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The mantra of ‘learning for life’ translates into lots of wasted time and energy for many busy executives.

At a three day convention recently I asked one CEO what sort of value she was expecting from the event. “No idea,� she smiled, “my HR director said that this would be good for me.� She followed the comment with “I try and get 15 days professional development in each year.�

Sometime before Christmas I was invited to sit in on a CEO ‘mastermind group’ in the midlands. These are half a dozen leaders from different parts of the country that meet every two months or so to discuss best practice in innovation and creativity for their sector. One couldn’t make it, two were an hour late and a fourth had to leave early for another meeting in London.

The only structure I could see was they all passed some kind of business book around which each promised to read before the next meeting. Why on earth any CEO would want to read a random book that someone else has chosen beats me.

Then there are the CEO’s that are sort of ‘guru groupies’. If the object of their admiration is speaking or running a workshop more or less anywhere in the world, then they will be there. It may be a round trip of a few days and cost several thousand pounds, but hey, its Anthony Robbins or Nido Qubein. The fact that all their material is copiously available, online, in any format you want is neither here nor there.

Now there may well be some merit in all of these activities. But let’s not fool ourselves. Call it a break from the office, call it a chance to meet up with old and new business contacts, call it a holiday if you want.

But please, please do not call it focussed personal and professional development.