Fighting against "his old stuff was better"

I loved OK Computer. Hell, I still love that album. I hated Kid A, at least the first time I listened to it. I wanted another OK Computer, not this electronic garbage. Why did this genius bad have to go and screw up their sound? I tried a couple more times, but I only got more annoyed with the experimentation. (I had spent the money on the CD after all, I didn't just want to ditch the damn thing). Before sticking the CD in my case and just leaving it there, I decide to set aside my prejudice and just listen to it without projecting my expectations into the experience. Take the music on its merit, I told myself. Don't look for OK Computer. Pretend you've never heard of Radiohead. I was blown away. Could this be better than OK Computer? (The critics are wrong, The Bends is not the best Radiohead album, it's good, but it's not the best.) Amnesiac was never in danger of being exiled to the CD case.

I'm in the midst of a similar shift. I made my mark doing one thing at work, but to go forward I need to do things differently. My new role requires a fresh approach. People who worked with me before may want to see more of the old me, but it's critical that I make it clear that I'm not going to be doing the same things. The real trick will be performing at a high enough level that people see this shift as an improvement over my old work.