TLP456: The Curiosity Switch: How Leaders Stay Ahead with Jamie Beaton

Jamie Beaton is CEO of Crimson Education, helping students gain admission to top universities. A Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Princeton graduate, he also founded Crimson Global Academy and authored “ACCEPTED! Secrets to Gaining Admission to the World's Top Universities.” In this episode, Jamie reveals the mentors who shaped his leadership, including legendary investor Julian Robertson, and explains how to accelerate growth as an emerging leader. He discusses the challenges of leading a global company, how cultural differences impact leadership, and what truly defines top talent beyond credentials. He also dives into the “curiosity switch”—the key to staying relevant, inspired, and continuously learning. Jamie shares a pivotal moment in his leadership journey—balancing the demands of running Crimson while attending Stanford Business School, a decision that tested his resilience and investor relationships. He also provides insight into how leaders can build high-performance teams, manage ambition without burnout, and create a culture of excellence and execution. If you want to learn how to lead with curiosity, build a world-class team, and navigate high-stakes decisions, this episode is a must-listen.     Key Takeaways [02:43] Jamie shares his love for Warhammer, a strategy board game that takes him across the world to compete. He finds it a great way to disconnect from work and engage in a different kind of strategic thinking. [03:58] Jamie credits Julian Robertson, founder of Tiger Management, as a major influence. Julian took him under his wing, instilling confidence in his abilities and teaching him the balance between competitive drive and integrity. [08:58] Jamie’s experiences across countries like New Zealand, China, Singapore, and the U.S. have broadened his leadership perspective. He emphasizes that while leadership principles are universal, cultural differences impact feedback styles, work ethics, and hierarchical structures. Leaders must adapt to these variations to be effective. [11:35] Jamie highlights feedback styles as one major cultural difference. In places like Japan and China, direct feedback can be seen as disrespectful, while in the U.S. and New Zealand, a blunt and fast-paced communication style is more accepted. Work ethic expectations also differ, with China’s 996 culture (9 AM – 9 PM, six days a week) contrasting with New Zealand’s emphasis on work-life balance. However, he believes that people everywhere are drawn to ambitious, high-performance teams. [15:01] Jamie introduces the "curiosity switch", explaining that some people are naturally driven to learn while others become complacent. He believes curiosity can be reignited by exposing yourself to new industries, ideas, and challenges. Leaders who continuously push themselves to learn remain relevant. [17:38] Jamie admits that his rapid thinking once created chaos within his teams. Over time, he built a leadership team with specialized roles—some focused on executing ideas, while others thrived in early-stage innovation. By structuring his organization this way, he ensures creativity doesn’t disrupt operational stability. [21:09] Jamie values learning agility, ambition, and integrity over academic credentials. He shares a story about his co-founder, Fungzhou, who started with limited English at 18 and now manages hundreds of employees globally. He believes top talent is defined by their ability to adapt, seek feedback, and push beyond their comfort zone. [25:43] Jamie acknowledges that in the early years, he wasn’t easy to follow. To improve, he surrounded himself with strong communicators who could translate his vision into clear, actionable steps for the team. Over time, he became more aware of how his leadership style impacted others, ensuring his team had the clarity they needed. [27:11] Jamie has learned that face-to-face time is irreplaceable. He prioritizes in-person interactions with his executive team and country managers, even flying 18 hours for a two-day event. He believes that an hour in person builds more trust than 30 hours on Zoom, making these investments critical for leadership success. [29:22] Jamie describes the tension of balancing business school at Stanford while leading Crimson. His investors were skeptical, fearing it would be a distraction, while his team worried about his physical absence. Despite these doubts, Jamie pushed through, believing the skills and networks he gained would ultimately help Crimson grow. [34:01] Jamie credits his responsibility to his team, ambition, and the support of his co-founders as his guiding forces. He emphasizes that having trusted partners who can step in when needed is critical for sustaining leadership over the long haul. [37:02] Jamie explains that when your curiosity switch is on, work feels exciting and effortless. When it’s off, every task feels like a burden. To reignite curiosity, he advises evaluating your work, relationships, and digital habits, ensuring you remove anything that drains your energy. [39:26] And remember, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” - Benjamin Franklin   Quotable Quotes “People love to be on a winning team.You know, I think if you have that fast-paced intensity, ambitious goals, the ability for fast career progression, fast learning, you know, that is addictive to people anywhere and that's definitely very infectious.” “You don't view feedback as some sort of negative thing, but actually as sort of like this addictive fuel for more growth.” “When the curiosity switch is on, every day you're working, it doesn't feel like you're working. You know, it feels like this exciting, adrenaline-packed, exhilarating adventure.” “If you're in the wrong lane, staying there longer won't fix it.” “I think the most notable thing about different cultural backgrounds or a couple, but one of them would be how you give feedback.”   This is the book mentioned in this book   Resources Mentioned The Leadership Podcast | Sponsored by | Rafti Advisors. LLC | Self-Reliant Leadership. LLC | Jamie Beaton Website | Jamie Beaton LinkedIn | Jamie Beaton Instagram |