Pivoting with Purpose: Big Changes, Small Shifts, and the Art of Adjusting

Let’s talk about plans.

As leaders, we love them. We create strategy decks, map out quarterly goals, color-code calendars, and define outcomes with clarity and confidence. We plan our projects, our launches, our meetings, and yes, even our personal lives, with the best of intentions.

But life? Life doesn’t always care about your plans.

Over the past six months, I’ve found myself navigating a season full of pivots. Some big. Some small. Some deeply personal. Others surprisingly tactical. Things I couldn’t have anticipated and definitely didn’t plan for.

And if I’m being honest? None of them felt particularly good in the moment.

When Structure Collides with Change

I’ve always been someone who thrives on structure. Decades in the corporate world taught me the value of a well-ordered calendar, a clear process, and a predictable rhythm. And when I made the leap into entrepreneurship, I brought that same mindset with me: organized, efficient, goal focused.

So when disruptions started piling up in the form of canceled meetings, revised client timelines, unexpected personal responsibilities, projects that weren’t gaining traction, I felt off. I wasn’t performing at my best. I worried about the impact on my business, on my brand, and on how I was showing up in my work. I was gripping tightly to how things were supposed to unfold.

But what I realized in that season was this: I wasn’t just reacting to the chaos, I was resisting it. I was resisting any deviation from the plan. And not just because I like order (I do). But because I was still clinging, in part, to who I was in my previous professional life.

Releasing the Old Operating System

I had built a successful corporate career on structure and systems. I was known for execution, follow-through, and completion. And when I started SRJ Collaborative, I brought those strengths with me. But what I hadn’t done was fully let go of the old rules I used to live by.

And here’s the thing: I started this business because I wanted to work differently. I wanted space. I wanted flexibility. I wanted freedom to create in a way that felt aligned, not automated.

This season reminded me that in order to build something new, I couldn’t keep applying an old operating system. I needed to loosen the grip. Create new strategies, new habits, new ways of working that matched this new chapter. Not the chapter I had already outgrown.

But here’s the part that really shifted my thinking…

Pivoting isn’t just for life-changing moments.

Not every pivot is dramatic. Sometimes pivoting is as simple as:

• Shifting the agenda halfway through a meeting when you realize the team needs something else.

• Reworking a strategy that looked perfect on paper but isn’t landing with clients.

• Pausing a project mid-way through to reassess scope and direction.

• Letting go of an idea that you loved but isn’t working in reality.

• Adjusting your tone in a difficult conversation because the energy has changed.

These aren’t grand reinventions. They’re micro-adjustments. And they matter.

They are the everyday pivots that determine whether we stay stuck or move forward. Whether we adapt or resist. Whether we protect the plan or pursue the purpose.

The Leadership Muscle We Don’t Train Enough

We talk a lot about vision in leadership. But we talk far less about re-vision or the ability to regroup, reassess, and redirect when the path shifts beneath our feet.

Pivoting isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. And it’s not just a skill, it’s a practice.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe:

• A pivot doesn’t erase progress. It redirects it.

• Adapting isn’t giving up. It’s growing up.

• Letting go of “should” creates space for what’s next.

Big or Small, You’re Allowed to Pivot

So, whether you’re rethinking a big career move, troubleshooting a project that’s gone sideways, or simply trying to get through a week that hasn’t gone to plan…

You’re allowed to pivot. Sometimes the plan is perfect, until it isn’t.

And that’s when leadership begins. Because leadership isn’t about sticking to the script no matter what. It’s about learning to lead through the shift.

And that, too, is success.