What Is Career Advice Most Helpful In Today's Quiet-Quitting Culture?

Forbes

31-03-2025

What Is Career Advice Most Helpful In Today's Quiet-Quitting Culture?
I've been fortunate enough to interview thousands of leaders across every industry—billionaires, presidential hopefuls, Hall of Fame speakers, CHROs, entrepreneurs, and CEOs of companies you read about in the news. Every single one of them had something in common: they failed at some point. In fact, many credit their biggest failures as the turning point that shaped their success. Some got close to catastrophe, only to bring their company back from the brink of failure. When I interviewed Steve Forbes, he shared how he experienced that situation, but shifting to digital saved the day. So, what is the most common career advice I heard from these leaders? Don't fear failure. Learn from it—but more importantly, question everything before it happens. When I dug deeper into their stories, a theme kept emerging: if they had been more curious early on, or had stronger mentorship, they might have prevented those crises entirely.
Why Is Curiosity So Overlooked In Career Advice?
Most career paths are shaped by assumptions. People assume they're supposed to move up a ladder, take a certain job because it pays more, or stay in a role because it's what they're "good at." But what if being good at something isn't enough or it leads to something worse? Sometimes employees are so good at something, they get promoted to their level of incompetence. That is referred to as the Peter Principle. I have seen terrific salespeople, who were so likeable, they were promoted to leadership, only to fail because they didn't really love leading, but loved selling. But what if they had questioned if that was really a good move or just an expected move?
Curiosity is what breaks you out of the trap of default decisions. When leaders I spoke with reflected on their past choices, many admitted they had stopped asking questions. They got too comfortable. Too focused on being productive, not reflective. That's when missteps happen—when you stop being curious.
Even major corporate crises often boil down to a failure to ask one or two simple questions. I spoke with top HR officers who said they saw warning signs in employee engagement, but senior leadership didn't ask why until it was too late. I heard from founders who lost market share because they didn't ask customers what they needed next.
In your own career, that same principle applies. If you feel stuck, you might just need to ask better questions—about your role, your values, or the direction you're headed.
What Role Does Mentorship Really Play In Career Growth?
Some of the most insightful career advice I heard came from mentorship stories. Not everyone had formal mentors, but the ones who did often said it saved them years of missteps. Others said they had to learn everything the hard way, and they now make a point to mentor others so they don't do the same.
But mentorship isn't just about having someone older and wiser give you advice. It's about being open to a different perspective. Mentors help you see blind spots—and if you're curious enough to listen, they can change the entire trajectory of your career.
In the mentorship podcast series I co-hosted, CHROs repeatedly brought up how mentorship can increase retention and motivation at every level of an organization. It's not just for early-career professionals. Executives benefit from it just as much.
Is Quiet Quitting Just a Symptom of Something Deeper?
You've probably seen the term "quiet quitting" thrown around. But what's really going on here? From what I've observed, many employees aren't disengaged because they're lazy or unmotivated. They're disengaged because they don't feel seen or challenged. They don't feel like their work matters, or they've hit a wall with no clear path forward.
The best career advice for people in this phase? Start asking questions. What do you enjoy about your work? What drains you? Who could you learn from? What's one thing you wish you could be doing differently?
Curiosity re-engages people. And leaders who model curiosity create space for their teams to re-engage too. If you manage others, consider this: Have you made it safe for people to question processes, suggest improvements, or admit when they're unsure?
How Can Failure Actually Fast-Track Career Success?
The people who achieve the most, often fail the hardest—but they also recover the fastest. Why? Because they don't treat failure as an endpoint. They treat it as feedback.
If you're feeling like your career isn't moving fast enough, ask yourself: What am I avoiding because I'm afraid to get it wrong? The leaders I interviewed didn't succeed because they avoided failure. They succeeded because they used failure as a springboard.
That doesn't mean you should be reckless. But it does mean you should reflect. And reflection requires curiosity.
What's The Most Underrated Skill In Career Advancement?
Curiosity doesn't always sound flashy. It doesn't show up on a resume. But it's the foundation for every other skill. Want to be a better communicator? Be curious about how your words land. Want to lead a team? Be curious about what motivates them. Want to future-proof your career? Be curious about trends, tools, and what's changing in your industry.
Top performers aren't just doers. They're thinkers. Explorers. They look under the hood. They ask, "Why are we doing it this way?" and "Is there a better way?" And the people around them notice.
What's The One Career Shift You Can Make Today?
If there's one takeaway from all of this, it's this: Start asking more questions.
You don't need to overhaul your career overnight. You don't need a new job title or a big promotion to feel energized. You need a mindset shift. The moment you approach your career with curiosity—instead of fear, routine, or assumption—you open doors.
That could mean setting up a coffee chat with someone you admire. It could mean finally asking your boss for feedback. Or it might mean revisiting a past failure and pulling out a lesson you didn't see before.
No matter where you are in your career, this kind of curiosity can be a catalyst.
What If You're Closer To An Amazing Career Than You Think?
One of the most surprising things I learned from interviewing so many leaders is this: the gap between where you are and where you want to be is often smaller than you think. It's just hidden behind a few questions you haven't asked yet. You don't need to be the most ambitious person in the room. You just need to be the most curious. And that's the career advice most people wish they had followed a whole lot sooner.