If you want to reinvent your career, don’t start by jumping ship. Start by getting your own house in order so your team runs without you. Then step outside your lane and help other teams solve bigger problems. Finally, lean into the work that gives you energy. Do that consistently and the next opportunity will find you.
I recently blew past the 300 episode mark on the podcast and didn’t even realize it. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that, but it got me thinking about reinventing yourself.
This one is for the people who have hit a ceiling. You’re frustrated. You know you’re meant for more in your career and in life, but you’ve maxed out what you’re doing and you don’t know what the next step looks like.
Many of you know I spent most of my life as an introverted IT guy. About ten years ago, I started leading human resources, then safety and transportation and the rest of the corporate functions. Then I decided to go out on my own as a keynote speaker and executive coach.
So I’ve got a little experience with reinvention. Here are three things I’ve learned about it over the past 15 years.
Step 1: Get Your Own House in Order
What Does “Get Your Own House in Order” Mean?
Getting your own house in order means making sure everything you and your team own is getting done above expectations, so the work runs smoothly without you constantly in it.
And no, I’m not talking about your family, your dog, or your kids. Those things matter. I’m talking about your job and your team.
If you, as the leader, are constantly head down, banging away on your keyboard, fixing problem after problem, putting out fires and bouncing from one thing to the next, you won’t have the time or capacity to explore anything new.
You’re probably incredible at what you do. But you need to become a force multiplier. Your team needs to be set up for success to the point that, quite frankly, you could step away for a few weeks and nothing would break.
You have to create capacity before you can do something new.
What This Looked Like for Me
We had a high performing technology team. We’d been through all the ERP implementations and migrations. We didn’t really have network outages, major issues, or cybersecurity incidents. Things just worked.
So when I sat down with the CEO and said, “I’ve got some free time,” it didn’t trigger any weird feelings, because everything in the technology realm just worked.
It also made her think, you know what? If things are going this well in IT and he has free capacity, maybe he can step into this new thing over here. Maybe he can help.
Things won’t run perfectly every single day. But if your team is running smoothly for the most part, it gives you capacity, and it signals that you’re capable, competent, and qualified.
Step 2: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and Help Other Teams
Once your team is running well, it’s time to start helping other teams. Other business unit leaders. Other functional leaders.
This is where it gets a little tricky.
How Do You Help Other Teams Without Becoming a Threat?
When you start offering to help, some people will say, yes, please help me out. But if you solve too many of their problems too fast, they might start to see you as a threat.
So start small.
Take an ERP implementation. You’re going to be working closely with accounting and operations anyway. Instead of only solving workflow and software configuration problems, help them think outside the box and solve bigger problems. Maybe you go through the chart of accounts with them. Maybe you throw out a few ideas. What if we did this? What if we cleaned up this thing over here?
That signals you can do more than just be the IT guy. It shows you can think at a more strategic level and solve bigger problems.
Welcome to Leveling Up
The more you do this, the more exposure you get to different parts of the business, and the more people start coming to you for help.
This is where it gets stressful. It can bog you down. You can get overwhelmed. Sleepless nights, thinking, oh my God, everybody’s coming to me for everything.
Great. Welcome to leadership. Welcome to leveling up.
Everybody’s going to have questions for you. Everybody’s going to want some of your time. That’s a good thing, because every one of those requests is another chance to solve a problem and understand the big picture of what’s actually happening in the business.
Step 3: Lean Into What Gives You Energy
Once you’re getting exposure to other teams and domains, you’ll notice some problems excite you more than others.
And there will be some that make you think, man, that sucks, I don’t want to deal with that. Period.
Don’t volunteer for those. Sometimes you’ll get roped in anyway, but avoid the things you don’t like as much as you can.
Lean into the things that excite you and give you energy. When you’re overwhelmed and stressed out, it’s so much easier to keep solving problems you actually care about.
