It seems as though few things are original anymore. The term "retread" comes from those big truck tires you often see shredded on the highway. It's a cheap way to extend the life of a tire. When a retread wears out though, it's a pretty messy thing. In the NFL, coaches such as Wade Phillips, Mike Shanahan, and Pete Carroll are referred to as "retreads." They get hired, fired, and rehired by different teams with predictable regularity.
Professionally and personally speaking, how original are you? Do you regularly think about original ways of doing things or do you fall into the trap of reinventing something old. In my field, I often run across trainers presenting dated material, tools, and examples that were in vogue back in the early 1990s. There's something to be said for classic material, but for new audiences, originality is extremely important. Retro may be "cool", but its popularity is faddish and short-lived. Our ability to stay current and relevant is key to our being successful.
This week, think about what you do, create, build, or teach. Ask yourself if you're being original or simply doing a retread of what's been done previously. If you are, can you at least modify it enough so that the outcome might be relevant?
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