‘The best career path isn’t always a straight line.’

Are you stuck in a career plateau looking for a change? Are you prepared to reimagine your whole life and your career?

When I first heard the word pivot, I immediately thought of a ballerina in a white tutu, standing on her toes, turning around and around effortlessly like a swan. And then I made it to the dictionary and discovered that pivoting means to change direction. 

Events have catapulted many of us to pivot in our careers. We have had to change direction because our business has closed down, or the direction of operations within that business/enterprise has meant that we are no longer needed.

So dramatic, and maybe not so dramatic.  Career pivots have been forced upon us.  On the other hand, we may have freely decided to pivot from within the confines of our nice, secure, stable, and comfortable career.

Or maybe just boredom, lack of creativity, monotony have caused us to pivot. When given the opportunity to pivot, we often baulk. 

Fear

Fear is often a factor. There is a good and bad type of fear. Fear that causes us to flee from danger is obviously good. When Fear becomes a roadblock that paralyses us, and prevents any movement forward, any type of pivoting, it is less than helpful. 

Then there is the fear of failure. This fear lies deep within each of us and can paralyse any forward progress. Failure is an integral part of our lives.  Failure needs to be managed. We need to keep learning how to fail in a more productive manner. Learning to define myself not by the act of failing itself, but by my response to that failure is paramount. 

Certain questions can give us the courage to examine what we want to accomplish in our lives, as a whole: What do I want from life? What do I need to do to achieve this? Why do I want this?  When we examine our career and try to mesh our career and life together we can experience a wonderful dovetailing of the two.  Today we have the flexibility to explore the connection between our career and our life. This was not an option in previous centuries.

Somethings that might help us pivot…

1. Open up to change

Change is an integral part of life. Whether it’s the new recruit, who upsets our cosy place in the office, or a different mindset, a different way of doing things, different outlooks, change is right there on our doorstep at all times.

We need to confront the fears that come with change. We are all afraid of change in some way. We manage to prop up comfort zones of various types, and sometimes (I for one), certainly find it hard to move beyond that nice zone. 

However, small steps, small changes within our stretch zone, and not our stress or panic zone can help us to face and also embrace the changes in our lives.

2. Assess my reality

Being able to call things by their name and honestly admit our weaknesses is halfway to facing a new truth and reality about ourselves, our career and our lives. When we know ourselves a little more, we are already on our way to success. 

It can help us to assess often what works for us, what is not working and why this is the case. Being open to accepting feedback is necessary for growth.  

3. Create an image of my future

Imagine your ideal job. Visualise what would make you feel fulfilled in that job. What strengths do you possess today that you can bring to this future career? What would your life be like in this new situation and career?

4. Construct a strategy

No one tries to climb a mountain without first studying a map. There the naked eye can identify the terrain, the best route, the stops along the way. The dangers, difficulties and hazards must be factored into the planned journey.

Likewise, when it comes to a career pivot. We need to study it.  How long is this going to take? Am I giving myself a realistic timeframe? What strengths can I use to achieve this target more effectively? What mindsets do I need to eliminate?

5. Look for help

When trying to pivot in a new direction we cannot do it on our own. To think otherwise is unreal. All of us need a guide or mentor to direct us forward when we are embarking on a new project, a new direction.

A mentor is someone who won’t lie to us. They are someone who can evaluate our strengths and empower us to use them to mitigate our limitations and weaknesses. A mentor is someone who will set up realistic and achievable goals or targets for us. In any given moment we have two options. One is to step forward into growth.  The other to step back into safety.

Let’s go forward.