The 70/20/10 Learn & Grow formula

• The Learn & Grow formula advocates the 70-20-10 learning approach and the philosophy that opportunities to learn are around us everyday.
• Curiosity, growth mindset and challenge-based learning are three key attributes that help to exit the comfort zone and learn more.
• DHL Global Forwarding, Freight uses its Learn & Grow framework to encourage their employees’ learning journeys.

In the last 12 months we have seen a lot of emphasis on topics such as lifelong learning, continuous learning, and the growth mindset. One could argue that we have always been learning, so what is different now and why is “learning” currently the focus of so much attention? The reality lies in the rapidly changing world we live in today.

New ways of working, digitalization, as well as today’s diverse multi-generational workplace are just a few examples of the kind of changes we are experiencing. Let’s not forget that this fast-paced change is also impacting our personal lives and requires that we acknowledge that if we want to continue to stay relevant and thrive (we might even argue survive), we need to embrace learning as an everyday activity and a journey rather than a destination.

Most of my learning has been done “on the job” (the 70%), and by taking up new challenges in particular. But at different stages in my career, mentoring and feedback (20%) and also the right training (10%) have proven invaluable in helping me grow my expertise and confidence. Here are some examples:

•  I earned my first pay as a teenager working for my parents’ trucking company. I had to deal a lot with different people and learnt how to adapt myself to their different personalities, personal styles, and preferences.
•  I worked in tender management where I learnt how to deal with, analyze and visualize large amounts of data. Taking courses in Excel was a great investment that saved me hours of work later in my life. My boss was an absolute wizard at Excel and PowerPoint. I learnt lots by simply watching how he did things before taking the “trial and error” path.
• Later, I took up a role as a customer manager and had to learn to negotiate and deal with conflicts. For a person like me who likes harmony, it was pretty tough. There was no way that I could have dealt with it just by using my intuition. Instead, I relied on watching my colleagues and reading about how to deal with conflicts and to manage price negotiations.
• When I worked at DHL Supply Chain in an HR strategy role, I developed an interest in talent management that I wanted to pursue. I learnt to do the job by working on projects and stretch assignments. I also joined external networks on the topic and learnt through experience from other people at other organizations. 
• It might sound a bit out of context, but I learnt a lot for my job from looking after my two kids. They provide me with a daily reminder that you can get to similar results by approaching topics in a very different way and that learning is very individual. One of them learns a lot by trying, the other one is more cautious and wants to know all the details before he will try. But they also provide me with a lot of inspiration on things that I would not explore without them, such as how to use Snapchat.

When I reflect on my own learning journey, I have to say that my biggest learning opportunities came when I left my comfort zone. This comes from cultivating some key attributes. The three that really stand out for me the most are:

• Curiosity: Asking “Why?” and “How?”
• Continuous improvement mindset: Challenging the status quo and looking for new ways to do things.
• Using challenges as learning opportunities: We learn from our success but also failures along the way.

We often find ourselves struggling to find the time to learn and while it’s important to have some learning goals and work towards them, the value of learning as you go cannot be underestimated.

In a 2019 article published in the Harvard Business Review, Josh Bersin and Marc Zao-Sanders talk about “learning in the flow of work.” For learning to happen, they argue, it must fit around and align itself to working days and working lives.

The key highlights from this article that I use to help me learn a little more everyday include maintaining a “to-learn” list, carving out 10 mins a day to read/watch a podcast on a topic I’m keen to learn about, subscribing to some good newsletters and blogs and finally learning from my peers and network by dedicating time to review my LinkedIn updates. 

As an organization, we offer a fantastic range of resources to support Learning & Development and help everyone unlock their potential. Through the DHL Global Forwarding, Freight Learn & Grow framework, we have further enhanced our employee’s learning experience by providing a holistic view of the resources available and connecting the pieces to support our employees’ personal and career development aspirations.

Learn & Grow is all about creating an employee experience through which we can truly support and unlock the potential of our employees. We use it to empower and enable everyone to take an active role in their own learning.

This single snapshot was launched to all employees and provides a single structured overview of everything we offer as a company to support their development. We link it to the 70-20-10 learning approach and also highlight what the resources offer them as well as how it supports their learning through curated suggestions, employee testimonials and activations.

One of my favorites currently is GetAbstract. I love the little summaries, wide variety of topics and formats. Recently, I used it to learn how to lead a team remotely, for instance.  

What have you found to be the most impactful way to learn?

Published: November 2020

Images: iStock, DHL