Pivot

Picture this: You're sitting at your desk on a Tuesday afternoon, staring at your computer screen, when suddenly you're hit with an overwhelming feeling that something needs to change. Maybe you've been in your job for three years and feel like you're running on autopilot. Perhaps you've achieved everything you thought you wanted, but there's still an inexplicable sense that you're meant for something more. You're not alone in this feeling. Studies show that nearly 90 percent of workers are either "not engaged" or "actively disengaged" from their jobs, and the average employee tenure has dropped to just four to five years.

This restlessness isn't a crisis—it's a pivot point. In our rapidly evolving economy, the ability to navigate career transitions has become the most essential skill for professional survival and fulfillment. The old model of climbing a linear career ladder for forty years is dead. Instead, we're living in an age where careers are more like smartphones: modular, customizable, and constantly evolving. The question isn't whether you'll need to pivot in your career, but how skillfully you'll navigate these inevitable changes when they arise.

Successful career pivots don't happen by accident—they grow from solid foundations. Think of this stage as planting your feet like a basketball player preparing to pivot. You need one foot firmly grounded while the other explores new directions. Your foundation consists of four critical elements: your core values, your vision for the future, your existing strengths, and your financial runway.

Consider the story of Justin, who felt trapped in his family's real estate business despite childhood heart problems returning due to work-related stress. Instead of making a desperate leap to escape his situation, Justin first clarified what truly mattered to him. Through careful reflection, he identified his top values: financial security, physical health, feeling alive, loving where he lives, and enjoying relationships with like-minded people. These values became his compass for every subsequent career decision.

To plant your own foundation, start with a values excavation exercise. Ask yourself what your ideal day would look like if money weren't an issue. Reflect on peak moments in your life and identify what made them so powerful. Interview your closest friends and family about what they believe you value most. From this exploration, distill your top five non-negotiable values—these become your decision-making criteria for everything that follows.

Your foundation isn't just philosophical; it's deeply practical. Justin used his newly clarified values to evaluate his options, ultimately choosing to pursue an MBA in San Diego that aligned with his desire for a healthier lifestyle, inspiring relationships, and long-term financial stability. With your values as your compass, you'll make decisions that feel authentic and energizing rather than depleting.

Once you've established your foundation, it's time to lift your head and scan the horizon for opportunities. This isn't passive browsing—it's strategic exploration that combines building relationships, acquiring new skills, and making yourself discoverable to the right opportunities. Think of yourself as a radar system, actively seeking signals that align with your planted foundation.

Shawn Henry exemplified this approach during his twenty-six-year career at the FBI. Rather than following a traditional promotion path, Shawn deliberately expanded what he called his "sphere of influence" by pivoting thirteen times within the organization. Each move was strategic, building on his existing strengths while positioning him for emerging opportunities. When computer crime was just beginning to emerge as a threat, Shawn saw the potential and positioned himself as the bureau's cybersecurity expert, eventually becoming the executive director of the entire Cyber Division.

Your scanning strategy should include three key activities: connecting with people who can provide insight and opportunities, learning skills that will increase your value, and building a platform that makes you discoverable. Start by identifying three categories of people to connect with: those you already know well, those you know loosely through mutual connections, and "long shots" you admire from afar but have never met. Reach out with genuine curiosity, asking for brief conversations about their career journeys and insights.

Simultaneously, identify skills that complement your existing strengths or fill gaps in your desired direction. But don't just learn—share what you're learning. Build a reputation as someone who adds value to conversations, whether through thoughtful questions, helpful resources, or unique perspectives. When opportunities arise, they'll flow naturally toward someone who's been generous with their expertise and authentic in their relationships.

Before making any major career moves, smart pivoters run small experiments to test their hypotheses about what's next. These pilots are like minimum viable products for your career—small, low-risk tests that provide real-world data about whether a direction truly suits you. The goal isn't perfection; it's learning through action rather than analysis.

Tom Meitner discovered the power of piloting when his wife challenged him to take action on his entrepreneurial dreams. Instead of immediately quitting his unfulfilling customer service job, Tom created a specific test: he would spend three weeks reaching out to three hundred companies, aiming to secure at least $2,500 per month in steady freelance work. Within three weeks, he had landed three clients generating $3,000 monthly—enough data to confidently make his transition to full-time entrepreneurship.

