Don't Reinvent Yourself, Reinvigorate Yourself

The threat of irrelevance is pushing professionals to think they need to keep changing and developing. But reinventing yourself is not as easy as the recruiters and self-help books might have you believe. My suggestion is don’t reinvent yourself, reinvigorate yourself. You can start that process, and it is a process, today by engaging in three easy steps.

I have noticed an alarming trend recently that really needs to be addressed. More and more frequently, very talented and successful senior executives are coming to me seeking to implement professional development advice that is at its best, ineffective and at its worst completely detrimental. These professionals are routinely asking me for professional development and coaching help in an effort to “reinvent themselves”. Before we address what they really should be doing, let’s take a minute to examine how they got to this point in the first place.

In a bustling economy that is being dramatically reshaped by constant creative destruction, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and “rightsizing” have become extremely common. All of us hear every day about companies that are closing specific product lines, merging divisions, and aggressively flattening the company org chart. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Uber are introducing technologies and embracing artificial intelligence in a way that is disrupting the business models of numerous companies in a wide range of industries. The ripple effect from these innovators is real and is forcing a large segment of the workforce to either look for new work or to reevaluate their place in the current economy. A recent LinkedIn survey on employment trends shows that millennials changed jobs four times in their first 10 years in the workforce. Another study shows that while it may be easier for younger workers to find new meaningful employment, it is substantially more difficult for those over 50, with the average job search for those over 50 often taking more than 18 months.

Based on this scenario, is perfectly understandable that there’s concern and fear in the marketplace. But these conversations with former senior executives who are considering “reinventing themselves” to seek other employment opportunities are now far too prevalent. Most of these executives are getting the advice to reinvent themselves from recruiters and self-help books. It’s generally bad advice. To truly reinvent yourself is a long-term proposition that most people don’t have adequate time to embrace while considering their employment move.

So what’s a better alternative? My suggestion is don’t reinvent yourself, reinvigorate yourself. You can start that process, and it is a process, today by engaging in three easy steps.

First, reengage your sense of curiosity and imagination by augmenting your to-do list with a to-learn list.  

Add three things each day that interest you and are relevant to the core competencies associated with your career path. Read about and research these daily to help you recognize potential paths forward.

Second, broaden your perspectives and see the bigger picture by generalizing first and then specializing.  

Having too narrow a focus in the beginning limits your potential paths forward. Too many people come to me with the idea that they only want to develop a very specific subject matter expertise.

Third, surround yourself with others who are actively engaging in growth.  

Each of you have a special group of relationships that you draw strength from. Call it what you will, your tribe, your team, your constituency, whatever, but it’s important to surround yourself with people that are also seeking growth and development. Many of your best ideas about the way forward will come from this group.

So, don’t forget the fact that you have a unique set of skills, characteristics, and competencies that have made you successful so far. Trust those, rely on those, and reinvigorate yourself today to illuminate the path forward. My guess is with a little perspective, you will recognize that a reenergized you today, is far more useful than a reinvented future self.

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