Susan J. Ashford shares self-improvement tips in Charter | TIME interview
December 22, 2021
Susan Ashford
Center for Positive Organizations (CPO) faculty associate Susan J. Ashford discusses the most-effective approaches to self-improvement in the Charter | TIME article “The 70/20/10 Rule For Growing in Your Job.”
The interview delves into insights from Ashford’s new book, The Power of Flexing: How to Use Small Daily Experiments to Create Big Life-Changing Growth.
“Researchers talked to successful and effective people, not just those who were high in the hierarchy, but people who were deemed really effective in their roles,” Ashford says. “They asked them how they learned to do that. What they found came to be known as the 70/20/10 rule. When highly effective people cited the origin of their learning, 70% was from the experiences they had, 20% was from other people, and 10% was from books and courses.”
However, Ashford says you can only learn from experiences if you’re fully present. She suggests that having a growth mindset, setting your intentions for growth, experimenting with your daily habits, emotional regulation, and reflection can help you tune into yourself and get the most out of your experiences.
Ashford is the Michael and Susan Jandernoa Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan.