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Most Leadership Programs Are Trash.

Here's One That Actually Works (And Pays You)

By Edison AdePublished 4 months ago 4 min read

Most Leadership Programs Are Trash. Here's One That Actually Works (And Pays You)

I've seen a thousand leadership programs.

Most are glorified PowerPoint presentations with motivational quotes slapped on LinkedIn carousels. They promise to "unlock your potential" but deliver recycled corporate speak and feel-good mantras.

Forget the fancy slides and the polished speeches. Real leadership is not about what you say, but about what you do. It's forged in the fire of action, delivering results that actually matter.

That's why this caught my attention.

The Problem With 99% of Leadership Training

Walk into any corporate leadership workshop and you'll find the same tired formula:

  • Day 1: "What makes a great leader?" (spoiler: it's always "vision" and "communication")
  • Day 2: Role-playing exercises that make everyone cringe
  • Day 3: Action plans that get forgotten by lunch

You leave with a certificate, a LinkedIn post about "personal growth," and zero actual leadership skills.

The missing piece? You never actually lead anything.

It's like learning to swim by reading about water. Pointless.

What Real Leadership Development Looks Like

Real leaders are built through one thing: shipping under pressure.

Not talking about shipping. Not planning to ship. Actually putting something real into the world, week after week, until you develop the muscle memory of execution.

This is what separates the operators from the spectators.

Leadership Lab gets this. Instead of another course, they're building something different: a system where you learn leadership by actually leading.

Here's How It Actually Works

The Setup: 12-18 volunteers. 8 different roles. 5-8 hours per week. All remote.

The Work: Ship one tangible artifact every single week. Not busy work—real deliverables that move the needle:

Short video clips that actually get watched

Carousel posts that convert

Partner outreach lists that generate responses

Webinar run sheets that prevent disasters

KPI dashboards that drive decisions

SOPs that scale systems

Notice what's missing? Theoretical exercises and group discussions about "authentic leadership."

The Timeline: Sprint-based. You commit, you deliver, you get results. No endless programs that drag on forever.

Why This Beats Every Other "Opportunity"

Most volunteer gigs are resume padding disguised as experience.

This one's different:

1. You Get Paid 10% revenue-share pool split among volunteers. Transparent points system. No vague promises—actual money when enrollment closes.

2. You Build Real Assets Portfolio-ready work with public credits. LinkedIn recommendations. An actual certificate that means something because it represents shipped work.

3. You Join a Network That Matters Global connections across industries. Priority access to future paid roles. The kind of network that opens doors, not just connects you to other job seekers.

The Type of Person This Is For

Here's the filter that matters:

Operators > Spectators

You don't need:

A fancy job title

Years of leadership experience

An MBA or management background

Previous volunteer experience

You DO need:

Bias to ship (this is non-negotiable)

Ability to learn fast and adapt

Clear communication skills

5-8 focused hours per week

That last point is crucial. This isn't a side hobby you check in on when convenient. It's a commitment that requires showing up consistently.

The Roles Available (Pick One)

Regional Marketing Lead (5 regions available) Drive growth in specific geographic markets. Perfect if you understand local nuances and want to own results.

Content Marketing

Create content that converts. Not just pretty posts—strategic content that moves people through funnels.

Research & Data Turn information into insights. Build the analytics foundation that guides every decision.

CRM Manage relationships at scale. Build systems that nurture leads and retain customers.

Community Foster engagement and connection. Create the culture that keeps people coming back.

Operations

Make everything run smoothly. Build processes that scale without breaking.

Content Creator/Editor Polish raw ideas into compelling content. Be the bridge between creation and consumption.

Partnership Development Build strategic relationships. Open doors and create win-win collaborations.

What Makes This Different From Other Remote Work

Most remote opportunities are either:

Unpaid "experience" that exploits your time

Paid work with zero learning or growth

Courses that teach without doing

This combines the best of all three:

Compensation that's tied to real results

Learning through actual execution

Growth through weekly shipping cycles

Network effects from working with other operators

Plus, you're not just completing tasks—you're helping build the system that creates leaders. Your fingerprints will be on something that scales and makes an impact.

The Application Deadline You Can't Miss

October 10, 2025

Not October 11th. Not "sometime in October." October 10th.

This isn't arbitrary. It's because systems that work have boundaries, deadlines, and standards.

If you can't hit a simple application deadline, you probably can't ship weekly artifacts under pressure.

Why I'm Writing About This (And Why You Should Care)

I write about opportunities that most people will ignore.

Not because they're bad opportunities—because they require actual work.

Most people want results without effort. They want leadership skills without leading anything. They want network effects without contributing value.

This isn't for most people.

It's for the small percentage who understand that real growth comes from consistent shipping, not comfortable planning.

Here's What Happens Next

If you're still reading, you're probably the type of person this is designed for.

If you're making excuses about time, experience, or readiness—this isn't for you.

If you're already thinking about which role fits your skills—apply here: https://www.taskwit.co/leadershiplab/volunteer

The best opportunities don't wait for you to feel ready.

They require you to become ready by doing the work.

Real leadership isn't taught. It's practiced. One shipped artifact at a time.

Build the system that builds leaders. Then put your name on it.

career

About the Creator

Edison Ade

I Write about Startup Growth. Helping visionary founders scale with proven systems & strategies. Author of books on hypergrowth, AI + the future.

I do a lot of Spoken Word/Poetry, Love Reviewing Movies.

My website Twitter

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