Learning Never Ends

 From November until last week, I had four speaking engagements.

I’ve finally completed all of them, and now I can take a short break.

To be honest, whenever I give a lecture or presentation outside the company, people are often surprised and give me a lot of compliments.
I don’t think I’m bad at presenting—but I truly believe there are many people who are far better than me.

Perhaps many Japanese business leaders are not very good at presentations.
Professional speakers or people with international experience can engage an audience at a much higher level.
I’m nowhere near that level, and honestly, I don’t need to be.
My main role is management.

For me, this is actually the most dangerous moment.
When the thought “I’m good at this” or “I can do this” appears, I tend to stop preparing and stop making an effort.
And when effort stops, growth stops.
What was once a strength eventually becomes average—or even worse.


You may have experienced this before:
meeting someone you once thought was amazing, only to realize they haven’t grown much over time.
That feeling comes either because they stopped growing—or because you kept growing faster than they did.

That’s why continuous learning is essential.
Even after success, we must keep questioning whether our methods and systems are still the best ones.
There is a term in Japan, “old harm” (rougai).
I believe true “old harm” is not about age—it’s about stopping personal growth and causing trouble for others as a result.
In that sense, even young people or children can become “old harm” if they stop learning.

The more you learn, the more you see better ways—and your own weaknesses.
At that point, you no longer need empty pride.
You can trust yourself while honestly absorbing what you still lack.
I think this is a very important turning point as a human being.

No matter your position or age, without humility and a willingness to learn from others and your environment, you cannot lead people or organizations.
Thinking “I am right and others don’t understand” is a direct path to decline.

Let’s keep learning—always.

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