The Curiosity Curve: A Leader’s Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Questions

by Debra Clary

A Fast Company Press book

In a world that's changing faster than ever, curiosity isn't a luxury—it's your strategic advantage.

Growth, resilience, and adaptability are qualities that are not only desirable but essential in today’s workplace. Dr. Debra Clary, a narrative scientist and transformational leader, has discovered that the driving force behind these qualities is curiosity. If you’re a leader in any sector, The Curiosity Curve will guide you to create a culture of curiosity for long-term, sustainable growth.

A culture of curiosity fuels success

Driving agility, enabling organizations to adapt swiftly to change instead of clinging to outdated practices

Unleashing innovation, empowering employees to contribute their best ideas and challenge the status quo

Strengthening collaboration, fostering teams that work seamlessly to tackle complex challenges

Extending market leadership, equipping organizations to pioneer new solutions and stay ahead in rapidly evolving industries

The Curiosity Curve demonstrates how to nurture curiosity by encouraging structured exploration, focused engagement, inspirational creativity, and openness to new ideas, ensuring that curiosity isn’t just supported in theory but integrated into the day-to-day workings of a company. With conscious effort, you can build a workplace culture where curiosity thrives, which leads to greater engagement, improved problem-solving, and higher job satisfaction—all of which drive organizational growth.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Laura-Tuesday · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Curiosity Curve by Dr. Debra Clary was a thoughtful and engaging read that really got me reflecting on how curiosity shows up in both work and everyday life. Dr. Clary breaks down curiosity in a way that feels practical and approachable, not overly academic, which I appreciated. The examples helped connect the concepts to real-world situations, especially around leadership, growth, and asking better questions.

While a few sections felt a bit repetitive, the overall message was strong and encouraging. This is a solid read for anyone interested in personal development, leadership, or simply becoming more open-minded and intentional in how they learn and interact with others.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#TheCuriosityCurve #NetGalley

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because curiosity feels like one of those things organisations claim to value but don’t make space for. Dr. Clary positions curiosity as essential, not optional, which I loved. But the problem is the book can't decide who it's talking to. It switches between personal development one chapter, managerial strategy the next. Sometimes you're the curious one and at other times you're bringing curiosity into the team you’re managing. But what if I’m not a manager? That made certain sections feel like they were written for someone else entirely. There's also a lot of convincing., too much, honestly. If someone picks up a book called *The Curiosity Curve*, they're already sold on curiosity. They don't need pages of anecdotes and research proving its value. We know, we're already here, so let's move.

Dr. Clary positions curiosity as a kind of workplace panacea: it unlocks innovation, collaboration, transformation. But curiosity doesn't work in isolation. It needs psychological safety, time, and curious leaders. The book nods at this but doesn't dig into how curiosity *combines* with other leadership tools or cultural shifts. That said, there are parts you can work with and a couple of frameworks I'll try.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator sounded too young to represent an author who has decades of experience, a teenage daughter, a whole lived career, and the voice didn't match that. When her daughter appears in an anecdote, she's voiced like a toddler. It felt... off.

Curiosity matters. But this book would have worked better if it committed to a single audience and spent less time selling the concept. I needed more pages on how it integrates with the messy, political, resource-strapped reality of most workplaces. Worth reading if you're in a manager or leadership role, less so if you're not.

Thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tim Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Debra Clary’s The Curiosity Curve is a transformative guide for any leader feeling stuck in the "efficiency trap" of modern business. Drawing on her impressive career at Fortune 50 giants like Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay, Clary argues that the most powerful tool a leader possesses isn't a strategy deck, but a bold question. She successfully reframes curiosity from a "soft skill" into a rigorous, measurable strategic engine, backed by fascinating neuroscience and her own Cultural Curiosity Scale (CCS) research. The book is packed with actionable insights on how to identify "curiosity killers" like fear and fatigue, and how to move through the four growth factors, exploration, focused engagement, inspirational creativity, and openness to new ideas, to drive real organizational transformation.

What sets this book apart is Clary’s ability to blend high-level data with deeply personal storytelling, from her days as a route driver in Detroit to her work as a narrative scientist and Off-Broadway performer. She provides a practical roadmap for building psychological safety, which allows teams to innovate and stay engaged in an era of "quiet quitting" and massive disengagement. Whether you are a CEO or a first-time manager, The Curiosity Curve offers the tools to "unlearn" the habits that stifle wonder and to reclaim the inquisitive superpower that leads to higher job satisfaction and financial performance. It is a rare business book that is as intellectually stimulating as it is heart-centered and human.

[Wondrously Bookish Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the core message of this audiobook—stay curious, ask questions, and don’t apologise for wanting to understand the world better. It definitely offers some useful perspectives on how we work with others and how we think through everyday situations.

