Unlocking Innovation: The Power of Content Consumption
In a previous post I noted some of my favorite newsletters, but those were not the only ways I continue to learn. Through my years in tech I’ve realized staying current and continuing to learn pay out over time and improve my leadership capabilities.
Podcasts, Reddit, newsletters, blogs, books, the available content is endless in our age of information. There are many titans of industry that claim reading (or consuming) is key to getting ahead in one’s line of business. Consuming content keeps your brain fresh, iterating on ideas and validating or invalidating long-held beliefs.
If you’re struggling to get into the rhythm of continuous learning, hopefully this can shed some light on the benefits.
Note: for our purposes, “content” is considered any form of ingestible artifact created for individuals to read, watch, or hear: blogs, podcasts, newsletters, LinkedIn posts, news articles, presentations, speakers, courses, Reddit, the list goes on and on.
New Ideas
Plain and simple, if you silo yourself and don’t look across the industry landscape, the only new ideas will come from your own brain. Unfortunately your ability to come up with new ideas are likely to cap out at a certain point, regardless of how brilliant you are. That big ol’ brain only contains so many original concepts.
By reading or listening to content, you begin to branch further out into the world, consuming ideas from the lens of others. The lens is critical for gaining new experience without leaving your current role, company, or environment. The lens of a FAANG writer is going to be drastically different than that of an engineer in a Series A startup. What works for one does not work for the other, and that’s the beauty of new ideas.
Tactical Tip: follow your curiosity and Google the ideas you think are new or you’re beginning to think about to see if anyone has considered them before.
The “Sermon” Effect
My mother was a pastor for most of my life and while I don’t attend services any more, there was a very specific pattern I noticed in talking with others. On most Sundays, the sermon managed to line up with something the individuals were thinking about or with which they were struggling.
That feeling of “oh, that message was made for me!” also applies when reading in any capacity. Many times I’ve found myself reading a weekly newsletter that holds a key insight to a problem I’m trying to solve and the light bulb goes off.
Part of the reason for the content feeling tailored to you is that you’re already thinking of the concept, explained as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon which is a combo of selective attention and confirmation bias.
As you read, your brain is processing additional information in the background. The passive intake of new information then supports the topic you’re already considering. By immersing yourself with different inputs, your brain will try to make new connections, even if you’re not actively making them yourself.
Unsure how you should proceed with a problem? Read a book and watch where your brain takes you. Typically your subconscious is in a state to be convinced that a new or different idea is beneficial as long as you are open to letting those ideas in.
Tactical Tip: If you can’t get yourself to actively consume content, do so passively. Even an audiobook you’re not paying attention to will have a nugget that speaks to you.
Passing It On
Coaching or mentoring? As you are consuming content, you’ll likely find something relevant to pass along. I frequently find two or three links a week that I pass on to my teams with context to help expose them to new concepts or ideas. The last big one was a presentation given by Will Larson on Engineering Strategy.
Where passing it on becomes even more exciting is when it gets re-shared or acted upon within your organization. Suddenly a random link ripples out and becomes adopted by your entire org. Not possible if you stay clammed up in your content shell.
Leaders have a tendency to keep new learnings or information to themselves. This is sometimes because they have not fully grasped the concept yet, and sometimes because they want to be the holder of that new knowledge. As soon as I find something relevant to a topic being discussed, I pass it along. Giving others the gift of outside ideas can be extremely beneficial.
A frequent way I send this to my team (especially if it’s after hours) is to schedule a message for the next day that reads:
[scheduled] Thought this was interesting based on our recent discussions of x, y, z: https://linkgoeshere
Tactical Tip: Take a link you find interesting this week and pass it to one of your direct reports with a note on why you wanted to send it to them. Discuss in your next conversation.
Validating and Invalidating
Trying to make a decision? Content can help confirm or deny what you believe to be true. Quick note that if you are seeking validation or invalidation you will likely find it. The best approach is to stay neutral when consuming content and let your ideas shift based on what you consume.
Have a new process you want to implement? Check out Reddit to see if folks have implemented it before and understand its pitfalls. Struggling with a direct report? Read a book on feedback or performance management from Harvard Business Review.
By testing your assumptions (passively or actively), each piece of content you consume will cement your decision in one direction or the other. Long-running threads evolve over time and you will get a better understanding of if you like the way you are handling a problem or if it’s time to take a new approach.
Similar to the “sermon” effect, our brains are excellent at leveraging confirmation bias to prop up our own ideas, but try to find an opposing viewpoint as well. Many times I’ve found myself reading the opposite opinion on a topic (hiring, firing, how to run an engineering organization) and dig my heels in to cement my stance. When faced with an opposing opinion, ask what that opinion proves or disproves for you. Don’t just swat it away, think about why the content feels right or wrong.
Tactical Tip: Consider making a statement at the beginning of a piece of content declaring what you do or don’t believe around the topic at hand. Determine what along the way changed your mind or cemented your feelings.
Creating Filters
Warren Buffett famously noted how much he reads per day, but many only see the initial statement of ~500 pages or ~5 hours. What they’re missing is that Buffett also notes the filters he is creating, erasing, and adjusting as he reads. The filters allow him to consume stacks of content and filter it into usable or unusable pieces of information to bolster a stance, or help him to back down.
Great leaders care about creating filters. If you are consuming content, you should understand which piles or avenues to send the learnings. These filters are beneficial for parsing through piles of data, determining what you care about within your space, and glancing through documents or conversations at work.
The filters also help you further understand what you care about and why. Don’t worry if you don’t have these sorting mechanisms today, that’s the whole point of consuming more content. Each piece allows you to say “this is helpful” or “this is not helpful” and your brain begins to create patterns for future filtering and faster decision-making.
Tactical Tip: Consider how you currently filter content. What blinders are you putting up and how would you like information to flow?
Staying Current In The Industry
In the tech space, keeping up-to-date with happenings is essential. Every day there is some new evolution, especially now with all of the advancements in AI. If you are not staying current on industry trends, it is unlikely your business can evolve to meet new demands or avoid potential roadblocks. Consuming content pushes you to the edge of innovation and gives you a good look at what others in your area are looking at day-to-day.
Industry newsletters are one of the best ways to do this, as is Reddit. Twitter was a goldmine for industry trends back in the day, but X is, well, X. Find the folks in your industry that you respect and follow on whatever platform makes the most sense.
By staying current you can sometimes get ahead of a trend and prop your organization up into a better spot.
Tactical Tip: Find two folks you respect in your industry and follow them on the platform where they produce the most content.
Okay, So How Do I Get Started?
This is the best part, to get started, go consume a piece of content. By reading this far you’ve already done so, but go forth and find additional folks that are talking about topics that interest you. To help you get going I’ve got a few lists you can check out, but Slack organizations, Reddit threads, or random posts on Hacker News could be great places to get going.
Wherever you consume content, ensure you are evolving your nutrient intake. Don’t read from one spot only, branch out and explore further reaches. Look for research on the topic you are considering, find a book from the 70s, uncover a repo that codes away the problem. Find balance in your consumption and you’re bound to unlock new ideas.
Why else do you consume content and where’s the strangest place you found inspiration? Let me know!