18 answers
CareerVillage Office Hours
Student
Palo Alto, California
589
Questions
Asked
961 views
What role do curiosity and experimentation play in your professional growth?
What role do curiosity and experimentation play in your professional growth?
Login to comment
18 answers
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- They create the opportunities you do not even know could exist for you!
- The minute I feel comfortable with a topic or area of focus, I seek out new areas to learn from. The minute we feel complacent, we have lost our edge.
- We are better at what we do if we know why we are doing it- that’s intellectual curiosity
- I’m not afraid to click on the link that talks about something completely foreign to me.
- Be a life learner. Curiosity about your clients and their needs will always make you successful
- The minute I feel comfortable with a topic or area of focus, I seek out new areas to learn from. The minute we feel complacent, we have lost our edge.
- We are better at what we do if we know why we are doing it- that’s intellectual curiosity
- I’m not afraid to click on the link that talks about something completely foreign to me.
- Be a life learner. Curiosity about your clients and their needs will always make you successful
Jerome Dees Jr.
Sales Professional and Networking Expert
854
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Jerome’s Answer
I initially went to school for psychology. Along the way I took some philosophy classes for fun. Before I knew it, I had accumulated enough units to get both a psychology and a philosophy degree. It was not my plan, but curiosity helped me get an extra bachelors degree!
Walter Chacon
People Manager
5
Answers
Heredia, Heredia Province, Costa Rica
Updated
Walter’s Answer
I think is an important role because it helps you to develop growth mindset and innovation. When you are able to share new ideas and think out of the box, the companies will give new opportunities. So, research should be a habit in your current role to achieve new opportunities.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
We need to understand what we support so we can effectively use the technologies available to us. It's important to know what's available, what we can use, and what's allowed to ensure we help, not hinder, our teams. Sometimes automating a task takes longer than doing it manually, so being curious, learning daily, and experimenting with new tech is essential. Since my background isn't in the area I help with, I need to be open to learning new things, stepping out of my comfort zone, and being okay with not knowing everything. This way, I can ask the right questions to learn and share what I know, helping different knowledge areas work together to create a useful process our teams will want to use without feeling overwhelmed by new tools.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- I tend to be a very curious person and want to explore as many things as possible, whether is picking up a new hobby or traveling to a new country! I believe that being as adaptive as possible will set me up for professional success.
- If we are curious, we naturally want to learn and grow. We will be more willing to try new things.
- I believe curiosity is the driving force behind my growth. It pushes me to play, experiment with new tools, and then dig deeper by researching and learning more. That spark of curiosity keeps taking me to the edge, challenging me, and helping me grow continuously.
- If we are curious, we naturally want to learn and grow. We will be more willing to try new things.
- I believe curiosity is the driving force behind my growth. It pushes me to play, experiment with new tools, and then dig deeper by researching and learning more. That spark of curiosity keeps taking me to the edge, challenging me, and helping me grow continuously.
Ehab Thabit
Marketing
5
Answers
Morristown, New Jersey
Updated
Ehab’s Answer
Being curious is key to growing in your career. If you only do what's asked without understanding why, you might miss better solutions. Knowing the bigger picture helps you decide if your actions are truly effective. Be open to trying new ideas. Companies that don't innovate can fall behind, while smaller, flexible ones take risks and ask, "Why follow the crowd?" Take Kodak as an example. It was a big name in film and cameras in the 80s and 90s. But when digital cameras emerged, Kodak stuck to old ways because they were heavily invested in them. Those who suggested change were ignored, and eventually, Kodak lost its leading position.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- Curiosity and experimentation have driven much of my growth at PwC. Asking questions and exploring new ideas help me see challenges differently and find better ways to deliver value. I’ve learned that trying new approaches — even when outcomes aren’t certain — often leads to the most meaningful progress. PwC’s culture of innovation makes it easier to take those chances, learn quickly, and keep improving.
- Curiosity and experimentation allow you to step outside your comfort zone. They aid you in becoming a problem solver and developing your own personal playbook. This creates an environment for you to be a self starter and ultimately drives growth.
