Turn and Face the Strange

Why Reinvention Matters in Leadership

1985. Bowie.

I'm 12 years old and I've just discovered a cassette of that weird bloke on the telly who dances like a loon down the street with Jagger. And slowly, music changed for me, and changed me.

I found something new and different, not the throwaway pop I'd been listening to, but a guy who embraced his otherness. It's no coincidence that at the same time I was also exploring the back catalogue of that other counter-culturalist, Prince Rogers Nelson.

I wore that tape out. It disappeared from my ownership a long time ago, but that's OK. These days I can come and go as I like across the back catalogue, through streaming. And I have done that a lot over the last week, on the 10th anniversary of Bowie's untimely death. (I can't begin to think about the same anniversary for Prince coming up in a few months - I literally started crying on my commute home a decade ago when I heard the news).

The Odd Boy and His Musical Heroes

Why did Bowie and Prince resonate so much at such a formative stage for me? Well I guess I saw a touch of the outsider, something I felt deeply. Weirdly obsessed with cardigans, a 1st 15 flanker for the school rugby team, and into musical theatre in my spare time. I was an odd boy. And as Bowie said - don't tell me to grow up and out of it...

What both of my musical heroes told me was this: change is natural and reinvention crucial. They constantly killed off and resurrected their iconic selves. Prince threw away and reclaimed his name. Bowie was a spaceman, a suave society man, a non-starry member of a group, an artist. They showed me that you don't have to stay the same version of yourself forever.

What This Has to Do With Leadership

Which leads me to today. Maybe that's why I'm drawn to change and transitions in my work. Whether it's people stepping up into a management role, teams facing unprecedented transformation, the superstar who's trapped by their successes and wants something different, or the senior exec who's just made their first move onto the Board.

All of it is about change, reinvention, unstuckness.

Here's what I've learned from working with leaders in transition, and what Bowie and Prince taught me all those years ago: reinvention isn't about abandoning who you are. It's about allowing yourself to evolve into who you're becoming.

The leaders I work with often carry versions of themselves that used to serve them brilliantly. The results-driver who got promoted for delivering. The perfectionist who built their reputation on flawless execution. The steady presence who everyone relied on during the last crisis.

But at some point, those versions stop fitting. The role changes. The organisation shifts. The market moves. Or you just wake up one day and realise you're performing a version of leadership that doesn't feel like yours anymore.

The Courage to Kill Off Your Old Self

What made Bowie and Prince remarkable wasn't just their willingness to change. It was their willingness to let go of what was working. Ziggy Stardust was hugely successful, but Bowie killed him off anyway. Prince was at the height of his fame when he literally changed his name and walked away from the very identity that made him a star.

That takes courage. Real courage.

In leadership, it looks like this: the director who admits they can't keep operating as a super-charged individual contributor. The VP who acknowledges that their command-and-control approach won't work with the next generation. The founder who recognises they need to step back from operations to let their business grow.

It's scary to let go of what made you successful. But here's the thing - you're not actually letting go of your core. You're letting go of a performance that's outlived its usefulness.

What Reinvention Really Means

Reinvention in leadership isn't about becoming someone you're not. It's about creating space for who you're becoming.

It means questioning the assumptions that got you here. It means being willing to look awkward or unsure as you try new approaches. It means having the humility to acknowledge that what worked brilliantly five years ago might not be what's needed now.

And here's what that 12-year-old boy discovered, listening to Bowie on repeat: the people who embrace their otherness, who lean into what makes them different, who are willing to reinvent whilst staying true to their core - those are the ones who create something remarkable.

If You're in Transition

If you're a leader struggling with change right now, if you're feeling trapped by your own success, if you sense there's a different version of your leadership waiting to emerge but you're not quite sure what it looks like - you're not alone.

That's the work I do. Helping leaders navigate transitions. Creating space for you to explore what's next without the pressure of having all the answers. Walking shoulder-to-shoulder with you as you figure out who you're becoming, not just who you've been.

Because here's what I know: change is natural. Reinvention is crucial. And getting unstuck? That's where the real growth happens.

Turn and face the strange. The changes might be exactly what you need.