Whether you’re working on a personal goal or a professional goal,
you might get to a point when you realise that what you’re doing is not
working.
Perhaps you’re not seeing the outcomes that you expected; perhaps
your organisation’s or team’s strategy has changed; or maybe even external
forces beyond your control have caused your goal to no longer be relevant.
What do you do in these situations?
In the words of Ross Geller “Pivot, pivot, pivoooooot!”
Particularly when you’ve been working on a goal for a while,
it becomes difficult to accept that something is not working and that you need
to change your goal and your plan.
However, it is important that you do.
How to Pivot
1. Remember your WHY. Remind yourself why you wanted to achieve the goal in the first place. How will achieving your goal benefit you and those around you?
2. Re-evaluate your goal. Is it your goal that needs to change, or it the way to achieving your goal (your milestones or plan of action) that needs to change? Look at your goal and action plan in the context of your WHY. Define (or re-define) your priorities, then evaluate if the goal needs to change, or just the way you work towards it.
3. Look at what’s been working so far. Continue to do those things and try to see if there are ways to use these actions on other projects or problems. Learn to leverage off these actions.
4. Look at what’s not working. Take the time to understand why it’s not working. Then identify what needs to change, and what you need to do differently.
5. Look at what you need to start doing. Sometimes we know the things that we have to do, but don’t enjoy doing it, so we procrastinate. If this action is going to help you achieve your goal, take a deep breath and do it. The pride you will feel at the outcome will outweigh the pain of the action.
6. Learn from your mistakes. If something you tried didn’t work, reflect on the lessons that this has taught you and what you can do differently the next time.
7. Step back, re-evaluate and then re-start again. Don’t just stop because it didn’t work or because it got too difficult.
8. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Failure is part of success. If something didn’t go according to plan, learn from it and take those lessons with you to the next action.
9. Don’t lose confidence. I know it’s easier said than done. Once something doesn’t go well, it’s human nature to start doubting yourself. Use it as an opportunity to grow instead.
As a leader, when you need to pivot, admit that something didn’t
work and find ways to get back on track.
Showing your team that you are fallible and can learn from mistakes
inspires them to do the same.
Trying something and failing is scary. No one is perfect. Remember that you were once a beginner and
the way you got here was by making mistakes and learning from them.
Get in touch for an obligation-free call to talk about how you can pivot on your goals.