- Critical. As an engineer, having the curiosity to try new things is instrumental in keeping us on the edge of new technologies and exploring how we can apply them.
- Both curiosity and experimentation have been fundamental to my professional growth. Staying intellectually curious leads to identifying opportunities for improvement, and experimentation facilitates identifying which of those opportunities can have long-term impact. This applies both to my personal and professional life, along with how I interact with clients.
- Curiosity and experimentation allow you to step outside your comfort zone. They aid you in becoming a problem solver and developing your own personal playbook. This creates an environment for you to be a self starter and ultimately drives growth.
- Critical. As an engineer, having the curiosity to try new things is instrumental in keeping us on the edge of new technologies and exploring how we can apply them.
- Both curiosity and experimentation have been fundamental to my professional growth. Staying intellectually curious leads to identifying opportunities for improvement, and experimentation facilitates identifying which of those opportunities can have long-term impact. This applies both to my personal and professional life, along with how I interact with clients.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- Every day, my curiosity takes me to new places and I mean that both literally and figuratively. Even being here, responding to this survey, is a direct result of my intellectual curiosity. From learning new skills in Power BI to exploring PwC’s cutting-edge applications of nanobots, curiosity has been the driving force behind my growth.
It has opened doors I never imagined, like being invited to the Leaders in Action episode in New York to share how I was leveraging AI in our Talent Acquisition process flying from Mexico! This curiosity is my compass, the spark that constantly pushes me to ask, what else can I discover next?
- Curiosity plays a huge role in my professional growth. I am always curious to learn more about topics that I am not familiar with so that I can make more informed decisions.
- Curiosity pushes you to ask why and how things work, which deepens expertise and helps you stay adaptable.
It has opened doors I never imagined, like being invited to the Leaders in Action episode in New York to share how I was leveraging AI in our Talent Acquisition process flying from Mexico! This curiosity is my compass, the spark that constantly pushes me to ask, what else can I discover next?
- Curiosity plays a huge role in my professional growth. I am always curious to learn more about topics that I am not familiar with so that I can make more informed decisions.
- Curiosity pushes you to ask why and how things work, which deepens expertise and helps you stay adaptable.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- This applies to both personal and professional growth: Being curious is a sign of willingness to learn and expand our knowledge, whether a personal interest or a professional inclination. On a professional level, the importance of curiosity has many layers. First, the obvious one, is to show your team, leadership, and those around you that you are committed to understanding the who/what/why's of one's role, somebody else's role, or any process or scope that may need to be digested by the appropriate person. Second, professional curiosity broadens one's scope of institutional knowledge and gives them the wisdom and confidence in approaching challenging obstacles. And finally, it just plain feels good to learn new things, especially as we mature throughout life. I'm one of those "we learn something new every day" people, even if it's trivial it's still fun.
- It helps you stay relevant by constantly learning new technologies, business models, or leadership approaches. In my leadership roles, curiosity inspires me and team to innovate and think critically, rather than just execute.
- It helps you stay relevant by constantly learning new technologies, business models, or leadership approaches. In my leadership roles, curiosity inspires me and team to innovate and think critically, rather than just execute.
Maya Saeed
People operations program management
1
Answer
Concord, California
Updated
Maya’s Answer
Experimentation and curiosity allows for your role expansion. If you remain within your swim lane at a job access to mentorship, creative problem solving outlets and key influencers are limited. If you are someone who is traditionally shy or afraid to showcase a lack of understanding this is a healthy way to start breaking down those mental barriers. This type of behavior has correlation with Folks who experience accelerated career growth as they tend to connect more frequently with subject matter experts which allows for further role influence and exposure to alternative paths. If your goal is to find a job you are truly passionate about and are aligned with when it comes to social impact (like myself), moving with curiosity and embracing experimentation will allow you to meet this goal in a more efficient way.
As a Program Manager who works with People Operations, Legal, Tech and other teams, exploring how I can best serve my stakeholders along with the customer (employees) requires consistent exposure to management tactics and planning methodologies employed by other leaders across the org. Consider it a mode of research on how to conduct business within a business.
