What Pivots Can Inspire You?

Email newsletter - May 27, 2020

Our lives are not what they were two months ago. Some have lost jobs, businesses and their routines. Some have worked harder and longer hours to help others live or make progress. There’s wide variation in our experiences. 

Everyone has shared some kind of pivot. Whether at work, at school, at home, without friends and entertainment, there have been different experiences.

What is a pivot? It means we make a fundamental, often abrupt and rapid change in direction.

A pivot is thrust upon us when it’s necessary, for example in the case of the COVID19. The only counter-measure for a pandemic is physical distancing.

In various organizations or industries, the leaders choose to pivot when they need to survive or when they want to pursue new opportunities.

Variety of Pivots

There are multiple types of pivots: service, product, business models, systems and processes, etc.

Who Pivots?

People are capable of pivoting. Leaders guide a pivot. Some people resist a pivot. They don’t like change and like the status quo, whether it’s been good or not. It’s what they know. People who don’t want to pivot immediately begin to whine, adopt a victim mentality, and wonder who’s going to help them. They don’t take responsibility or become creative to transform their situation. They’re stuck.

Great leaders will revive bad situations. They see possibilities and opportunities. Even if they lose a job or a business, they’re not failures. They will learn lessons and move forward and make a difference.

People who pivot are inspiring leaders. They use a Strategic Compass, continually adapt and implement a Pivot Strategy rapidly. Pivots require focus and speed.

Pivot Examples

Here are some examples of Pivots that we’ve seen in the past few months:

Athena Security makes software that allows security cameras to detect more than 300 types of firearms.

Pivot: Its software now applies the same rigor to detecting fevers as it goes to spotting guns. It uses thermal cameras to watch for elevated temperature as people move through halls and doorways.

Sesame

Pivot: Quickly transformed its business and introduced a new virtual appointment and telemedicine system which accounts for 86% of its bookings.

Bacardi Rum

Pivot: shifted production at some of its distilleries to help supply ethanol to make hand sanitizer, and the company is donating half a million 10-ounce hand sanitizer units to local communities. Bacardi also launched the #RaiseYourSpirits initiative and pledged $3 million to support restaurants and bars affected by COVID-19.

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Pivot: Live streamed a performance of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony to a live audience that peaked at 4500 and gathered thousands of subsequent viewers.

Zoos Victorias Animal House 

Pivot: Live streaming lions, giraffes, snow leopards cubs, penguins and the occasional dancing zookeeper.

When you need to pivot at any time in your life or business, step up, embrace it and move forward to make a difference. Don’t get stuck in old thinking.