The Three Buckets exercise was clarifying. I listed 11 fears about the repositioning. 10 of the 11 landed in Control or Influence. The one I released: that AI transformation roles will go to technical profiles. True, not worth the energy.

The real shift: I had been treating market acceptance as something outside my control. The exercise reminded me that the market can only respond to what I put in front of it. The story I tell is mine to write.

I turned my responses into a little map where I flagged which of my fears overlapped into the next area, i.e. 50% under my influence, 50% out of my control, etc.

Which next invites some rigorous and playful disaggregation, reflection, and planning...

What parts of a feared-outcome are under my control or influence, and which are not?

Which specific tactics, habits, resources, partners, etc. could help solve more than one problem / address more than one fear?

What early indicators allow me to anticipate each of these fears coming true in time to adapt?

What manageable changes can I make now to shift or reinvent my approach in a way that minimizes the likelihood of those fears coming true--at least the parts under my control or influence?

When will I pause assess how those changes are working, then adjust course where needed and continue?

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The challenge to work on this week:

As I approach the first anniversary of my firm, Amaranth Consulting, am focused on shifting from passive word of mouth (benefiting from good luck and good reputation) to an active new client pipeline development strategy. This will include building an interesting/inspiring combined teaser training series, client pitch, and prospect screening.

I understand now that it's not that I'm doing them wrong or not trying hard enough.

I'm afraid of running out of ideas, never worknig again, but it all leads to running out of money and not having the freedom to live life the way I want.

I have influence over all these things.

So my action is to generate as many alternative approaches as possible and to try one different approach each week. Starting this week by attending this Lab :-)

Interestingly, whilst many things we list as fears might be outside of our control, our response is usually inside our control, so getting our mindset right to respond positively is a large portion of the battle won.

The Venice Principle landed hard. I have been selling gondolas and architecture. But my audience? Hiring managers trying to fill a role today. All they can see is butts.

Then a senior executive at dinner last night said: "The market doesn't care about what you used to do. Speak in the present tense." Same principle, different angle.

The brain science from today made it click even deeper. The brain sends 10x more information to the senses than it receives back. Which means my audience is literally only recording what confirms what they already believe. If they see "Innovation executive," their brain filters for cost center, not growth engine.

So I am stopping selling Venice.

Not "I built systems that scaled growth across 13 markets" — but "I build the commercial infrastructure that turns one market win into a repeatable growth engine."

Same truth. Completely different perspective.

The Three Buckets Reflection:

The Day 1 exercise helped me realize that most of my anxiety wasn't about the work, but about the "safety net" I am leaving behind.

Out of Control: I have zero control over the national economy or how fast the grid expands. I am "releasing" the fear that these external factors will stop my mission.

Influence: I have significant influence over the "Trust Factor." Because of my background at Yellow, I know how to talk to people about credit. I can influence how rural communities and investors bridge the gap between "needing power" and "trusting solar.

Control: I have 100% control over my IT and Finance skills. I control the decision to use my expertise to design better systems for mini-grids and off-grid solar

The Action:

My action this week is to stop looking back at the "security" of my old roles. I will generate three alternative models for how my IT and Credit background can solve one specific energy problem: making solar affordable for the 85% of Malawians who are off-grid.

The Realization:

I used to think my "security" came from my employer (Airtel/Yellow). I now realize my real security comes from my ability to reinvent my skills to solve Malawi's biggest challenge: Sustainable Energy.

In Malawi, my customers are facing a "triple crisis": climate-driven blackouts, high inflation, and a devaluing currency. Their objective reality is that they have less cash but a higher need for independent power than ever before.

The Priority Shift:

I realized my customers no longer value "convenience." They value Survival and Productivity. They don't want a lightbulb; they want a solar-powered pump that ensures their crops don't die during a dry spell. They value income-generating energy.

My Reinvention:

As I shift from an employee at Airtel/Yellow to a Consultant, I am reinventing my "product." I am moving from "selling credit" to "engineering affordability." My new model uses my IT background to create hyper-local, crop-aligned payment plans that remove the fear of default.

The Action:

I will interview three small business owners this week to ask one question: "What is the one thing you CANNOT do right now because of power, and how much money is that costing you?".

As someone out to reinvent who I AM to my direct reports as a supervisor and leader - that is someone wanting to redefine what it means to be 'out there' supporting staff in the ways that lands and make a difference in the way the employee wants - I found that I make things more complicated by worrying about fears of not-yet-existing issues that I have no control over. What there is to do is to engage key partners and address team concerns for which I can take action, such as keeping meetings focused on the intended scope.

