The importance of ‘curiosity’ in career development
“Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” — Walt Disney.”
If you are serious about advancing your career and climbing the corporate ladder, you’ll already know that you need more than technical proficiency to achieve your goals. Technical capability is just one half of the equation. The other half of the equation consists of soft skills like leadership, critical thinking, active listening, adaptability, team work, conflict resolution, and so on. However, there’s one skill, which is usually underrated, and can be the key to mastering several other soft skills if you hone it. That soft skill is curiosity and it may be what you are lacking to take your career to the next level.
According to Merriam-Webster, curiosity is defined as the desire to know. Curiosity makes learning a more natural and fun process. If you are curious, you are willing to learn new things and find out how things are the way they are. You don’t just accept the status quo. You’ll want to know the reasoning behind many things.
Can Curiosity Be Learned?
Curiosity, like many other skills, is closely tied to one’s personality. It’s an innate trait that may come naturally to some people. Such people will want to expand their knowledge and find out how things work without evening thinking about.
People that aren’t innately curious have some work to do. They can develop intellectual curiosity by purposely finding opportunities to learn and improve their knowledge. So, it’s possible to develop intellectual curiosity through deliberate action. You can start with topics that interest you so you won’t get bored. And as time goes on, you can broaden your horizon.
You’ll also need to keep an open mind and be receptive to different ideas, arguments, and information. Be ready to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Some of your knowledge and beliefs may be wrong and a curious mind is prepared to change their mindset in the face of evidence after weighing such evidence fairly.
Ask questions. Let What, why, when, who, and where be your best buddies. Don’t always accept things for what they are. Try to dig deeper beneath the surface.
How Curiosity Can Benefit Your Career
Below are different ways curiosity can benefit your career:
Learning and Adaptability
Curiosity fuels the desire to learn new things and actively engage with new information, key traits that are essential to success in today’s changing world. From embracing new technology to remote/hybrid work styles, new trends are constantly emerging in the corporate world and curiously is key is adapting with the times and remaining relevant.
Being curious means having a growth mindset which makes it easy to learn new skills and stay up with changing work trends. Since you are also interested in the finer details of what you learn, there’s more depth to your knowledge, something that can make you stand out among your peers.
Problem-Solving and Innovation
Curiously is the driving force that makes people ask questions, challenge assumptions, and come up with creative solutions. Curious people don’t assume they know everything about a topic or problem. They seek to understand the problem and the better they understand the problem, the better the quality of solutions they come up.
Many people have been able to uncover hidden insights and come up with innovate solutions thanks to curiosity. As a result, employers and organizations are always on the lookout for curious employees to foster a culture of innovation.
Networking and Collaboration
Did you know that curiosity can expand your network by building relationships with others? This is because curiosity makes you genuinely interested in learning from others and tapping into their experiences. Meaningful conversations will take place with one’s colleague and even superiors, effectively establishing rapport and creating connections.
Another way curious people can learn is through informational interviews. Chances are you are already familiar with informational interviews and the potential benefits they offer for career advancement.
It Brings Excitement Into Your Life
Curiosity makes your life interesting both on a personal and professional level. You’ll never get bored as you’ll always find something that interests you. There’s always something to learn about and curious people don’t see learning as a burden. It’s worth mentioning that curiosity isn’t limited to your career.
In your personal life, your curious mind may lead to explore new ideas/things leading to an adventurous life.
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