One of the most inspiring leaders I've met in the last several years does not run a Fortune 500 company, did not launch a startup in his garage, and has not led an army. He's a schoolteacher. But his persuasion skills are so effective they should be adopted by anyone who manages anyone.

So as I thought about it, the most important "tool" you can have today in business is insatiable curiosity. The minute you lose it, you're dead.