Drowning in Content: Why Your Managers Need Curation, Not More Training
When “Build More Training” Isn’t the Answer
When I was Chief Learning Officer at Biogen, someone on my team came to me with a familiar problem:
“Demand is down. We need more budget for a new training.”
But I knew the issue wasn’t budget. And I told them the truth:
“Doing more of the same isn’t going to change anything.”
“It’s not that the content is bad. It’s that the way people are learning has changed.”
How People Actually Learn Now
Even back then, employees weren’t waiting for formal programs. They were learning on the fly—Googling, watching TED Talks, asking a peer for advice. Learning was real-time, social, and messy.
Today, it's even more fragmented. Employees are navigating:
Self-paced portals they’ll "get to eventually"
Dozens of bookmarked articles they never have time to read
AI-generated answers with no context
Crowdsourced advice from Slack, LinkedIn, and Reddit
They’re not lazy. They’re drowning in content.
(If this sounds familiar, you might also like The Leadership Training Trap: Why Most Programs Fail Before They Even Begin.)
The Real Problem Isn’t Access—It’s Overwhelm
In response, companies keep piling on:
Massive content libraries
Expensive online subscriptions
“Choose-your-own-adventure” learning platforms
But here’s what I hear from HR leaders again and again:
“We’re spending $50,000 a year on content no one uses.”
“Our managers log in once, click around, and never come back.”
Instead of creating growth, we’re creating noise.
What Your Managers Actually Need
They don’t need more content.
They need curation—a way through the noise.
They need a clear rhythm, a trusted guide, and just enough structure to build real habits over time.
That’s the idea behind The Leadership Lab—a monthly membership built for you, the HR or L&D leader who wants to support your managers with real leadership development, without having to build everything yourself.
Each month inside the Leadership Lab, members get a complete Manager Meetup Kit—a ready-to-run, discussion-based leadership session designed to help managers lead better through reflection and conversation, not content overload.
Whether you call your sessions Leadership Labs, Manager Meetups, or something else entirely, the core idea stays the same: structured, practical, team-led development that builds trust, capability, and community.
How the Leadership Lab Works
Here’s what a Manager Meetup looks like:
One concept
One hour
Once a month
The Manager Meetup is a lightweight but high-impact format designed to create real behavior change. It's not a course. It's not a content dump. It's a leadership conversation anchored in real challenges your managers are facing right now.
Each monthly session includes:
A pre-selected, science-backed leadership topic (think: how to make confirmation bias work for you)
A facilitator guide that makes it easy to run—even if you only skim it
Simple prompts and activities that spark reflection and meaningful dialogue
Optional pre-reads or handouts to add depth without adding overwhelm
You lead it—because you know your managers best. These sessions are designed to be light-lift but high-impact, so you can show up as the guide, not the content creator. No hours of prep. No outsourcing your voice. Just a focused, ready-to-run session that builds credibility and connection.
And over time, something powerful happens:
Those conversations start to reveal patterns—what’s working, what’s shifting, and how your managers are evolving as leaders.
Through a simple reflection process, we capture those takeaways and turn them into strategic insights you can actually use—to build your case, reinforce investment, and show what’s changing in how leadership shows up across your company.
You don’t have to build anything from scratch. But you do get to lead it—with your voice, your context, and your insight.
That’s where the magic happens. ✨
What to Take With You
Even if you never join our membership, I hope you’ll take this:
The best leadership development doesn’t come from content. It comes from conversation.
Your managers don’t need a platform. They need a path.
Simplify. Curate. Connect. Because when leadership development is focused and human—it actually works.
What to Do Next
Want to be the one who brought real leadership development back to life? Something simple. Strategic. And actually used.
If you’ve got time to curate it yourself, here’s a DIY version that works:
Steal This Strategy: The DIY System That Makes Managers Better Leaders
But if you’re short on time (and who isn’t?), I built the done-for-you version:
Join the Leadership Lab now —and be the one who made leadership development simple, strategic, and unforgettable. The kind of solution your managers talk about—and your leadership team remembers.
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Leadership development is failing under the weight of too much content. This post offers a clearer, curated approach to help managers grow—without the overwhelm.