As a Program Manager who works with People Operations, Legal, Tech and other teams, exploring how I can best serve my stakeholders along with the customer (employees) requires consistent exposure to management tactics and planning methodologies employed by other leaders across the org. Consider it a mode of research on how to conduct business within a business.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- Curiosity is paramount to problem solving. Being curious means not being afraid to ask questions. When I start a new project, I am excited to learn every facet because there is not one solution that fits all. Experimenting with multiple tailored solutions is critical to finding the best one for the problem at hand. Professionally, this has helped develop my brand and gain trust of clients in my ability find the right solution that is customized to meet their needs.
- Curiosity encourages learning which also enhances professional growth. Curiosity leads to asking questions to learn new things. The more a professional learns during his day-to-day activities, the more he expands his skills and knowledge. This leads to having more opportunities to explore other areas in the workplace (outside one's main role). Curiosity and experimentation go hand-in-hand as they both lead to honing skills and knowledge that could provide value to stakeholders. This is a great way to enhance one's professional growth.
- Curiosity directs what I learn; experimentation defines how I learn. I deliberately seek out unfamiliar areas, break down how they operate, and ask questions to dive deeper. Potential business opportunities / applicabilities are identified. Wins are documented and systematized; setbacks become inputs to the next iteration and serve as lessons learned. This discipline creates a continuous feedback loop that accelerates my development and the value I deliver to clients. In short, curiosity sets the agenda and experimentation proves what actually works.
- Curiosity encourages learning which also enhances professional growth. Curiosity leads to asking questions to learn new things. The more a professional learns during his day-to-day activities, the more he expands his skills and knowledge. This leads to having more opportunities to explore other areas in the workplace (outside one's main role). Curiosity and experimentation go hand-in-hand as they both lead to honing skills and knowledge that could provide value to stakeholders. This is a great way to enhance one's professional growth.
- Curiosity directs what I learn; experimentation defines how I learn. I deliberately seek out unfamiliar areas, break down how they operate, and ask questions to dive deeper. Potential business opportunities / applicabilities are identified. Wins are documented and systematized; setbacks become inputs to the next iteration and serve as lessons learned. This discipline creates a continuous feedback loop that accelerates my development and the value I deliver to clients. In short, curiosity sets the agenda and experimentation proves what actually works.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- Curiosity drives us as a consultant. We need to be constantly curious about our clients, the market, the technology, and human behaviors for us to provide the beet service we can. Without curiosity, we don’t function as an effective consultant.
- The courage to be curious and go one level deeper by asking the question out loud that is running through my head has helped me grow personally and professionally and helped me succeed and differentiate myself. It also helps me build authentic connection between the person I'm asking and me.
- The best and maybe only way to learn is if it comes from a place of curiosity. Without that curiosity you’re not going to have the desire to complete the learning and make it stick. Webcasts and one pagers can only do so much. I have to experiment with our tools and technology to unlock their capabilities.
- The courage to be curious and go one level deeper by asking the question out loud that is running through my head has helped me grow personally and professionally and helped me succeed and differentiate myself. It also helps me build authentic connection between the person I'm asking and me.
- The best and maybe only way to learn is if it comes from a place of curiosity. Without that curiosity you’re not going to have the desire to complete the learning and make it stick. Webcasts and one pagers can only do so much. I have to experiment with our tools and technology to unlock their capabilities.
Marlene Galvan
performance and accountability
7
Answers
Chandler, Arizona
Updated
Marlene’s Answer
Learn about what others do, and don't hesitate to ask questions if something is unclear. Always do some research first, and if you still can't find the answer, ask for help. Make sure to mention what steps you took to try and find the answer on your own.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- I am a tax professional which is a role that requires interpreting rules and regulation related to tax. While we expect that the rules will point us to a clear answer, interpretations are not always black and white. Frequently, I find that it is extremely helpful to ask about how others interpret the same rules and what concurring or dissenting interpretations exist. I am always curious about how people approach every day tasks to make processes more efficient.
