The Problem With (So Much) Free Leadership Content

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Free.

It is a word we often think of as (very) good. Who doesn’t want a bargain? And isn’t free the ultimate good deal? The problem is that free as in “free leadership content”, might not be all it is cracked up to be. While we generally like the idea of free, we also likely realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and in the context of free content or ways to learn about leadership, this is clearly the case.

How We Got Here

I am old enough to remember when there wasn’t really free leadership content. Other than asking questions of or observing a mentor, free wasn’t an option. You had books, audio tapes (occasionally), and workshops, conferences and seminars.? And all these cost time and money.

Today? Well, what you are reading now is free leadership content, right?

We have blogs, podcasts, book summaries, videos that are short, longer, and really long. We have webinars and other online live events.

And generally, you can watch, listen, read and learn from all of them.

Sounds like nirvana, right?

While to the 25-year-old Kevin, it would have felt like exactly that, there are unintentional consequences that stem from this amazing plethora of learning options.

The Problems

What are the problems? In my observation and personal experience, these are the three biggest challenges the huge amount of free leadership content creates.

• Too much to choose from. As humans, we face the choice paradox. We want some choice but give us too much and we get stuck. Give me three pieces of content on a topic and I can pick. Give me 23 and I might not choose any - it is just too hard. Because we have so many choices, we often choose none.
• Getting past “stuck”. And the problem isn’t just that there is so much free stuff on delegation (for example), but on twelve other important leadership topics. Which leads to more procrastination because we can’t decide which topic to even focus on. If you have ever been to a buffet, you know what I am talking about here.
• Determining fit and quality. “Free” also leads us to wonder – which is the best, the most trustworthy, or which will fit my perspective or our organization culture?

These are three reasons why, even though there is more content and advice available on leadership (and plenty of it that is free) that people don’t take advantage of it.

Where to Go from Here

The biggest key then to leveraging all the free leadership content is to get past those hurdles. And whether you are thinking about this for yourself, or for your organization, what you need is guidance, prioritization, and curation. When you have those three things in place, you can overcome the roadblocks that the existence of all the free leadership content causes.

1. Find some trusted sources. Find one to three content providers that you enjoy and value and start with them. This will narrow your content choices and help with fit and quality.
2. Prioritize. Focus on one leadership skill at a time. If you can stay focused on one area for a week, a month, or a quarter, you will narrow your search and get far better results.
3. Curate. This may relate to the trusted sources point, but what you want are ways to curate all of the good content to find what is best for you (and your organization). This curation can be done with a group of colleagues, sharing the best they see/watch/listen to, as a channel on your internal messaging systems; it could be done organizationally with your LMS; or by aligning with content providers who can help you do the same thing (A podcast that interviews other experts is one example of this).

I have personally employed all three of these strategies myself for many years (and it doesn’t have to stop with free content or just leadership content either). From my experience, I can tell you that these ideas will help you and others get past the roadblocks of the choice paradox and help you move forward and keep learning.

A Place to Start

I write as someone on my journey as a leader, but also as a provider of some of the free leadership content I am writing about today. My number one goal with this post was to give you some ideas and strategies to help you and your leaders navigate all the great stuff produced by us and so many of our colleagues. But I also submit, that our upcoming Virtual LeaderCon event (Sept 17-19) can be a way to help you over the three hurdles I mentioned and help you implement the three ideas just shared too.

?Virtual LeaderCon is a free to attend live virtual leadership conference where I will be joined by about 20 leadership experts and practitioners that we have hand-selected (curated) to bring great value to those who join us and participate. Click here to learn more and get your free registration.

From this event, you may find one or more of those trusted sources far into the future. And when you look at the agenda , you don’t have to be overwhelmed – because you don’t have to attend it all!? Prioritize an area you want to improve in (or you want leaders in your organization to grow in) and pick one or two sessions that meet your needs!?

A version of this article was first posted on our blog .

What Do You Think?

Share your thoughts in the comments – How do you choose and use free leadership content?

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