The habit that helped PwC's US CEO climb from intern to the C-Suite

Paul Griggs started as an intern at PwC and is now a senior partner and US CEO. PwC

PwC's senior partner and US CEO started as an intern at the Big Four firm 30 years ago.

Paul Griggs emphasizes curiosity and persistence as key drivers for career advancement.

He suggests saying "yes" and putting in the extra hours to get ahead.

AI is changing how we work, but it hasn't changed timeless career truths — like the fact that putting in extra effort will get you ahead.

That's according to PwC's US CEO, Paul Griggs. The senior partner, who started as an intern at the Big Four consulting firm about 30 years ago and has led its US business for the past two years, said he'd give early-career workers the same advice today that he would have decades ago.

Success in professional services, and at many of PwC's clients, still comes down to what he called "that old adage that we can't stand to hear from our parents."

"What you put into it is what you get out of it," Griggs said.

He said the Benjamin Franklin quote, "Energy and persistence conquer all things," encapsulates the qualities required to climb the ladder, and that he had. To him, that means saying "yes" whenever an opportunity arises.

"It's putting the time when people are not looking," Griggs said. "It's being curious."

Griggs said he worked with an early partner who drew a line down the middle of his notebooks. On one side, he kept meeting notes. On the other side, he wrote questions about topics he wanted to research and learn more about.

That's the same mindset Griggs encourages in PwC's newest associates. He said he tells them that, "we don't all get to the same place from the same place," and that diversity is a source of talent and value.

However, once they're in the role, they face the same choice: They can leave work on Friday, enjoy the weekend, and return on Monday. Or they can spend a little time doing research on the weekends to better understand a problem, so that they come better prepared on Monday.

That person does the extra work because they were curious, not because they were asked to do it, the senior partner and US CEO said.

"Monday, they both come back in, and you know what happens," Griggs said. "The person who did the research picks things up just a little bit quicker. What happens then? That person gets more work to do," Griggs said.

Eventually, that person gets ahead and climbs into the next role, Griggs said. It may be a horizontal move at first, but at some point, they start to move up the ladder vertically.

"Whether it's inside our firm or inside the clients that I've spent the most time with over the years, it is tried and true: Energy and persistence conquer all things," Griggs said.

Griggs echoes the same advice other C-suite executives have shared with Business Insider. Visa group president Oliver Jenkyn previously said he blocks off four hours a week to learn something new, and said he only hires curious candidates.

Chipotle's COO Jason Kidd urged early-career candidates to "say yes" and volunteer for the less exciting jobs when they join the workforce.

That mindset may be more valued by employers than ever. Julia Dhar, BCG's North America leader of people and organization practice , said as roles change and employers figure out how to implement the technology, high-agency employees who actively seek clarity about their roles and build new skills may be better positioned to keep up.

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