According to research conducted at the Center for Creative Leadership, adults learn and acquire capabilities in three general ways. For many executives, over the course of an entire career, they moved forward in preparation for the “next steps" through a combination of experiences, relationships, and education. This research, which was written about by Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger showed that for successful, high level leaders, the basic formula for development could be interpreted like this:

• About 70% of development came through on-the-job experiences, including failures, taking on tasks that were outside the comfort zone, and having to figure out how to get results.
• About 20% of development came through relationships with others, including mentors, coaches, leaders they watched and emulated, leaders they watched and vowed never to emulate, and peers who were willing to interact in a feedback loop.
• About 10% of development came through education, including college, technical and skills training, and reading and applying what was read.

Of course, this research is more complex than a formula might suggest. While feedback is important, it’s just a direction to consider. The fact is that people learn from doing in concert with some coaching and some input from others. Interestingly, most people learn more from a medium-stress situation than a low-stress or high-stress one. What’s more, it’s important to keep in mind that this formula and the breakdown of percentages are the results of research based on interviews with successful executives—and as such, it represents development over the course of a career, not a single year. Rizers move ahead by stretching themselves through a wide variety of experiences and relationships. They understand that a lattice of experiences and a network of relationships are more powerful than the traditional career ladder.

At Rizers we think this framework can be useful as you seek to develop yourself, to grow your career, and to understand where you may be stuck. We think you’ll see what we mean.