Last week I wrote about how in order to reinvent ourselves, we must be willing to learn “new tricks,” and I briefly described how I returned to graduate school as part of my reinvention process. Today I want to touch on how when I returned to school, I wasn’t yet in a situation in which I needed all of the new knowledge I was gleaning from my studies. I was fully employed and succeeding in my field. On the surface, everything looked great, so why go back to school and shift my focus? Last week I stated that I felt the leading of the Spirit to go back. I became very aware that while things were okay for the moment, I was going to need a new, re-invented, professional to emerge in the future. It was only a matter of time before I would need a new set of skills and practices to utilize who I was, what I cared about, and the gifts and talents I possessed. I discovered that in my specialization at the time, I had a shelf life.
There is an old saying: “It wasn’t raining when Noah began to build the ark.” How very true! Noah had been given the inside scoop that an arc would be needed, so he began to build one, even in the face of great criticism. He was proactive about his future, just as I was when I returned to school. I knew that it was only a matter of time before it started to rain, and sure enough, eventually the clouds opened and I got wet! But I was ready for it!
T.D. Jakes has stated, “You cannot play with cards you haven’t been dealt.” This is true, and can be applied to many aspects of being a reinvented leader. However, I argue that even though you may be sitting at the table with a certain hand of cards, there is nothing stopping you from joining another table, or another, or another. If you don’t like your hand, you can even go buy a whole new deck! That’s what you must do when you are reinventing yourself. Change hands. Change tables. Change decks. And do it before you need to. Be proactive and prepare for the future storm before the clouds begin to open.
Here’s one more rain analogy. My family has a history of going to theme parks and getting soaked. We never seem to judge the weather correctly and the rain pours down on us. Each time, we’ll have the discussion about how we should have been prepared. One time, once we got home, I went out and bought a set of ponchos for the next time, promptly to forget to bring them later! Just recently we were on vacation and at a store the day before we had tickets to a park. We passed by a display of ponchos and we all discussed if we should have them with us, but we talked ourselves out of the expense and arrived at the park the next morning without rain gear of any sort. As is our pattern, within a few minutes it began to sprinkle, then rain, then pour! We had done it to ourselves again. Due to the excessive storm, we ducked into one of the park’s souvenir shops and bought ponchos for the family at a considerably higher price than the ones we’d seen the day before! Once again, we should have been prepared!
As you reinvent, you will need to be proactive and prepare long before circumstances demand it. Do as Noah did and begin to build your ark long before you need it.
Reinvention lesson #2: Be proactive.
Go out and reinvent yourself.
Lead well.