Day 2:

When looking at my reinvention mission with the Customer Needs Canvas, what stood out is the increased need for a sense of trust and accuracy of performance feedback in this time of uncertainty. Most notably, what stood out was a gap with team buy-in that what our leadership team (and myself) provide may not meet their their trust and security threshold. I started with being open and honest about how we are all uncertain and in a sense 'experimenting' and found while that humanizes the 'manager', AND there is something more powerful in the title itself that I have not yet embraced. I AM the manager - I AM the sounding board of the team. That means what I say and do matters and THAT requires intentional, responsible communication.

Day 1: I discovered that my fears had a central theme: uncertainty. I am from the tiny Caribbean island of Barbados, and my English husband and I will be relocating to the UK later this year. That feels so overwhelming for me, especially in a time when immigrants are seen as "the others". Thankfully, through this exercise, I realised that only one of my fears was out of my control! YEAH!!!

Day 2: First of all, my takeaway was "what can I experiment with?" That immediately calms my nervous system and allows me to show up with curiosity in the midst of these huge shifts I am experiencing, which are filled with uncertainty. The shifts that stand out most are my need for external validation, concern for what others think, prioritising others over myself, and self-trust. I love seeing this in a way that helps me to appreciate the internal work I have been doing! Being here this week reassures me that whatever lies ahead, I've got this!

Day 2 : When I reviewed the Customer Needs Canvas, I saw that my team is behind regarding adopting change. They want to stay where they are doing what they have always been doing. I want to create a plan to be a catalyst for change while not rolling over their fears.

My action : I will promote positive interactions with my team to understand their fears and support them in potentially overcoming them...on their terms, not mine.

Those who already had a sense of purpose are now seeing, desperately, how the purpose is both important to pursue for the quality of life of others, and to HAVE for our own sense of well-being.

Those who have not felt a profound sense of purpose are suffering now from the depth of change we can all see.

I used to get most of my work through Associates and this model showed that personal relationship has become less important, with low fees and two way business introductions becoming more important.

When I looked at my work with Individuals, I realised that when I first started, very few individuals worked with coaches.

This will be an increasingly important market for me potentially, and one where I can tap into my wealth of experience, success stories and wide networks.

Looking forward to finding out how to progress!

Efficiency and time have become increasingly critical, reflecting the demand for faster processes and quicker outcomes. At the same time, return on investment (ROI) has grown from a secondary consideration to a central priority in decision-making.

One of the most dramatic shifts has been the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the importance of technology upgrades, both moving from relatively low importance in the past to a high and sustained priority today and into the future. Businesses are clearly recognising the need to integrate advanced technologies to stay competitive.

Flexibility has also emerged as a major requirement, highlighting the need for adaptable systems, services, and partnerships in a rapidly changing environment. Meanwhile, competition is expected to intensify in the coming years, further pushing organisations to differentiate themselves.

Interestingly, while novelty and newness were once highly valued, their relative importance is expected to stabilise as innovation becomes more standardised and widely adopted.

Overall, the trend shows a clear shift toward technology-driven efficiency, measurable value, and adaptable service delivery as the defining priorities for the future.

What was a fantastic insight was that the in the past I have been an enabler instead of encouraging clients/co-workers. The growth I have enabled was dependency, without being able to clarify responsibility, roles or to create situations for insight and real empowerment to flourish.

This control has hampered growth in others. Also fascilitation has been hampered because clients/others have not been free to develop fully.

I have been trying to see if there is a way to include others in the Reinvention Model. It looks like it would possibly need to be 3-D.

The other vectors impacting on this model are beliefs and previous ways of working.

My systems will need to be developed from scratch.

Beginning of an adventure!!

I identified the parameters that are important to me at the time and were important to me in past but i was not aware of it. The ones i wrote down are:

• Uncertenty

• Pushing my self (out of comfort zone)

• Communication - standing my opinion

• Living for/in today

• Healthy lifestyle (food, sport, books)

• Finding innet peace to wind down

• Living fearless

With the canvas i see i already have higher importancy for these key parameters that i want to improve to be beter self. It really showed me how much my focus has shifted toward my own peace and personal growth.

Also, while in the past, change management was something that was outsourced to subject matter experts, execs now need to understand and know how to lead teams through reinvention cycles with humanity.

