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.

 

https://bit.ly/TLP-456

 

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 hims