Education doesn’t end with graduation. Leaders may attend induction sessions, compliance programs, or even prestigious executive courses overseas, but these experiences are too infrequent to sustain long-term growth. In Japan and globally, too many bosses stop learning once they hit senior ranks, focusing only on routines that keep the business running. But standing still in today’s world is as dangerous as making mistakes. Continuous learning is not optional—it’s the fuel that keeps leaders, teams, and companies alive.
Why isn’t one-time executive training enough?Business schools and executive programs can be stimulating—case studies are fascinating, the networking is inspiring, and global perspectives broaden thinking. But the problem is frequency. These are often “one-shot” experiences, occurring once in a career. Leaders return home excited, but implementing new ideas proves difficult in day-to-day operations. Without continuous reinforcement, old habits resurface, and inspiration fades. Growth stalls because education was treated as an event, not a rhythm.
Mini-summary: One-time executive courses inspire but don’t sustain growth—leaders need continuous, not occasional, education.
What modern learning opportunities do leaders have today?We live in an era of abundant resources. Podcasts, TED Talks, YouTube, online courses, and audiobooks can turn commutes or downtime into classrooms. Platforms like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and Udemy provide structured modules, while practitioners share real-world insights through blogs and webinars. Many of these resources are free or low-cost, making access easier than ever. The real issue isn’t availability—it’s whether leaders have the discipline to use them consistently.
Mini-summary: Learning resources are everywhere; the challenge is discipline, not access.
The trap is routine. Leaders often spend all their time working in the business rather than on it. They minimise effort by narrowing focus to daily operations, convincing themselves they’re too busy for study. Over time, this creates stasis. But the world doesn’t stop—technologies shift, competitors emerge, and markets evolve. In Japan, where lifetime employment and rigid routines are common, this tendency to fall into comfortable habits is especially dangerous.
Mini-summary: Routines trap leaders into working in the business, leaving no time to work on their own growth.
How dangerous is standing still in business?Stasis can be fatal. Consider iMode, once a global pioneer of mobile internet in Japan, now irrelevant. Blackberry dominated professional phones but collapsed. MySpace once led social media, but disappeared. Nokia’s CEO famously said, “We didn’t do anything wrong,” yet the company still fell. The lesson: even without mistakes, standing still is enough to destroy a business. Leaders who stop learning repeat this error—they allow yesterday’s success to blind them to tomorrow’s risks.
Mini-summary: Standing still is as dangerous as making mistakes—stagnant leaders risk organisational decline.
How does generational change affect the need for learning?Generational perspectives shift rapidly. Leaders raised with telephones view the world differently from those raised with faxes, computers, or smartphones. Today, immense computing power fits in the palm of our hands. What was cutting-edge five years ago may already be outdated. This means knowledge has a shorter shelf life than ever. If a company has made its last formal investment in a leader’s development, then the responsibility to keep up rests squarely on the individual.
Mini-summary: Knowledge expires quickly—leaders must take responsibility for staying relevant across generations.
What should bosses do to keep learning alive?Leaders must block time for deliberate study every week. Skimming newspapers or glancing at reports isn’t enough. Deep engagement—through reading, listening, structured courses, or reflection—is required. Just as they expect their teams to grow, bosses must first stimulate themselves. Organisations mirror leadership. When the boss stops learning, the company’s culture stagnates. But when leaders prioritise growth, they inspire their teams to follow, building resilience and innovation.
Mini-summary: Leaders set the tone—if they learn and grow, their teams and businesses do too.
In Japan and worldwide, bosses who stop learning stop leading. Executive courses and OJT provide valuable boosts, but they are not enough. Today, resources for continuous learning are abundant, affordable, and accessible. The barrier isn’t availability but mindset and discipline. History shows that standing still destroys even the strongest firms. The same is true for leaders. Growth starts at the top, and in 2025, leadership without learning is not leadership at all—it’s decline.