Africa is very important for the future of clean energy. But changing our energy systems needs more than just big dreams. My big lesson today was about Sorting and Prioritizing.

In my work, an idea is only a "Winner" if it is powerful (High Impact) AND we are actually ready to do it (High Readiness). Many great projects in Africa fail because we aren't honest about the "Readiness"—like having the right laws or enough money. We need to focus on the "Double Plus" (+/+) ideas: the ones that work well and can be started right now.

My Takeaway:

Being clear is the bridge between a dream and a powered community. To succeed in 2026, we must choose the projects we are truly ready to win.

My Action:

I am looking at my consulting plans again. I will focus on local energy solutions (like solar) that are ready to start right now in African markets.

The two things that hit hardest for me:

1. I've been leading with "innovation" everywhere. The market doesn't buy innovation right now, it buys growth and transformation. Same work, completely wrong vocabulary.

2. I've been calling my last 18 months "consulting." That's apparently a label that creates distance with operator-track hiring managers. The fix: stop naming the firm, start naming the clients and outcomes.

The Impact Readiness Matrix made both of those visible in a way that two months of reflection hadn't.

Thank you for this community!

1. Re-Design the Bottom Line. (Financial ROI won't make my world better. What "returns" do make my life fulfilling?) I did a national conference workshop on it, which sparked next steps. I see a way to build it into a local, "easier" project.

2. "Consumer Reports Marketing." (Have experts research/validate/promote the outcomes of my work, rather than self-promote.) This also fits the local project...

++ Impact/Readiness Pilot:

"Green Power" Workshop and Follow-Up Sessions/Coaching. My local "Green" organization is a member of the statewide Green coalition. I'll propose a local pilot and seek their help in designing and leading a statewide version. They will help choose whether "New Bottom Line" and/or "Consumer Reports Marketing" serve this Real-Time Action Learning toward "saving the world." 😉

I have been working on reinventing my product design/ human-centered design expertise/ career. With these tools and recent feedback I hear startups and small businesses in Seattle, I decided to pilot this service: Product Design Micro-colleague. I will work alongside you on your user research and product development, so you are not alone in your budget-restricted org. While you cannot afford a product agency and months-long project, neither an additional FTE, I will be there with you for first collaborative call (and in person if you are in Seattle) to tick off your priority of the week together, you can watch and learn the advanced user research/ design tools, get warmth to fight that solitude and boost your product confidence without getting lost in tools, agents, workload. FEEDBACK welcomed :)

The task also showed me that it is so important for the company to present its references and constantly build visibility in the industry, because trust and proven competencies are often what decide whether you win new projects.

I formed a clearer direction: the company needs to develop as a reliable partner for complex interior projects in yachting and luxury environments, while at the same time building a broader and more stable portfolio of clients.

The stories of Adeliah and the Dr were inspiring with the application across industries.

The best part of this Tool is that it is then easy to prioritize as the facts are made very clear.

The diagram is shown in the second photo, see below LinkedIn.

It need to prepare for a weekly LinkedIn info blog.

It is also clear that discarding webinars with no networking will free up a great deal of time.

The focus and planning of Systems will freetime and increase focus.

Thank you the Reinvention Team and fellow participants.

I have also been thinking a lot about what is the difference between REINVENTION and Transformation. And why in particular Dr. Nadya chose this word.

In 2018 I was in a Digital Business Transformation Executive Leadership program (like an MBA type year-long program). "Transformation" was THE buzz word of the digital platform era. It no longer applies because it stands for top-down, one-time project change initiative.

While today, organizations need to be reinventing their DNA on a continuous, cyclical way. Which is the definition of REINVENTION.

I'm locked in. Drank the juice.

Day 1 Homework:

Steps 1 to 3 allowed me to settle down and try to better understand my fears and challenges, and make a plan that makes sense, with real intentions. I'm going to make it very visible on my desk in order to condition myself to achieve my new goals.

Day 2 Homework:

Helped me identify what is really important to my clients today compared to “before” and identify what the client needs to hear, with concrete and meaningful examples that I will use to help them understand that they need to act now.

Day 3 Homework:

Helped me identify the concrete elements I need to focus on and achieve in the very short term. When I observe my feelings as I look at the results of the exercise, I feel much more comfortable and my fears have greatly diminished. It's just fantastic!

And when I think about it, I really feel like the cobbler with no shoes...