In today's world, reinvention is competence and only those leaders who are able to adapt to the fast changes with leadership that is prepared to challenge the status quo will have a chance to lead their organizations to last success. The reality of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA)requires you and your business to seek new orientations and take a fresh approach to management. We need to develop empathetic behavior as meaning and purpose takes a central role in business activity. This will be defined by freedom, creativity, speed, flexibility, and a corporate culture that connects people.

For reinvention to happen, we need introspection and reflection for growth and it demands from us all, a new mindset as well as a new set of skills. We all evolve. Change is all about reinvention and comes from an immediate need. It can be facilitated by transitions, marriage, divorce, death of a loved one, need for a new job, addiction, and other life events. We will survive and thrive by consistently remaking ourselves using uncertainty as an opportunity to develop our reinvention competence by leveraging our skills and networks in our past and current jobs, some which may soon be phased out, to prepare for our jobs in the future.

Dr. Nancy Onyango shares some of her arsenals to overcome internal and external barriers to success. A strong support system, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and continuous self-improvement are among the gems she shares as must-haves for creating lasting change and reinvention. She explains that reinvention must have a clearly defined purpose, be driven by authenticity,  pursue holistic growth, and celebrating little milestones along the way. 

In a world where being a black woman made her stand out, Dr. Onyango struggled with standing out and even tried to be invisible before she learned to embrace her identity as an African woman. By being her authentic self, she began to see her identity and background not as an impediment to her success, but as a strength and thus begun to claim opportunities, including her current job at the International Finance Corporation. 

Reinvention shouldn't depend on someone else changing, be about becoming someone else, be isolating, or dwell on the past. Life is a great equalizer, so do not apologize for your past, privileged or underprivileged. Instead, focus on how your actions today define your future success.