5 ways to turn curiosity into long-term success

When people look at the CEO of a successful company, they only see the pinnacle of that person’s career, not the decades of growth to get there. As any successful person will tell you, it takes effort and intentionality to achieve growth in your career. Now I’m the CEO of digital music licensing company, Merlin. To get here, I’ve been a brand designer, a fashion blogger, a technology lawyer, a record executive, and an early Facebook employee on the music team.

It’s tempting to assume that it was easy, or even inevitable, that I landed in this incredible leadership role. That’s just not the case. In fact, there was even a particularly low point in my career, at Warner Music, where I thought I might be fired. [Sidenote: I wasn’t.] Quite the opposite — the next thirty days at Warner became my most productive period of output. It was during this spike that I internalized a key realization: the era of getting ahead by simply “doing your job” is long over.

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I have found that the secret to my long-term success begins with getting curious. This simple shift of mindset is the basis for the five rules that I’ve used to unlock growth and open up new opportunities.

1. Get curious

We have all felt moments of uncertainty or operating without a north star to our career. I’ve been there at numerous points in my career, even in my current job. The key to avoid getting stuck or bored is to get curious. You can start by taking your first step of building simple weekly practices into your routine. At the end of every week, I always take five minutes to assess how the week went, what I accomplished, and how I felt about it. Then, at the beginning of the next week, I always paint a picture: What does success look like this week? These brief moments of curiosity will help build your career in small yet influential increments. If you cultivate curiosity, your growth will be steady.

2. Be proactive

Let’s put a certain rumor to rest: Gen Z is willing to work hard. Yes, there’s a shift in how different generations approach work, but it’s not as dramatic as people think. What’s really changed is the visibility of information and how we consume it. Part of this shift is a new way of thinking: Why am I working so hard for someone else? The answer is simple. The company you work for is a vehicle to learn new skills and habits that aren’t part of your job or your level of experience. Find the workplace that nurtures your growth, gives you space to develop, and helps you evolve your skills. Don’t expect them to do it all for you — you have to raise your hand. Once you develop a proactive approach, your curiosity will fuel your development.

3. Say yes but know when to ask for help

When I worked at Facebook, my core role was Independent Label Business Development Lead. That was just the beginning. I then took over a cross-functional team for music initiatives. Then I collaborated to implement royalty reporting processes for our music partners. Then I partnered with other departments to evaluate new features.

At Facebook, I always said yes. In my first year, it was energizing, exciting, and entrepreneurial. In my second year, I felt like a department of one that was spread way too thin. I had to raise my hand to ask for support. You can be both ambitious and take on more, but also be sober about what is sustainable. Saying yes without hesitation is the habit of a growth mindset. Asking for help when it’s needed is the mark of a sustainable path. Get curious about your professional limits and act accordingly.

4. Build your instinct by doing

No one wakes up and says: I’m really good at sending Slack messages. Instead, learning to use Slack effectively comes through practice. Try, fail, and learn. Move out of your comfort zone and notice what happens internally when you do. Ask questions, iterate, and try it slightly differently. Then, do it again. Not only will you become more attuned to your own intuition, you’ll build trust with yourself (and others) in the process. The way you develop instinct is by doing. Building your instinct is rooted in personal curiosity about what motivates you.

5. Be humble

When I walked out of Merlin’s last board meeting, I had one takeaway: I could have done better. There were many instances during the meeting when I felt strongly about the topic and forcefully shared my opinions. It was in those moments that I needed to listen to understand, instead of trying to prove a point. At my next board meeting, I took my own advice and challenged myself to invite conversation at every turn. For me, self-reflection and adjustment now come naturally, but that’s because I have developed a habit of reviewing my performance. You want to be introspective without second guessing yourself so you can probe your decisions from a place of humility. Humility is the cornerstone of curiosity.

Your professional growth is within your control. That starts with being curious about everything, seeking out opportunities, and then always saying yes when those opportunities arrive. If you are then intentional about cultivating your intuition and embracing self-reflection, these habits will take you far in your growth. The game-changer to your career starts with an unfettered curiosity for everything.