The Mall. A place where you can find your All. No, that’s not what I mean here. “MaLL” in some contexts stands for “Master in Lifelong Learning”. Lifelong learning has become a buzzword. We think that all of us should be enthusiastically engaged in lifelong learning. How has it been for you?

If you find that you are exclaiming “I did not know that!” and “I’m constantly amazed at how stupid I was two weeks ago” and similar phrases on a regular basis, then chances are that you are actually actively and enthusiastically engaged in lifelong learning. That is important. As a leader, that is an imperative. If, as a leader, you even hint to yourself that you have arrived, that you now know it all, you have stopped being a leader.

Recently, I learned that there is such a thing as a pricing consultant. A pricing consultant advises you on how to price your products and services. I had never heard of that before. Now I know that if ever I need help on such a niche subject as pricing, there are people who specialize in that. Yesterday evening I went to a mixer and discovered that there are people who actually collect vintage cars and restore them to roadworthy condition as a hobby. I learned at the same time that, well, in Perth at least, people want vintage cars, but will not pay a premium for them. Better if they are free. At the same mixer, I learned that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore actually conducts courses on urban planning and sustainability for people involved in those activities from various countries. MFA is in the consulting and training business also!

We ought to be learning, adding to our warehouse of knowledge, integrating that knowledge and become wiser by the day. How have you done that today? MaLL, everyone?