Your questions about leadership and learning answered
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What is the 70-20-10 model and how does it apply to leaders?
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How can leaders apply experiential learning in their day-to-day work?
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What are effective ways to find a mentor for professional development?
Congratulations, you’ve made it! Transitioning from sheep to shepherd is a key career milestone. Whether it’s your first time managing a team, acceding to a fresh promotion, or even if you’ve been leading your team for some time now, it’s important to pay attention to how you approach learning at work.
However, one common challenge that many new leaders face is becoming complacent. This leads to work stagnation because they assume their learning curve ends the moment they get the title.
Beyond attending leadership crash courses or incorporating advice you happen to find on LinkedIn, you can scaffold your professional development with structured frameworks that ensure you put in actionable steps to chart your learning. This guide introduces the 70-20-10 model, which breaks learning down into three components for holistic education.
Shape your learning, guided by the 70-20-10 model
The 70-20-10 model was developed by leadership researchers Morgan McCall, Robert W. Eichinger, and Michael Lombardo in the 1980s to guide learning in adults and has since been applied to those interested in leadership development.
It suggests proportions for three types of learning to allow people to learn well, especially at the workplace:
- 70% through on-the-job experiences
- 20% through learning from others
- 10% through formal training or education
Rather than positioning courses as the main driver of growth, the model reframes learning as something embedded in day-to-day work and human interaction — especially relevant for leaders navigating real-world complexity.
70% Experiential Learning
Meaningful learning often happens when you might least expect it: when a crisis arises and you need to problem-solve on your feet, or you’re given new responsibilities with no clear handbook.
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As a leader, key qualities that could enable you to lead your teams more effectively include critical thinking, creative innovation, problem-solving, decision-making, and communication. To strengthen these skills, consider the following actions for on-the-job learning and practice:
- Take part in or champion hackathons to harness your problem-solving and creative innovation at work.
- Start new initiatives and projects to shape your decision making and broaden your capabilities.
- Encourage open communication within your workplace; allow your peers to challenge your ideas to build your own critical thinking and communication skills.
As a leader, the ball is in your court to make conscious choices that impact your growth. By fostering curiosity and investing in your own learning and development, you make room to grow and expand your own capabilities and contributions.
20% Social (Learning from Others)
Leadership is ultimately a people business. How well you listen, collaborate, and respond to others shapes both your effectiveness and your team’s experience at work.
The 70-20-10 rule notes that 20% of learning occurs when you observe and engage with those around you, using their experiences and insights to assess and strengthen your own growth.
Regardless of your rank, learning is never a one-way street. Even the new joiner on your team can bring fresh perspectives you might not have considered. For instance, a fresh graduate might be more attuned to new technologies that can simplify workflow efficiency. It’s, therefore, important to keep an inquisitive mindset and embrace new processes, strategies, and diverse ways of thinking. Not only will you gain new perspectives, but your team will also feel seen, heard, and valued.
In the spirit of learning from others, you can also approach a mentor for guidance and direction. This could be someone within your company or external contacts such as a connection from LinkedIn who has meaningful experiences to share.
To engage a mentor, sincerity and thoroughness are keys to your approach. You should research your potential mentor’s background for the skills and guidance you hope to gain from them before proposing such a relationship.
Establishing a mentor-mentee relationship requires tact and should be done in person, rather than an email. Here’s a conversation starter you can try:
“I have been trying to achieve more in terms of [work aspect], but I’ve been struggling with [challenges you faced]. I read about your work on [project they’ve completed] and was curious to find out how you navigated that.”
If they are generous enough to offer their time and advice, you can then broach the subject of continuing the relationship as their mentee.
10% Formal (Structured Learning)
While this is the smallest slice of the pie, structured learning is still an important and fundamental part of how we explore and acquire new knowledge and skillsets.
Whether you’re interested in niche topics or want to broaden your knowledge on your industry, you can look at signing up for courses on SkillsFuture. Their wide range of courses cover hard skills like data analytics and coding, as well as core competencies such as conflict resolution and decision-making.
As a leader, there are also a range of courses to help you manage your team with confidence and empathy, such as communication, people management, and strategic thinking.
You can also turn to podcasts on LinkedIn and YouTube for insights on industry trends, thought leadership, and even human resource management. This keeps you informed about key topics that matter to your internal and external stakeholders, helping you engage more effectively with them.
Embracing learning at any stage in your career using the 70-20-10 approach
Essentially, maintaining a hunger for knowledge signifies to others — especially those that you lead — that you still have room to stretch and adapt yourself. After all, leadership isn’t a destination you arrive at and settle into. The best leaders know that staying relevant means staying in motion — learning, unlearning, and adapting even when things are going well.
Be deliberate about how you grow, whether through hands-on experience, conversations with others, or more structured learning. Do that, and you’ll always bring value to the room — not because you have every answer, but because people trust your perspective, respect your humility, and want to work with you.
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