Reinvention in the Second Curve era
Your business model? It might already be obsolete. Your identity? It could be the very thing holding you back.
Welcome to the Second Curve era, where staying relevant isn't about climbing higher. It's about knowing when to leap sideways.
What is the Second Curve?
It's that bold decision to evolve before you're forced to.
It's the pivot from success that's safe to meaning that's magnetic.
It's what separates those who ride waves from those who get wiped out.
Coined by Charles Handy, the Second Curve used to be a leadership theory. Now it's a survival strategy.
And everyone from Bangkok tech founders to retired Silicon Valley execs is living it right now.
Who's Reinventing?
A Thai hotelier in his 60s just shut down his flagship property and turned it into a remote work wellness hub for digital nomads. His words? 'The tourists are different now. So I had to be too.'
A former Southeast Asia-based fast-moving consumer goods executive left her C-suite post to launch a food sustainability startup that went viral on TikTok. Her audience? Gen Z and global investors.
Middle managers at multinationals are flipping roles — becoming micro-influencers, internal coaches or AI-savvy product strategists because no one gets promoted just for keeping things running anymore.
This isn't theoretical. It's happening on the streets of Sukhumvit, in the coffee shops of Ho Chi Minh and across boardrooms in Singapore.
Reinvention is the new resume.
Why Now?
AI didn't take your job — your comfort zone did.
Post-Covid clarity has people questioning old definitions of success.
The over-60 crowd isn't retiring. They're rebooting.
The 25–44 group isn't waiting. They're reclaiming.
The timeline for transformation? Not 10 years. Not even two.
It's now.
How to Start Your Second Curve
1. Call your own bluff: If you're bored, stuck, or silently resentful, don't fake it. Face it. That's your signal to evolve.
2. Bet on experiments, not overhauls: Launch a side project. Test a new skill. Say yes to a stretch role. The second curve starts with micro moves, not massive exits.
3. Audit your identity: Are you leading like it's 2015? Selling like it's 2010? Thinking like it's 2000? Reinvention starts with awareness.
4. Join the bold: Surround yourself with people who are building new futures — not defending old ones. Growth is contagious.
Thailand's Second Curve Moment
Thailand is no exception. With the rise of smart manufacturing, AI-driven services and cross-border collaboration, the old playbooks won't cut it.
We're not just shifting industries. We're shifting identities.
And the companies and leaders who win in this era will be the ones who choose to reinvent before the world demands it.
So here's the truth no one wants to say:
You don't have time to wait until you're irrelevant. The second curve is already here. And the brave ones are already on it.
Are you?
Arinya Talerngsri is Senior Vice President, Local Partner and Managing Director at BTS Thailand (formerly SEAC), part of the BTS Group, a leading global strategy implementation firm. She is passionate about revolutionising education and creating opportunities for Thais and people worldwide. Executives and organisations looking to collaborate or learn more about leadership development, talent development, succession planning and organisational transformation can contact her directly at arinya.talerngsri@bts.com or visit her LinkedIn profile.
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