When did you last pivot as a leader?

When you hear the word ‘pivot’ what springs to mind? A u-turn? A change in course? But what about evolving your thinking or a growth mindset? For leaders pivoting can be subtle, an adaptation or perhaps a development of thinking.

Much as we want strong leaders with conviction in themselves, the best leaders know that they don’t hold all the answers and there are still areas for them to develop.

Pivoting becomes more nuanced and is tailored to the specific situation facing you, underscored by a recognition that more can always be done.

It might be managing multi-generational teams, communicating difficult messages or forging a path in uncertainty, but we find ourselves in unsettling, disjointed times and pivoting now could be your best leadership decision yet.

Change has become inevitable

Our working environments are constantly changing, from new technology to new generations there’s always something, or someone disrupting the status quo. Change has become inevitable, and as leaders we need to become comfortable with that idea.

Adaptability is often a required skill on job descriptions. It’s an expectation from our team members and employees that they are able to react, change and grow, but it’s not always an expectation from leadership.

With change becoming so rooted in our daily lives, we need to look at how we, as leaders, deal with change and whether we’re doing enough to support our people in the way they need it.

Just because change is a given, it doesn’t mean that people are comfortable or confident handling it. We need to look at how we support, manage and inspire our employees to embrace change and how we manage change to ensure everyone thrives in a working world that’s sometimes a daunting place to be.

Lean into change

While there are some changes that feel outside of our control, such as a global pandemic, which mean we have to react, there are other changes which feel closer to home.

Take for instance, managing multi-generational teams. Every leader has had to navigate this challenge but as technology advances and attitudes change it feels like a far narrower tightrope to walk.

Most leaders are older, and grew up in the pre-Covid world. Life and leadership post-Covid is very different both in terms of juggling expectations around remote/hybrid/office working or simply the varying viewpoints and working style that Gen Z brings.

When you’ve got a particular way of working or only experienced one mindset it can be challenging as a leader to recalibrate.

You only need to look at the media to see an example of another leader summoning employees back to the office. That’s not to say there isn’t a need for them to be present, but it’s the approach that’s been mishandled. Without empathy or compassion to see others' point of view, the perception is that the person in charge is out of touch.

Pivoting in this scenario doesn’t have to mean changing their mind or being weak. Instead,  leaning into the change and understanding the uncertainty their employees are facing and pivoting on the approach would help the message land in a more positive way.

Strength in pivoting

There’s an expectation that leaders need to be strong at all times, and with that comes a conviction in their opinions and decisions. While teams need confidence in their leaders, that doesn’t mean they expect them to have all the answers all of the time.

The best leaders are adaptable. They flex, they pivot, they evolve to suit the situation they find themselves in.

Sometimes that means changing their mind and other times it means admitting they don’t have the answer…but then making sure they do the work to learn it. It could also mean they rethink their entire approach.

Pivoting requires self-awareness. To understand what you don’t know, what you need to learn, what you can improve. That continuous growth cycle is what turns pivoting from a weakness and flip-flopping from one thought to another, to a strategic adaptation which pushes the business forward.

The pivot might be to work on a specific skill or developing part of your leadership style or it could be the way you make decisions or even how you choose to communicate and gain feedback from your peers.

In some ways the pandemic made pivoting a buzzword that people rolled their eyes at. It needn’t be like that.

For leaders, pivoting, self-awareness, adaptability, growth mindset all come together to create a strong base to build, and lead from.

Recognising when to adapt

None of this is to say that leaders should be re-assessing every decision and changing their approach. There’s a difference between stability and adaptation and reacting and pivoting

There will always be times when a circumstance is thrust upon us, and we have to react. There will also be times when small warning signs appear that if we don’t pivot and adapt then trouble might come our way. As a leader, understanding strategic adaptation is key to avoid pinging from one situation to another.

When we talk about pivoting, it’s not always something big, it could be a small area of professional development you need to undertake to improve a weakness.

It comes back to self-awareness and having the same growth mindset you’d expect from your employees.

Addressing our blind spots

Leadership agility has been put to the test over the last 10 years or so. Due to circumstances outside of their control many have had to change their approach, learn new skills and navigate unfamiliar situations. No longer can leaders sit back and rely on the way they were managed.

Recognising that there are different ways to learn and lead, and that they all have an impact on those around you is a crucial part of leadership agility.

Gen Z joining the workforce has challenged many leaders more than could have been anticipated. With different values, working styles and beliefs, many leaders have had to re-evaluate their working environments to create a place where multiple generations can thrive.

This is where initiatives such as reverse mentoring can come into their own. It’s tough to understand a different generation, but pairing a leader with a younger employee can open their eyes to the reality and challenges they face. As they say, you don’t know what you don’t know, and for many leaders being able to step outside their zone of experience can be transformative.

Prioritising self-development along with improving self-awareness are skills that will stand you in good stead regardless of your position on the career ladder. For leaders they’re even more important. We’re never done learning. There’s always something more you can do.

Pivoting as a leader is looking for those opportunities and pushing yourself to do better, to be better. Let’s leave the stigma behind and focus on creating a workplace that celebrates and rewards growth mindset, whether you’re in a junior position or leading the business. There’s never a downside to pivoting.

I will leave you with this question;as a leader, when did you last pivot and learn something to enhance your skillset?​