My wife and I have been rewatching HBO’s Silicon Valley. While we have no shortage of content at our fingertips, we decided to take a nostalgic trip back to a show we loved watching when it first aired. Aside from the characters’ oftentimes irreverent antics providing a nightly escape, rewatching the show got me wondering. Is it “ok” to return to a career adventure you’ve previously taken?
The short answer is an emphatic YES! We re-visit things all the time. We return to the same vacation spots. We re-read the same books. We re-watch the same shows. Psychologists claim revisiting shows is actually good “self care.”
Unless we are completely robotic and close minded, we oftentimes have a new experience in familiar places. The same can be true with our career adventures. Sometimes, returning to the same spot makes good sense.
3 Returns
I’m a little biased on the subject. I’ve revisited previous career trails three times. Yet, each time I’ve done so has been for a particular set of circumstances. None of them have been perfect returns. Each served a career purpose and pushed me in the right direction, nonetheless.
The first time I returned to a previous employer was at Procter & Gamble. I’d left originally to co-lead the restructuring of a E.J. Gallo Winery subsidiary. I was in finance during my initial tour of Procter. I returned in brand management as a Brand Leader.
The second time I returned to a previous employer was when I was getting my consulting business off the ground. I’d previously been a Director leading client strategy and innovation engagements. I returned to help the company establish a focused growth marketing plan as the fractional Head of Growth.
Finally, today I lead strategy engagements, as a consultant, for mid-sized growth oriented companies with a non-profit. I previously worked with the non-profit’s partner organization to find companies that needed the consultants’ help.
Some Commonalities
These three examples have at least three similarities.
First, I didn’t return to the exact same role with each one. They were all new adventures. Returning to P&G was all about shifting my career gaze from finance to marketing. It was about gaining the expertise and notoriety of working with one of the world’s foremost brand builders. Returning to the consulting company was all about establishing my credentials and client lineup for my own growth navigation business.
Second, I relied upon my strong relationships with the previous employer. During my exit interview when I left P&G the first time, my manager checked “Yes” for the “Would you rehire this person?” question. The same scenario existed for each of the other companies. The people that mattered thought highly of my work. Don’t just take my word for it. Former GE leader, Grant Hunter shares a similar situation in our podcast discussion last year.
Third, each return accommodated family needs at that time. Beyond learning branding, I returned to P&G to be in the same city as my then girlfriend, now spouse. As a solo-preneur, I work with previous, happy clients because it provides family flexibility with my wife and two kids.
Returning Takes a Mindset Shift
Whether you are contemplating a reboot with a prior career adventure or not, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, you left for a reason. Maybe it was poor leadership, lack of upward mobility, team dynamics, or something else. Regardless of the reason you left, don’t expect the problems to have magically disappeared. Companies have a hard time changing, regardless of size. Thus, going into the redo with eyes wide open expecting to encounter the same sources of pain as before is generally a good idea.
Second, check your ego at the door. You’ll return with new knowledge and perspective. You’ll have additional external perspective to evangelize all the internally focused people you reencounter. Not everyone will care about what you found on your expedition in the new world. They stayed. You left and came back. In some respects, they may feel vindicated: they knew the grass wasn’t greener; you didn’t.
Last, you aren’t the only new kid in town. While some faces remain the same, many will be different. You can’t just rely on the relationships you forged before. You need to re-evangelize. You need to connect with new people. You need to work hard to show your value. You can’t count on on the good work you did in the past with your championing sponsor. More good work that moves the needle is required. Isn’t that why you would go back anyway?
Don’t Limit Opportunities for Growth
It may seem counter intuitive. People may tell you “Don’t look back.” I’d say, at least consider it. What’s the harm? Returning to a previous employer can actually be a path to growth that is good for you and your family.
You are well aware of the crappy job market. Many people are “job hugging.” Many likely want to find new gigs but may not consider an old career flame. This is ludicrous. You are immediately taking possibility off the table.
Without auditing my entire LinkedIn contacts list, I can name two people who’ve revisited old paths anew. One stepped away from his startup to rejoin the marketing organization he left. This time it was at a higher level to establish an entirely new line of business. The other relaunched his old business with a refreshed vigor and tweaked offering set.
They both did this because there was opportunity. Opportunity to try something new. Opportunity to leave a mark. Opportunity to see and learn new things on the old path.
When you rewatch an old show, retrace a hiked path, reread an old book, you almost always pick up something new. You experience the thing again and pick up on intricacies, delights, and challenges you didn’t pick up on the first time around. Under the right circumstances, can’t the same be true for our careers if we’re open to retrying on old path?
Thanks for reading!
Paul G. Fisher