Fastest Way to Become Irrelevant? Stop Learning

Next week I will attend my twelfth Massachusetts Staffing Association Annual Conference. TWELFTH!

People ask why I still go. After more than two decades in this industry, after building companies, leading teams, sitting in boardrooms, and navigating every market cycle you can imagine, what more could I need from another conference?

The answer is simple.
I refuse to stop being a student of my game.

Yes, the sessions are valuable. Legislative updates and economic trends matter. In staffing especially, the rules change quickly. If you are not paying attention, you fall behind.

But that is not the real reason I go. I go for the people!

The conversations between sessions and candid dialogue over coffee. The debates about pricing pressure, risk exposure, AI, margin compression, candidate behavior, leadership fatigue. It is hearing how someone in a different market is solving a problem you thought was unique to you. That perspective matters.

When you stay inside your own office or organization, your thinking narrows. You start believing your challenges are singular. You solve problems within the same framework that created them...Exposure disrupts that.

Engaging with peers who approach the same industry from different angles forces you to think differently. It humbles you and stretches you. It reminds you that no matter how experienced you are, there is always another lens.

Remaining a student is not about insecurity...It is discipline.

The moment you believe you have arrived is the moment you stall….Markets evolve. Technology shifts. Workforce expectations change. Leadership challenges grow more complex. If you are not intentionally expanding your horizon, it will shrink without you realizing it.

When you gather with other leaders, you recalibrate. You realize you are not alone in the hard parts. You see how others navigate complexity. You pick up language, strategies, and small adjustments that compound over time. You return sharper and clearer.

Staying a student requires effort. It means investing time when you are busy. It means showing up even when you think you have heard it before. It means being willing to say, “I do not know,” in rooms full of smart people.
That posture is what keeps you relevant.

So here is the challenge.
👉 Where are you expanding your horizon?
👉 Who are you engaging with outside your immediate circle?
👉 When was the last time you put yourself in a room where you were not the most experienced person there?

If all your inputs come from inside your organization, your perspective will narrow. If all your conversations are with people who think like you, growth will plateau.
Look beyond your office, your facility even beyond your organization.
Find your industry. Find your peers. Find the rooms that sharpen you.
And show up as a student because that is how you keep earning it.