In one of our recent blogs, we discussed the importance of continual learning and personal development when it comes to growing your career as a leader and manager.
Continual learning and personal development are some of the most important investments you’ll ever make. Such investments allow you to stay abreast of industry trends, sharpen your skills, hone your craft, up-level your expertise, and further build out your own personal toolbox of knowledge and talents.
Whether you attend conferences or workshops throughout the year, hire a high-level coach to meet with regularly, or participate in masterminds with other professionals, developing yourself with focused intent can reap a wealth of benefits.
So the question is: are you setting aside devoted time toward continual learning and personal development?
The good news is this: thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to access trainings and other resources. In fact, there is a wealth of material available that’s absolutely FREE!
Today, we’re sharing some of our favorite places to access leadership training for free:
TED Talks are influential videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech, and creativity, with subtitles in 100+ languages. All the videos are their website are free to stream. Past notable speakers include Simon Sinek, Tony Robbins, Dan Pink, Elizabeth Gilbert, and more. In just the business section alone, you’ll find subjects such as: 5 ways to lead in an era of constant change, 4 ways to build a human company in the age of machines, how to build a business that lasts 100 years, two reasons companies fail and how to avoid them, and how to save the world from bad meetings.
LinkedIn Learning offers users a free one-month trial to learn the most in-demand business, tech and creative skills from industry experts. From among their listing of over 1,000 courses, you’ll find trainings in areas such as: creating a culture of learning, public speaking foundations, coaching and developing employees, managing change, and executive leadership.
Udemy offers over 55,000 courses taught by expert instructors. Like most other websites of its kind, you have lifetime access to the courses you enroll in and you can study at your own pace from any device. While the majority of Udemy’s courses are paid (only costing $10), there are also free courses available on the website. You’ll find categories such as Business, Development, Office Productivity, Marketing, and Personal Development. Some courses currently listed include: think like a leader with Brian Tracy, NLP principles for influence, management, and leadership, leading teams to high performance, 8 best strategies for business growth, and business fundamentals: corporate strategy.
Every course on Coursera is taught by top instructors from the world’s best universities and educational institutions. Courses include recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums. When you complete a course, you’ll receive a sharable electronic Course Certificate. Courses start at just $29, but you can explore lectures and non-graded material for free. Current courses include: strategic leadership and management, leading people and teams, inspiring and motivating individuals, organizational leadership, and inspiring leadership through emotional intelligence.
Podcasts have exploded in popularity over recent years, and it’s with good reason. You can listen to podcasts during your daily commute, at the office, or during your down time back home, and there seems to be a podcast for just about anything these days. In fact, on the Apple website alone (linked to above), there are hundreds of thousands of free podcasts at your fingertips. You can enjoy podcasts by streaming or downloading them directly to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer, or Apple TV. Once you find a podcast that you love, you can subscribe to it and you will automatically receive any future episodes. Some of the top podcasts include The Tim Ferriss Show, the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast, the HBR (Harvard Business Review) IdeaCast, This is Your Life with Michael Hyatt, and Being Boss.
These are just five of the countless resources available on the internet today for those who are interested in accessing leadership training for free. A quick google search for “free courses on ______” will no doubt yield a plethora of results that you’ll find useful and instructive.
What are your favorite websites to visit to grow as a leader?