive compensation to crisis response. It’s a space where directors come not to prove what they know, but to gain perspective, expand their toolkit, and sharpen their thinking. It’s one of the few rooms where conversations can be both high-level and deeply honest. The trust in that environment makes real learning possible, and the peer-to-peer nature of it means that no one is too senior to be challenged — or too junior to have insight.
The Leverage Network has a very different, but equally powerful mission: to advance Black executives into board and senior leadership roles across the healthcare industry. Their training programs, networking events, and advocacy work aren’t just helping leaders navigate the system — they’re helping reshape it. What I appreciate most is their belief in both excellence and access. They don’t treat board readiness as a fixed trait. They treat it as a skill set — one that can be taught, honed, and expanded when people are given the opportunity.
My engagement with both organizations reflects a bigger truth I’ve learned over time: Lifelong learning isn’t just about books, courses, or credentials. It’s about the mindset you bring to the table — and the company you keep when you get there.
It’s about asking the second question, not just the first. It’s about listening with the intent to learn, not to reply. It’s about being open to feedback, even when it stings — especially when it stings. And it’s about constantly checking in with yourself: Am I still learning? Am I still growing? Am I still creating space for others to do the same?
I don’t believe in learning for learning’s sake. I believe in learning to lead better. Learning to understand systems. Learning to connect across differences. Learning to build trust, navigate complexity, and contribute meaningfully to the challenges in front of us.
In a world that’s changing faster than ever — and in industries like healthcare and corporate governance where the stakes couldn’t be higher — the leaders who will make the most impact aren’t the ones who know it all. They’re the ones who are still willing to learn, question, adapt, and evolve.
And they’re the ones who know: Curiosity doesn’t retire. And authenticity is never out of date.
Connect with Paul on LinkedIn.
