My previous post explored career change and how to approach it. Here, I outline several practical steps to help you move forward and take action if you’re looking to reinvent yourself. In ‘Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career‘, Herminia Ibarra proposes a series of actions designed to help you get started. Here’s a summary of her suggestions.
1. The advantage of “weak ties.”
When considering who to connect with, start with “weak ties” rather than your inner circle. Your closest colleagues will tend to reinforce your current identity. Insight comes from people who sit:
- In adjacent fields
- In roles you’re curious about
- In organisations with different cultures
- In communities you don’t yet belong to
Actionable steps
- Reach out to three to five people you loosely know but haven’t spoken to in years.
- Ask each for a 20‑minute conversation about what they’re working on now.
- End each conversation by asking: “Who else should I talk to?”
This creates a network which extends into new worlds.
2. Build “bridging ties” that connect you to different professional groups
Actionable steps
- Join a professional association outside your current field
- Attend two events where you don’t know anyone
- Volunteer for a small helping role (note-taker, panel organiser)
This helps develop your visibility and is a legitimate way to interact with people who don’t share your current identity.
3. Treat conversations as experiments, not interviews
These conversations are not about asking for a job. They are about:
- Testing possible selves
- Learning new language
- Understanding norms in other fields
- Seeing what energises you
Actionable steps
- Prepare three questions that reveal how people in that field think, such as:
- “What surprised you most when you moved into this role?”
- “What skills matter here that outsiders underestimate?”
- “What kind of person thrives in this environment?”
- After each conversation, write down what felt exciting or deadening
- Track patterns across conversations
4. Create projects that give you a legitimate reason to connect with others
Actionable steps
- Start a small project that requires collaboration with people in your target field:
- A short research piece
- A podcast episode
- A panel discussion
- A cross‑department initiative
- Use the project as a reason to approach people: “I’m exploring X and would value your perspective for a piece I’m putting together.”
People are far more willing to talk when there’s a purpose.
5. Curate a “transition network” rather than a single mentor. Instead, identify:
- A few insiders
- A few outsiders
- A few peers also in transition
- One or two “identity sponsors” who see your potential before you do
Actionable steps
- Identify 6–8 people who collectively serve these roles
- Meet each quarterly
- Share your experiments, reflections, and next steps
This creates a scaffolding for your evolving identity.
6. Use your network to test narratives, not just gather information
Ibarra emphasises that reinvention requires a new story about who you are becoming.
Actionable steps
Draft a short “transition narrative” (two to three sentences). Test it in conversations:
- Does it resonate?
- Do people understand it?
- Do they offer useful connections?
- Refine the narrative based on feedback
Your network becomes a laboratory for identity development.
7. Let your network pull you forward
Your new identity emerges when:
- People start seeing you differently
- They inform you of opportunities
- They introduce you to others in the new space
Actionable steps
- Say “yes” to small invitations that align with your emerging identity.
- Treat each as a micro‑experiment
- Notice which opportunities keep repeating — that’s a signal of where your new identity is taking shape
Once you start to take these small actions, you’ll be surprised at the opportunities that start to make themselves known to you.
Progress isn’t magic — it’s persistent, imperfect doing. Claire Bennett.