In her book Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work, bestselling author and journalist Joanne Lipman interviewed researchers, scientists, and hundreds of people who have successfully made career pivots.
To her surprise, Lipman found that most career changes follow a similar pattern that can be broken down into four steps, which she calls the Reinvention Roadmap: Search-Struggle-Stop-Solution.
Let’s look at each step in turn.
The Reinvention Roadmap
1. Search
The initial phase of a career change involves searching for something different. Lipman emphasizes that many people don’t even realize they are in this search phase, as it often happens unintentionally.
Lipman shares the story of Chris Donovan, a telephone repairman who discovered his passion for shoe design through sketching shoe designs in his spare time. Donovan’s husband encouraged him to pursue this passion, leading to Chris creating a successful luxury fashion shoe brand.
When considering a career change, Lipman advises us to trust our gut instincts rather than overthinking every pro and con. (She mentions a study where people who relied on instincts were as accurate in predicting soccer match winners as those who analyzed various factors.)
Lipman also suggests shadowing someone in the desired field and taking notes, as simple actions can help execute our vision.
2. Struggle
The toughest stage of a career change, which can last for a long time, involves disconnecting from one’s previous identity while still figuring out the new identity to embrace. Lipman emphasizes that this struggle phase is crucial for transformation, even though success may not come quickly or easily.
To manage the stress during this phase, she suggests remaining nimble. Lipman explains that people who turn failure into success do so gradually rather than giving up and abandoning their efforts. They continuously iterate, tweak, adjust, and learn from their mistakes, refusing to let setbacks discourage them.
3. Stop
Lipman refers to the third phase of change as the stop. This phase can occur by choice, such as deciding to quit a job, or it can be imposed upon someone due to circumstances like getting laid off, experiencing illness, or going through a divorce.
Lipman shares the story of Marla Ginsburg, a former TV producer who faced significant setbacks during the 2007 writer’s strike and the 2008 recession. She later encountered another challenge when her son was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
While focusing on her son’s treatment, Ginsburg experienced a creative breakthrough and came up with the idea for her brand, MarlaWynne. According to Forbes, the brand has achieved enormous success, with revenues exceeding $60 million.
4. Solution
In the final chapter of a career change journey, everything comes together, and a whole new chapter in life begins. Joanne Lipman refers to this phase as the solution when all the previous stages, including the search, struggle, and stop, converge, and one knows what they need to do.
Lipman illustrates this with the example of James Patterson, a renowned writer known for books like Along Came a Spider and Kiss The Girls. Patterson had worked in advertising until the age of 50 but always had a desire to be a full-time novelist.
He faced challenges, including negative reviews, but he persisted, honing his writing skills while maintaining his day job. Then, during a traffic jam on the New Jersey Turnpike, Patterson had an “aha moment.”
Seeing cars heading to the beach, he realized he was on the wrong path and decided to quit his job and fully commit to being a writer. This solution led to his remarkable success, earning him $60 million annually.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Next! offers a roadmap for successful career transitions based on the experiences of hundreds of people who have made successful pivots.
By following the Reinvention Roadmap, we can navigate the challenging process of changing careers and emerge with a renewed sense of purpose.
Leave a Reply