Reinvention signifies that there was some original invention. Something that needs to be re-done to make better. Both create inflection points. Both perhaps with those Eureka! moments that I’m sure came with the invention of Penicillin. Or electricity. Or cosmetic Botox. There was an invention. It was cool. Then there was a re-invention because the Original became Old, and new is always more exciting and sparkly.
Different.
Reinvention doesn’t just happen in science and technology. It happens in careers. Your career. My career.
At the same time we’re encouraged to re-invent, or we may even say we are re-inventing ourselves, there is an every-generational narrative that the preceding needs to step aside. Old at 32. Diminishing returns as soon as a new generation steps into the workforce. Out of touch, out of context, out of style. Everything that got you here won’t get you there, mostly because times have changed, people have changed, things have changed.
Different. It’s all just different.
So at any point that we are exploring what is next - this current X/Millenial generation of talent that has this unique amalgamation of hustle and innovation and empathy - is also battling with the messaging that we need to forget what we’ve done to do something new. I get growth mindset. That’s table stakes. This goes beyond that. What got you here will not get you there, because (remember!) it’s outdated, old school, and off-topic. To create, you need a blank page. Untouched, unbiased, undamaged. So we get this sense that to re-invent means to regard our past as irreverent at best, fodder for funny self-deprecation. At worst: our past is irrelevant.
Eureka.
The thing is: we’ve been inventing this entire time. Every decision, job, hard conversation. Title, company, function. Geography, technology. Every time we learned a new catalog of acronyms or adopted a new language within the same language (enter: the evolution of groovy to awesome to lit to fire). What I argue is different now is a cohort of talent choosing transparency and trust. They are transparent about their aspirations and intentions and they trust themselves and their community to do what is right with that transparency. The opposite of clandestine job searches and two-week-notices. People are announcing they’re leaving, even before a destination is created. Responding to LinkedIn comments on the post with “I don’t know!” or “Nothing for a while…” Wrap one adventure is an invention. Making room for another is an invention.
Even in the midst of an ambiguous job market/economy/outlook, some badass talent is choosing to finish a chapter, consider, and start the next chapter. And just like a book, Chapter 9 is meant to build from Chapters 1-8. And it will provide the foundation for Chapters 10+. Of course. Remember what got you here. Nike knows: as of 2024, there were 39 different models of Air Jordans and you absolutely can still purchase Air Jordan 1s, often at a premium. Classic, original, foundational…and the platform for innovation.
So to all of us (if I can put myself in at least an adjacent bucket of badass talent): Build. Don’t erase, scrap, disregard. Build.
Your previous experience is relevant, it’s critical. How you apply it may be new. The context you find yourself in may be new. The language may be new. So: learn it. Embrace the new. Figure it out. Grow. You’ve spent your life learning. You’ve spent your life curious, growing, communicating, leading. Take that with you, remember it’s a part of you, it’s a part of your experience, and it’s how you approach work, challenges, relationships…the world. Don’t re-invent that. Build on it.
I love this for us: a more intentional cadence to growth. Decide, communicate, plan, wrap…then move. Perhaps a left turn versus a right, a new industry, role, function, team. Are we really re-inventing? Or, whatever is different, remember:
What got you here….you have a responsibility to take it there.
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