The Expired ID

What a rental car counter can teach you about leadership identity

This year I agreed to make it a priority to invest in my own learning and development. I know that should be a no-brainer for me of all people — but I’ve learned that when something isn’t intentional, it just doesn’t happen, no matter how obvious it should be.

So I was at a conference back in March, and I remember meeting a handful of other consultants there. One story in particular stood out to me. I don’t think you’d guess it.

I was waiting in the hotel lobby and looked over to see this guy who looked dog tired — like he’d been traveling for days, not hours. I asked if he was okay. He laughed a little and said, “Yeah, I’m just glad I’m finally here — my rental car fell through over my license, so it’s taken me a few extra days to get to this thing.”

Naturally, I asked what happened. Turns out his driver’s license had expired the day before he left for the trip. My first thought was how he even made it onto the flight — but that part was easy. TSA gives a two-year grace period on expired IDs, so he got through security without a second look. The problem showed up at the rental counter. No grace period there. No negotiation. And the venue wasn’t an easy one to reach — no quick Uber, no Lyft waiting outside. He’d made it to the trip, just in time for parts of the meeting that he desperately wanted to attend.

That whole exchange stuck with me. Not because of the travel headache but it’s the whole thought of the limitations of not having a current ID. It brings to mind the limitation of living from an expired Identity.

Early in your career, you built an identity around something specific — maybe it was being the one who could solve the technical problem no one else could touch. The one who outworked everyone in the room. The one who said yes to the assignment nobody else wanted.

As you progressed, some of that stayed. Some of it evolved into something else — the identity of the person clients trusted with the hard conversations, or the one the team looked to when things got uncertain.

Now you’re at this level. And it might be time to evolve again.

Here’s what you probably haven’t noticed: every time you stepped into a new role, you were quietly building an identity for who you wanted to be — while you were still standing in the old one. The version of you that earned the next promotion was built while you were doing the job before it. You didn’t wait until you had the title to start becoming the person who deserved it.

So here’s where it gets personal: how do you want to be in the future — not just what do you want to accomplish, but who do you want to be while you’re doing it?

What does success actually look like for you in this next season — in your leadership, and in your life? Not the version you’d give in an interview. The honest one.

Are there things you need to change, or shore up, to become that person? Not flaws to fix — just places where the identity that got you here hasn’t caught up to where you’re trying to go.

And what support structures do you need in place to actually hold the dream you’re building? A leader, a habit, a relationship, a rhythm — something underneath you that wasn’t necessary for the role you used to have, but is necessary for the one you’re growing into.

This isn’t about building a plan today. It’s about being honest enough to name what you’d need to develop in order to grow toward where you actually want to go. The plan can come later. The honesty has to come first.

If this stirred something — even just a question you didn’t expect to be asked — sit with it before you move on to the next thing. You don’t need an answer today. You just need to be honest about what you’re carrying.

I’d love to hear what came up for you. Leave a comment, or send me an email directly.

I want you to win by design, not by drift.
— Dr. James Bryant, P.E.