- Having a sense of intellectual curiosity helps especially in the field of auditing where professional skepticism is needed to properly review and address support that we receive. It also helps make the audit as a whole more detailed and comprehensive, improving the audit quality.
- Every single day, I try and do things better, learn something new, using Excel, how can this be more automated, but more clearly documented. Every tool I use, it is, is there a better tool that can be used instead, a better way, a faster way.
- Having a sense of intellectual curiosity helps especially in the field of auditing where professional skepticism is needed to properly review and address support that we receive. It also helps make the audit as a whole more detailed and comprehensive, improving the audit quality.
- Every single day, I try and do things better, learn something new, using Excel, how can this be more automated, but more clearly documented. Every tool I use, it is, is there a better tool that can be used instead, a better way, a faster way.
Whitney Kamber
Manager, Risk Underwriting
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Whitney’s Answer
Curiosity fosters a mindset of continuous learning, prompting people to seek deeper understanding and ask thoughtful questions. It encourages exploration. Experimentation supports innovation and adaptability. It creates space to test new ideas, approaches, or tools. Together, these qualities promote resilience, learning agility, and problem-solving, which are traits that are especially important in dynamic, fast-paced work environments.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- Curiosity and experimentation are critical to your growth and will forever be a differentiator. It’s how you evolve and develop new skills as a professional.
- Over my career, I’ve found that individuals with a high degree of intellectual curiosity move ahead faster and are more fulfilled with their jobs. You don’t need the skills to start - just a desire to learn.
- Curiosity and experimentation are huge for me personally. I’m a big fan of Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why?” to stoke the curiosity engine.
- Over my career, I’ve found that individuals with a high degree of intellectual curiosity move ahead faster and are more fulfilled with their jobs. You don’t need the skills to start - just a desire to learn.
- Curiosity and experimentation are huge for me personally. I’m a big fan of Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why?” to stoke the curiosity engine.
PwC Impact
823
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
PwC’s Answer
- Learning from mistakes and/or combined with the advice of others when trying new things and getting outside of your comfort zone “to be curious” is the best path for growth. You don’t know if you’re successful when you are in a vacuum and isolated doing your own work and self-assessing. We grow from learning new things and if it is new, generally it requires validation. Being open, sharing and collaborative while on the path for success generally leads to great things!! Don’t forget to be asking…Why? How? Who? Along the way!!
- Because of the pace of change in today’s society, traditional ways of learning are outdated and much of what we learn is “on-the-job”. Those that are more intellectually curious will move ahead of their peers and be more valued colleagues.
- Curiosity helps me spot what I don’t know and drives me to ask the right questions. It’s what keeps me learning, growing, and finding better ways to approach my work.
- Because of the pace of change in today’s society, traditional ways of learning are outdated and much of what we learn is “on-the-job”. Those that are more intellectually curious will move ahead of their peers and be more valued colleagues.
- Curiosity helps me spot what I don’t know and drives me to ask the right questions. It’s what keeps me learning, growing, and finding better ways to approach my work.
Daniel Godoy
Marketing
4
Answers
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Updated
Daniel’s Answer
I love this question because it touches on what truly matters to stand out in life. Curiosity and experimentation have been my mantra for as long as I can remember.
In my professional journey, they’ve helped me discover new ways of doing things, become more agile, and differentiate myself. Standing out isn’t easy—neither is experimenting—but maintaining a curious mindset around your favourite topics will help you grow into a better version of yourself. That’s your superpower, and you need to believe in it.
No one can take that from you. Follow your instinct, stay curious, and always be mindful of what’s right—that’s key for a safe and successful journey.
Go for it!
In my professional journey, they’ve helped me discover new ways of doing things, become more agile, and differentiate myself. Standing out isn’t easy—neither is experimenting—but maintaining a curious mindset around your favourite topics will help you grow into a better version of yourself. That’s your superpower, and you need to believe in it.
No one can take that from you. Follow your instinct, stay curious, and always be mindful of what’s right—that’s key for a safe and successful journey.
Go for it!