Effective pilots share three characteristics: they're anchored to your existing strengths, they start small, and they provide clear feedback about your enjoyment, expertise, and potential for expansion. You might volunteer for a project that uses skills you want to develop, offer to help a colleague in an area that interests you, or start a small side project that serves a need you've identified. The key is creating boundaries around time, money, and energy investment so you can gather information without betting everything on an unproven idea.

After each pilot, evaluate using the three E's: Enjoyment (do you love doing it?), Expertise (are you good at it or could you become good at it?), and Expansion (is there opportunity for growth in this area?). Pilots that score well on all three deserve more investment. Those that don't provide valuable information about what to avoid, saving you from bigger mistakes down the road. Remember, the goal isn't to find the perfect path immediately—it's to gather data that informs increasingly better decisions.

After planting your foundation, scanning for opportunities, and piloting small experiments, you'll eventually face the moment when it's time to make a bigger move. This is your launch—the point where you commit to a new direction with conviction, even though uncertainty remains. The key is recognizing when you've reduced risk sufficiently to make the leap, not waiting for perfect conditions that will never arrive.

Tricia Krohn spent years climbing the corporate ladder in banking, achieving everything she thought she wanted, only to realize she was miserable despite her success. Her launch decision came when she could no longer ignore the gap between her external achievements and internal fulfillment. After working through her fears about what others would think—including her parents and colleagues—she made the decision to leave banking and pursue teaching. The market crashed two weeks after she left, confirming her intuition about the timing.

Your launch criteria should be specific and measurable rather than vague feelings. Consider financial benchmarks like having six months of savings or generating a certain amount of side income. Factor in timing considerations such as completing important projects or reaching natural transition points. Most importantly, tune into your instincts—you'll know you're ready when the risk of not trying feels greater than the risk of trying and failing.

The courage to launch doesn't arrive before you make the decision; it emerges from taking action aligned with your values and vision. As one successful pivoteer noted, "Build first, courage second." Each step you take toward your vision increases your confidence for the next step. Your launch doesn't have to be perfect—it just has to be authentic to who you're becoming and bold enough to create momentum toward the life and career you truly want.

The final stage of mastering career pivots is helping others navigate their own transitions. Whether you're a manager, mentor, or colleague, you have opportunities to create cultures where career development becomes a natural, ongoing conversation rather than an awkward annual ritual. Organizations that embrace pivot thinking retain their best talent by helping them grow internally rather than forcing them to leave for development opportunities.

Seth Marbin demonstrated this approach at Google when he created GoogleServe, a company-wide volunteer program that started as his side project. Instead of leaving Google to pursue his passion for community service, Seth found a way to bring his values into his work environment. He started small, recruiting volunteers to help organize service opportunities. The program grew from 3,000 participants in its first year to 14,000 by 2015, and Seth eventually transitioned into a full-time role leading the company's philanthropy efforts.

As a leader, you can facilitate career conversations by using curiosity rather than advice-giving. Ask open-ended questions about what energizes your team members, what success looks like for them, and how they want to grow. Focus more on listening than talking, and resist the urge to immediately problem-solve. Instead, help them identify small experiments they can run within their current role to test new interests and develop new skills.

The most effective career conversations happen outside of performance reviews, when people feel safe to be vulnerable about their aspirations and concerns. Create regular opportunities for these discussions, whether through walking meetings, informal check-ins, or structured career development programs. Remember that your role isn't to have all the answers—it's to provide a supportive environment where talented people can discover their own best next steps while contributing to your organization's success.

In our rapidly changing economy, the ability to pivot skillfully has become more valuable than any specific skill set or industry knowledge. The people who thrive are those who embrace change as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat to their security. They build careers like smartphones—modular, adaptable, and constantly evolving to meet new challenges and opportunities. As one pivoteer discovered, "Everything I have done in my life prepared me for what I am now doing. I just had no idea it was happening."

The path forward isn't about finding the one perfect career that will last forever. It's about developing the confidence and competence to navigate transitions whenever they arise. Start today by clarifying what matters most to you, then take one small step toward exploring what's possible. Your next move doesn't have to be perfect—it just has to be authentic to who you're becoming and bold enough to create momentum toward the life and career you truly want.