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September 16, 2026In this article, Alliance Partner Financa argues that curiosity is the defining trait that will shape success in the age of AI.
Financa provides corporate finance training tailored to the middle market, covering the end-to-end deal process from Origination to Completion, including accounting & financial statements, operating and LBO modelling, strategic exit options and business positioning, private equity deal structuring, completion mechanisms, debt advisory, legals, funds flows and much more.
The one trait which will be the difference over the next decade.
What follows is the result of observing people for five years in the classroom, and building a training business in the age of AI. If you hire for this, it is highly likely your business will be bigger, and more profitable, in five years’ time.
As with our training content, this article is succinct and to the point.
Hire for curiosity
“The model balances, but I don’t understand why.”
When I hear someone say this during training sessions, I can barely contain my excitement.
Curiosity, when anchored in the context of business and role objectives, compounds rapidly into observable differences in performance relative to peers. One-percent-every-day discoveries become whole new ways of working and thinking in a short space of time.
They are the difference between someone who works in Origination and uses their old tools, and someone who creates their own proprietary tech stack, leveraging off-the-shelf AI tools to find targets quicker than anyone else.
And no one ever asked them to do it, either.
They will invest time in developing themselves, and won’t allow their past achievements, their CV, or their job title, to get in the way of the need for self-improvement.
The age of AI will make many things possible which were not before. It will be those who are curious who capitalise on the new possibilities the most, and who recognise that AI merely raises the bar for what good insight looks like.
How to hire for curiosity
Don’t ask them to tell you about a time when they demonstrated curiosity. Instead ask:
- What’s the last thing you looked up because you couldn’t stand not knowing?
- What’s something you’ve gone down a rabbit hole on recently?
- What are you reading, listening to, or following at the moment, and why did you pick it up?
About Financa
Financa training goes beyond rigorous technical skills, emphasizing curiosity, impactful communication, trust-building and stakeholder management from Intern to Partner.
Through the online Financa Platform, professionals can access 80+ on-demand M&A training modules, resources, live events, and interactive deal simulators designed to provide instant feedback and benchmarking. Training is also available face to face through bespoke courses in client offices, and a 3 day open course hosted in the UK.
