Why One Duke Leader Says Curiosity Makes Better Managers

Executive Vice Provost Mohamed Noor shared lessons on listening, leading through change and supporting employees with participants in the Duke Management Academy

Mohamed Noor speaks to the Duke Management Academy
Executive Vice Provost Mohamed Noor urged the Duke Management Academy cohort to have "curiosity over expectation." Photo by Chase Williams

Even after nearly two years as Duke’s Executive Vice Provost and more than two decades at Duke University, Mohamed Noor still has questions about leadership best practices.

In those instances, Noor recently told members of the 2026 Duke Management Academy (DMA), he relies on advice from his personal leadership coach who often urges to have “curiosity over expectation.”

“That’s the difference between going into a meeting not already knowing what’s going to happen in the end, but going in knowing you’re going to listen,” Noor said. “And maybe I’m going to do a major pivot on all these things.”

Noor shared the advice as the speaker in the yearlong Duke Management Academy, a professional development program offered through Duke’s Learning & Organization Development, a unit in Duke Human Resources. The program helps middle managers across Duke University and Duke University Health System sharpen their leadership skills.

“Be intentional about using this time to connect and build relationships,” said Keisha Williams, Assistant Vice President at L&OD, as she introduced Noor to the 25 staff members gathered. “Expanding your network and engaging directly, asking questions and learning from one another is where real value is created.”

Mohamed Noor
Executive Vice Provost Mohamed Noor explained that he approaches meetings with curiosity rather than expectations. Photo by Chase Williams

During the session, Noor discussed how he advanced from his role as a biology faculty member to leadership, offered advice on navigating forces such as federal funding cuts and artificial intelligence, and explained how he manages work-life balance.

“It’s tough being a manager,” Noor said. “You talk to people all the time and you think what you get is the whole story – but you never get the whole story on anything. Never assume you’ve gotten the whole story.”

That’s why Noor follows his leadership coach’s advice to ask questions rather than make assumptions, particularly when meeting with employees who report to him. He advised managers to ask someone who is not meeting expectations how they think they are doing rather than telling them where they have fallen short.

“I swear, 80% of the time, they tell you everything you wanted to tell them,” Noor said. “And then you’ve changed your role from being the sanctioner to the supporter.”

Suggestions such as the ones Noor provided have been helpful to Duke Management Academy scholars such as Lindy Norman, an Administrative Manager at Duke University School of Medicine.

“I’m just blown away by the quality of the sessions, and the resources that have been given,” Norman said. “The opportunity to talk to other managers about common issues and troubleshoot together and support each other is helpful.

“The manager level can be pretty isolating, potentially, so this has been an incredible resource and really encouraging.”

Applications for the eighth Duke Management Academy Scholars cohort open in late November.

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