Personal development = professional development.

In my younger years, I thought that in order to climb the ranks and earn more money (which would surely make me happy, right?), I needed to acquire more skills- make great decks, learn how to use pivot tables, and read a P&L. I picked up this mindset when I was an IT guy and felt like I needed every certification under the sun.

But the longer I’m around I can see that a vast majority of my career advancement came from who I was and how I showed up. Nobody really gave a shit about my spreadsheet skills.

Honesty, integrity, humility, a moral compass, the ability to collaborate, the ability to make others feel heard and valued, I could go on and on. But you won’t find a lot of classes on these “soft skills”. Most of these we pick up from living life or if you’re fortunate enough to have great parents, or maybe a coach or mentor in your life.

It’s good to have actionable skills that make you more efficient at your work, but I would spend more time and energy developing yourself as a good person first and worry about the tactical skills later.