You Need an Update... Not Another App

I have a confession. I’m kind of addicted to certifications. Give me a course, an exam, and some fancy letters I can put behind my name, and I'm in.

During my undergrad studies, I was taught that certifications were one of the best ways to demonstrate two things: expertise in your field and commitment to your profession. I took that lesson seriously and carried it with me throughout my career.

When I worked in the fitness industry, the very first professional certification I earned was through the American College of Sports Medicine. I remember how that one felt. ACSM had a reputation. It felt elite. Passing that exam made me feel like I had officially arrived.

Not long after that I added a certification from the American Council on Exercise. Then another from the Aquatic Exercise Association.

When my career shifted from the gym to the wellness side of the insurance industry, I decided I needed more education to complement the direction my career was taking. So, I went back to school and earned a master's degree in public health.

Later, when I decided human resources was where I wanted to plant my professional flag, I acquired certification through the Society for Human Resource Management. And when I became certain that I wanted to finish my career serving in the public sector, I went back to school again and earned a Master of Public Administration.

I've never been afraid of learning. I've never been afraid of the work required to earn another credential. And I've certainly never been afraid of adding a few more letters behind my name.

My goal was always progress.

As awesome as it felt to have a string of fancy letters behind my name, eventually I realized that adding something new didn’t necessarily mean I had upgraded.

Basically, I had plenty of apps but I hadn't updated my software.

For years, I had essentially been treating myself like a smartphone. Every time I identified something I wanted to learn, I just downloaded another app. And there isn’t anything inherently wrong with that. Every credential I attained represented knowledge that helped me at a particular point in my career.

The problem was that I had gotten really good at adding apps without updating my operating system.

Here’s the thing. You can download the newest, fanciest app available, but if you're running it on outdated software, eventually you're going to have problems.

That’s pretty much the same thing that happens to us.

Think about it. You attend another leadership class, earn another certification, read another book, listen to another podcast, complete another degree, or attend another conference. You do all these things to keep downloading information.

But when was the last time you actually updated yourself?

One of the hardest lessons for me to learn was that knowledge doesn’t automatically change behavior. Knowing better and doing better are two completely different things.

I could learn new leadership techniques while still holding onto old leadership habits. I could learn better communication strategies while still responding defensively when someone challenged me. I could learn about emotional intelligence while still allowing my emotions to dictate my response in the moment. I could study organizational leadership while still carrying assumptions about people that needed to be challenged.

Even though the information or the credential was new, the parts of me using them were still running on old software.

Unfortunately, that's how easily professional development can become deceptive. It happens when we mistake accumulation for transformation. And believe me… they are NOT the same.

Another problem with constantly adding things is that you will eventually run out of space.

Some of us are carrying around beliefs, habits, assumptions, grudges, insecurities, and behaviors that should have been deleted three operating systems ago, but they're still running in the background.

Every app doesn't deserve permanent storage.

Sometimes instead of asking “What else do I need to add?”, we should be asking “What do I need to delete?”

Sometimes you need more RAM. Sometimes the problem isn't what you've downloaded. The problem is your capacity to run everything you've downloaded effectively.

You've learned more. Your responsibilities have increased. You're managing more people. You’re making bigger decisions. You’re handling more complicated problems. You’re trying to balance work, family, relationships, goals, and whatever else life has decided to throw at you this week.

Eventually, you can't just keep adding. You have to increase your capacity.

That might mean developing better boundaries, delegating instead of trying to do everything ourselves, learning how to regulate our emotions, becoming more disciplined with our time, taking care of ourselves physically, or simply acknowledging that the version of us that got here may not have the capacity to take us there without some intentional development.

Consider that an upgrade notification!

Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in certifications. I still believe in education. I still believe in professional development. And knowing me, there are probably a few more letters waiting somewhere in my future.

But today, I think differently about what development actually means. The value isn't in what you can add behind your name. It's in what the experience changes inside of you.

A certification should do more than change your résumé. A leadership class should do more than fill a notebook. A conference should do more than give you a bag full of vendor swag. A book should do more than occupy another spot on your shelf.

At some point, the information has to become application. And application has to become behavior.

That's when development becomes transformation.

So before you sign up for the next course, buy the next book, pursue the next certification, or add another shiny new app to your professional home screen, check your operating system.

Maybe you don't need another app. Maybe you need an update.