While I personally am a senior teacher and course manager at a language school, I find that while we have an extremely open mindset and ready to question ourselves abd the way we do things, there is not the same kind of openness from admin or the school owners and there's not much that can be done about that. Many companies (including private language schools that are run for a profit) will always give more weight to their end gain than investing in the creativity and freetime improvement of their workforce. Unless you're a big company ready to invest good money in this, or you're the boss yourself, some of the suggested initiatives are simply too pie-in-the-sky kind of thinking.

Still, if you’re in a leadership role or aiming for one, there’s plenty here that could be helpful. For general listeners, it’s interesting but maybe a touch too technical or impractical.

Thanks to NetGalley for the listen!

[Michael Doane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Curiosity Curve is a timely and insightful leadership guide that reframes curiosity from a soft skill into a strategic imperative. Dr. Debra Clary makes a compelling case that curiosity is not optional in today’s fast-moving world it is the engine that drives resilience, adaptability, and sustainable growth across organizations.

What sets this book apart is its clarity and structure. Rather than treating curiosity as an abstract ideal, Dr. Clary shows how it can be intentionally cultivated through focused exploration, creative engagement, and openness to new ideas. Her approach is both practical and deeply grounded, offering leaders concrete ways to embed curiosity into daily workflows, decision making, and organizational culture.

Drawing on narrative science and real-world leadership experience, The Curiosity Curve demonstrates how curiosity fuels innovation, strengthens collaboration, and enables organizations to move beyond outdated practices. This is a thoughtful, actionable, and forward looking book one that will resonate with leaders seeking not just short-term wins, but lasting transformation.

[Moriah Pitcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a refreshing take on leadership. Instead of emphasizing having all the answers, The Curiosity Curve focuses on the power of asking better questions and how curiosity can be a real game-changer for growth and leadership.

Dr. Debra Clary does a great job showing that curiosity isn’t a soft skill or a bonus trait, it’s essential. The book is practical and approachable, with real examples and tools you can actually use to spark better conversations, challenge assumptions, and create meaningful change.

What I appreciated most is how human and encouraging the message feels. It’s a reminder that curiosity is something we all had naturally, and reconnecting with it can completely shift how we lead and collaborate.

An engaging, easy read with a powerful message. Definitely worth it if you’re in a leadership role or are looking to expand your personal growth.

[Steven Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author writes, the power of curiosity for leaders is "about empowering others to think differently, collaborate, and discover solutions together."

Curiosity is good for business. That seems a polar opposite to the workplace focus on speed, productivity, and efficiency. Yet, as this book points out, a strong sense of curiosity spread throughout a team or organization can improve all three of these metrics.

One great insight that sticks out: "most of us have become so focused on having the answers that we have forgotten how to ask the questions."

Reading this book won't just harness curiosity as a tool for your professional and personal success -- it will help shape your mind and broaden your perspective. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley because I was hoping to strengthen my leadership skills. While the book offers a lot of detailed insight, it leaned a bit more technical than I expected. Primarily focusing on leadership within a professional setting. Since I’m not currently in a formal leadership role, some of the content felt unrelatable to me. I also noticed that the word “curiosity” was used quite frequently, which was a little distracting at times.

Overall, I think this book would be a great fit for someone who is actively in a professional leadership position and looking to grow in that space.

[Travis Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Curiosity Curve
Author: Dr. Debra Clary
Narrator: Kelly Burke

I enjoyed this book audiobook. It discusses using curiosity and asking questions to succeed. The author gives great examples on how to achieve these goals. I like how she brings up children being curious and as we get older asking questions seems to go by the wayside. Companies that have teams that ask question and encourages curiosity tend to succeed.
Kelly Burke did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks | Fast Company Press for giving me access to this audiobook in return for my honest review.

[Holly Taggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit out of my genre but I was curious about it. As a person who often has to harness teams that are not my own, this book offerred me may idea on the best ways to engage and succeed. I learned about structured exploration, focused engagement , inspired creativity and being open to new ideas. If you are a leader looking to best leverage the creative power of your teams without losing control of the process, I recommend giving this book a try. I think it helped me to focus in on areas that I could tighten up to help my teams succeed.

[Nicci Obert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful book for understanding the value of curiosity, in general and in the workplace, and offered actionable pathways for fostering curiosity in others from a management point of view. There are a few things that I plan to try. I thought the content was accessible and helpf

[Courtney Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book overall. Curiosity Curve offers a fresh take on how curiosity can improve company culture. Dr. Deb makes a strong case that leading with genuine curiosity creates more cohesive teams and helps people feel heard. If more managers operated this way, workplaces would likely feel more collaborative and human.

I do wonder how realistic it is to consistently find leaders or corporations that embody this level of curiosity. I want to believe she is right, and maybe it is more present than I realize, but it can feel aspirational in today’s corporate climate.

My biggest feedback is yes, and. Curiosity is powerful, but if it is not paired with space for others to think and settle, it can become overwhelming or off putting. When paced well, though, it is a meaningful tool for connection and growth.

A solid 4 stars for a thoughtful and timely perspective