Pivots Turn Stumbles into Strategic Growth

I chose not to go to college for two primary reasons, with a third that could arguably make that list if I’m being honest with myself. I hated sitting still during class all through high school and had zero interest in paying for the opportunity to do more of it at the next level. Since my natural baseball talent was exclusive to everything other than running, hitting, and catching, I was in no real danger of being awarded a scholarship and borrowing the money to pay for something I had little interest in made it even less appealing. The third reason, the one I’ve not admitted as openly, was based on a conversation I had with my dad’s boss when I was in eleventh grade. He told me that I’d need a degree of some sort, “even if it’s in basket weaving” , he said, to have any shot at being successful. Today, I know it’s based on my DRIVEN behavioral style, but back then it was simply a matter of proving the status-quo wrong.

At twenty-five years old, I had something I would have never gotten had I gone to college: hands-on experience that allowed me to relate to the people I was providing training for in that behavior-based safety process, at a level of competency that few others in the company had. Recognizing and owning the role I played in previous failures, coupled with the invaluable feedback Terry and Dennis provided after my first attempt in interviewing for the position a year prior, put me on path to develop the parallel skills I’d need to achieve results in my new role. Even then, though, admitting that my bad habits, while limited to my time off, were barriers to the progress I hoped to make.

Today, I can share with confidence that what Cindy and I have invested - out of our own pockets - would dwarf the cost of college. Since we were married, we’ve been incredibly focused on identifying and digesting every ounce of leadership development we could get our hands on. But that was just a start; knowing and applying are two wildly different things. The gradual pivots I was able to make through each adversity served as my training ground I’d need for those pivots to turn stumbles into strategic growth. Making the best of career stumbles isn’t mere recovery - its intentional preparation, transforming potential derailments into chains of leadership readiness.

Our investment was far from traditional, and much more gradual, but it has grown incrementally over more than two and a half decades. Outside looking in, I’m not sure anyone would have ever noticed. Even for us, reflection was key in identifying blind spots to make the necessary pivots and plant our earliest seeds. And then we still had to nurture them! We’ll close this look at the importance of learning to pivot next by working through some simple steps we can take to mine any stumble for our next most important move. Until then, I’ll challenge you to think back through each point you listed so far and outline how just one pivot could amplify your current leadership impact or readiness.