The 3 Forces That Shape Every Leader:
Education, Exposure, Experience.
There is a quiet truth in leadership that most people overlook:
You do not rise because you work harder.
You rise because you learn differently.
The image captures a model used in leadership psychology and organisational development called the 70:20:10 Framework showing that leaders grow through a combination of Education, Exposure and Experience.
But when you look through the lens of neuroscience and Black leadership research, something deeper emerges.
This model sits at the intersection of both truths.
Let us look for the hidden patterns behind success because your life only changes when you do.
Here is what the science and lived experience actually tells us:
1. EDUCATION: Expands Your Cognitive Map
Books, conferences, webinars, courses… these are not just learning tools they literally reshape the brain. Neuroscience shows that new knowledge strengthens the prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for strategic thinking, planning and emotional regulation.
But for Black professionals, education is more than information.
It is access.
It is entry.
It is visibility in rooms built without our names on the door.
Education creates the mental blueprint. It is where leadership begins.
2. EXPOSURE: Rewires Your Opportunities
Coaching, mentoring, meet-ups, buddying, these are not “extras” they are the accelerators.
Studies from Harvard and the Centre for Talent Innovation highlight that high performers are not simply more talented, they are more exposed. They have networks that validate them, rooms that see them and leaders who sponsor them.
This is where Black leadership often hits the barrier. Talent is present. Exposure is not. Exposure changes what feels possible.It rewires your internal ceiling. It introduces you to people who become catalysts, not just contacts.
3. EXPERIENCE: Builds Leadership Identity
Projects, tasks, job aids, placements. These refine the skills that education introduced.
Experience activates the brain’s reward system, reinforcing competence and confidence. It is through doing, not knowing, that the brain consolidates leadership ability.
For Black leaders, experience also carries the weight of representation. You learn to lead with visibility, scrutiny and resilience baked into the moment. This creates a depth of leadership that cannot be imitated, only lived.
Experience turns theory into mastery. It is the teacher that does not lie.
The Real Magic Is In The Combination
When Education, Exposure and Experience align, something powerful happens:
You think differently.
You see differently.
You lead differently.
You become the type of leader others look for but rarely find.
This unseen accumulation of conditions that creates the tipping point and this daily discipline that transforms who you become.
The Black Leadership Lens
For Black women and men in leadership, this model becomes more than a framework. It becomes a strategy for navigating:
· Gatekeeping
· Implicit bias
· Under-sponsorship
· Emotional labour
· Limited access to networks
· The pressure to outperform just to be seen as equal
Education strengthens your competence, exposure expands your opportunities and experience anchors your authority.
When these three forces come together, something powerful happens.
You stop leading from effort and begin leading from alignment. This is the moment where your presence changes conversations, your decisions influence direction and your leadership reshapes the culture around you.
For Black leaders especially, this convergence is more than professional development, it is legacy work. It is the point where preparation, visibility and lived experience merge to create a leader who cannot be ignored.
If this message resonated with your own leadership journey, like the post, share your reflections in the comments and share it with another leader who is ready to grow in competence, confidence and cultural impact.
Your engagement helps us elevate the conversation, strengthen our community and ensure more Black leaders rise with the support, visibility and recognition they deserve.
