Pivoting When Your Current Approach Isn’t Working
What if the way you’re working is the very thing holding you back?
Over the last month, we’ve seen dramatic action from our government. (This is not a political post—just an example.) Whether you agree or not with how the strategy is being executed, most Americans would agree that action is needed to reevaluate how we spend tax dollars and how efficiently we’re running.
The truth is, your company is the same way. Over my career, I’ve worked for many large companies.
In the 90s, I worked in banking and navigated the consolidation of the industry, where each multi-million-dollar merger promised to save millions year over year, provide better services, and create more opportunities for employees. Yet, while executives with golden parachutes benefited, many mergers failed to achieve their objectives
In the 2000s, I pivoted to tech, where SaaS was the next big thing—expected to save companies millions and drive efficiency. Some implementations moved the needle, but many failed to deliver the promised business outcomes before moving on to the next shiny object.
Now, we are in the AI revolution. AI is being sold as the solution to simplify operations, improve efficiency, and drive results like never before.
Yet, I see the same pattern emerging.
🚨 Companies are not addressing the underlying issues in how they operate.
The common thread across all these shifts? Companies have a core set of systems, data, and content that power their marketing, products, and operations.
When you implement a new platform, you need to integrate systems.
When you implement AI, you need a source of truth to ensure AI supports your mission and delivers the right information.
New tech alone doesn’t solve business problems.
Neither does just creating a “super company” through mergers.
Now, the common excuse is that once a decision is made, companies must move fast to see results. I posted yesterday about the pros and cons of speed vs. calculation—speed satisfies stakeholders in the short term, but long-term productivity, cost, and efficiency may suffer more than expected.
At some point, you need a new strategy that actually addresses these challenges. That’s the sign—it’s time to pivot.
Signs You Need to Pivot
🚨 You’re working harder but not seeing better results.
🚨 The same issues keep resurfacing despite your best efforts.
🚨 Your competitors are evolving faster than you.
🚨 Your systems, tools, or processes feel like barriers instead of enablers.
🚨 You have 100 strategies but not one overarching strategy.
The Cost of Not Pivoting
Every day spent doubling down on an ineffective approach is a day of lost opportunities, wasted resources, and frustration.
Businesses that don’t evolve fade into irrelevance.
Leaders who don’t adapt get left behind.
How to Make a Strategic Shift (Instead of Just ‘Trying Harder’)
🔹 Step Back & Assess – What’s not working, and why?
🔹 Challenge Assumptions – Are you holding onto outdated strategies?
🔹 Listen to Data, Not Just Gut Feelings – What are the numbers telling you?
🔹 Make Bold Decisions – Small tweaks won’t fix a failing system.
🔹 Commit Fully – Half-hearted pivots don’t work. Go all in.
The Most Important Factor: Accountability
👥 Leaders must hold themselves and their teams accountable.
I’ve seen leadership teams agree in public but disagree privately—only to instruct their staff to do the opposite of what was decided. Without strong leadership to guide the strategy, failure is inevitable.
Leadership must define success with clear, measurable metrics, not just a list of actions. Data is the scorecard. If you don’t understand the results, you can’t claim success.
One of the hardest realizations? The team that got you here may not be the team to take you forward.
That doesn’t mean playing the blame game. Blaming is not the same as coaching. If leaders aren’t actively guiding and coaching their teams, they are setting them up for failure.
Most employees want to succeed, but they need the right leadership to help them get there. Not everyone can lead, and not every leader knows how to build the right team. Make sure your team shares your passion, commitment, and outcome-driven mindset.
Success or failure isn’t about individual effort—it’s about whether your team is cohesive or fractured.
This is your wake-up call if you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or spinning your wheels. Something has to change, and sometimes, that change needs to be more dramatic than you might be ready to accept, but it might be the right next step!
