Episode #272: Why Isn’t One-Time Executive Training Enough?
The Japan Business Mastery Show
Executive courses at business schools are stimulating, global, and broad. But they happen infrequently—sometimes once in a career. Their value is limited because leaders struggle to apply insights immediately once back at work.
Mini-summary: Big, infrequent training bursts inspire but rarely stick without ongoing education.
What Ongoing Learning Resources Are Available?
We live in an age of abundant access. Podcasts, audiobooks, YouTube, TED Talks, and online courses from both academics and practitioners provide endless opportunities. Many are free or low-cost. The issue is no longer availability—it’s whether leaders make time to use them.
Mini-summary: Resources are everywhere, but leaders must choose to engage with them.
Why Do Leaders Resist Ongoing Education?
Most executives work in the business, not on the business. Routines create comfort zones. But stasis is dangerous—technologies shift fast, competitors innovate, and what was valuable yesterday quickly becomes obsolete.
Mini-summary: Habit and busyness keep leaders from learning, but stagnation carries high risks.
What Happens to Companies That Don’t Adapt?
History is full of cautionary tales. Japan’s iMode was once a world leader, but it vanished. Blackberry and MySpace collapsed. Even Nokia admitted, “We didn’t do anything wrong,” but still lost relevance. Complacency kills.
Mini-summary: Challenger technologies destroy companies that fail to keep learning and adapting.
Why Must Leaders Take Personal Responsibility?
Generational differences show how fast knowledge expires. What we learned five years ago may already be outdated. If companies stop investing in us, it’s on leaders themselves to continue studying and upgrading.
Mini-summary: Leaders can’t wait for companies to invest; growth is now a personal duty.
What’s the Bottom Line for Bosses?
If the boss isn’t learning, the business isn’t growing. Leaders must carve out weekly time for study—beyond newspapers—to stay sharp. Stimulated bosses lead stimulated teams. Without growth, leadership becomes slow decline.
Mini-summary: Leaders must prioritise their own learning to keep businesses thriving.
About the Author:
Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012).
As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).