The more you do this, the more you crack the door open. Eventually, an opportunity shows up. You’ve proven you’re capable, competent, and qualified. You’ve proven you’ll go above and beyond. You’ve proven you can think strategically and help others when they need it.
So when the company needs somebody to step in and start leading human resources, you’re the first person they think about.
How Does Career Reinvention Compound Over Time?
I’m using IT and HR because that’s my story. I don’t recommend this exact path for everybody. Your results may vary.
But once you’ve done it once, you do the same thing again. For me, that looked like leading IT and HR for 18 months. Then starting an ESG team and a project management office and leading those for a year and a half. Then taking on safety, transportation, and on and on.
There’s a compounding effect.
Why You Have to Build a Leader Behind You Every Time
This goes right back to step one. The reason I could successfully step into each new team was that my priority was always building that team so it could stand on its own, with its own leader.
I likely would not have succeeded stepping into HR if we hadn’t built up a director of IT to run point. Yes, I’d still go in from time to time, but for the most part, he ran the team.
Then it was building up a VP of HR. Then a director of safety. And on and on.
You get exposure to all these teams, you build up the people within each one, and before you know it you’re leading all the corporate functions. And then you think, hey, maybe I’ll go start a business, because that’ll be fun.
What Reinventing Yourself Actually Feels Like
Brace yourself. This is what the process looks like. This is what my journey has looked like.
It has stressed me out. But it has also stretched me beyond belief, to the point where I’m comfortable and confident walking into any room and any situation. That’s exciting.
Now when I get asked to speak on a stage, or a customer says, “Hey, I see what you’re doing, and I know you’ve got all this corporate function background. Can you help us with our sales process?”
Oh, alright. That sounds fun. Absolutely. Let’s rock and roll.
If you’re struggling and you feel like you’ve hit a ceiling, start exploring different ways to help more people. Bonus points if you share the lessons with as many people as you can along the way.
When you do these things, you’re going to be happier. You’re going to be more fulfilled. And you’re going to build more people than you can possibly imagine.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reinventing Your Career
How do you reinvent your career when you’ve hit a ceiling?
Sean Barnes recommends three steps: get your own house in order so your team runs without you, step outside your role to help other teams solve bigger problems, and lean into the work that gives you energy. Over time, that combination opens doors to new roles.
What does “get your own house in order” mean at work?
It means making sure your team consistently delivers above expectations and could run for a few weeks without you. That frees up your capacity and signals to leadership that you’re ready for more.
How do I help other departments without stepping on toes?
Start small and help within projects where you’re already working together, like a system implementation. Solving too many problems too fast can make other leaders see you as a threat, so build trust before expanding.
Is it normal to feel overwhelmed when you start taking on more?
Yes. When more people start coming to you for help, it can feel like too much. Sean describes that pressure as a sign of leveling up, because each request is another chance to understand the bigger picture of the business.
Why do you need to develop a successor before taking a new role?
If your current team depends on you, you can’t fully step into something new. Sean built a leader for each team before moving on, like a director of IT before he took on HR, so every team could stand on its own.
Can you switch functions later in your career?
Yes. Sean Barnes moved from IT into HR, then ESG, project management, safety, transportation, and eventually his own business. He’s clear that his path won’t fit everyone, but the process of proving capacity and helping other teams can work across functions.
Ready for Your Next Chapter?
Wolf Executives works with directors and senior leaders across Houston who know they’re meant for more and aren’t sure what the next step looks like. If you want a partner in your corner as you figure out your next move, let’s have a conversation.
About the Author
Sean Barnes is the founder of Wolf Executives, a Houston based executive coaching and leadership development firm, and host of The Sean Barnes Podcast. He spent two decades in progressive leadership roles across IT, human resources, ESG, safety, and transportation, and has guided organizations through dozens of acquisitions and integrations as well as two IPOs. Today he coaches directors and senior leaders through the transition into vice president level roles and beyond, and speaks at 40 to 50 conferences and executive events a year across North America as a keynote speaker and conference chair.
