How To Use Your Past Career To Accelerate Your Encore Career?

There is a great deal of interest these days in the encore career. For some this means a later life career change, for others, such as elite athletes it means a transition into employment from a career as an athlete, and still for other C Suites (industry language for senior executives) it may mean entrepreneurship, often in a completely different industry.

So how do you build your personal brand in a new sector? Even better how do you become a thought leader in this new area?

Part of becoming a thought leader and growing your personal brand is recognizing all your previous experiences - your professional training, your innate skills, your upbringing, your hobbies, the highs and lows - factor into it how you see the world.

Know at the outset, it is possible to use your status as a newcomer to an advantage, rather than weakness. The key is to study deeply enough to gain mastery, but still retain an outsider's fresh perspective and, willingness to question existing assumptions.

Just because an industry has operated how they have in the past doesn't mean it's not time for your fresh, new lens. In my experience, you will often find the what's missing factor that others have too easily overlooked. That what's missing factor has the power to transform business and people's lives and that is what really is exciting. The 'aha' moment when you discover a fresh new perspective backed up by the research you have undertaken on the industry or problem you seek to solve.

Here's some tips to try for yourself:

1. How can you leverage your past skills and training to bring new perspective to the business area you are now operating within?

2. Could the perspective of another field shed light on the questions you are now working on?

3. Think beyond what you are doing now, what other areas have you always been curious about? Are there a lot of people with your background in those fields? Or could you contribute a unique perspective?

4.Have technological advances made something possible in your field that wasn't there before?

5. How can you gain the skills you need to take full advantage of that new opportunity?

6.What questions are you able to ask ( and perhaps answer) now that you couldn't before?

7. What change or trend is most upsetting to the elite in your field? Why are they so upset - what is their pain - and can you get in on being part of the solution?