Pivoting: Getting Results for the Long Haul

"Pivot Points of the Past" Copyright 2025 Wade B. Walton

Some businesses and people have the knack for reinvention. They embrace change, test new ideas, and adapt quickly when something isn’t working. Others… well, they hold on tight to what’s familiar, insisting “we’ve always done it this way.”

I’ve worked in both environments, sometimes at the same company, and the difference is like night and day. In more agile, “fail fast” cultures, teams embrace experimentation and growth. They empower and support their teams and teammates; launch, learn, adjust, and grow stronger. They celebrate the wins and give credit freely. The energy around the culture, the work and the customer creates excitement, momentum, and even more new ideas.

In the stagnant ones, ideas get stuck in silos. People protect their territories. Blame is assigned, and “superiors” punch down. Innovation dies in committee, while teams become too large, spinning, with more meetings, more talk, less action. And slowly but surely, ideas and innovation grind to a halt.

This morning, I listened to a thought-provoking episode of The Hidden Brain podcast called “When to Pivot”, hosted by Shankar Vedantam with guest Rita McGrath, a Columbia Business School professor who studies business strategy and innovation. I won’t give away all the details (I encourage you to listen for yourself—it’s worth every minute), but one idea resonated deeply: knowing when to pivot is as critical as suspecting you should.

Hiding from change isn’t an option

In marketing, brand, and creative work, the world doesn’t slow down for us. Trends evolve, technology and creative tools evolve, consumer expectations shift. A campaign that worked brilliantly 18 months ago might fall flat today—not because it was bad then, but because the world has moved on.

When we try to cling to “the way we’ve always done it,” we confuse status quo with stability. But standing still is often the riskiest move of all. When teams and leaders defend old territory, others are likely forging ahead and by the time we notice, the moment for innovation may have passed.

Pivoting without panic

Here’s where the Hidden Brain conversation hit home for me: a successful pivot doesn’t mean chasing every shiny object or rebranding on a whim. It requires looking ahead to recognize a changing landscape and seeing where our current approach no longer serves our audience, our mission, or our growth goals—and then acting decisively.

In my career, the most successful pivots have come from teams that:

1. Listen first — Whether through analytics, customer feedback, or market research, they were interested in and curious about their business, their teammates, and their customers.

2. Experiment constantly — I LOVE “pilot projects,” limited test markets, or low-budget trials that let us quickly prove out ideas before investing big.

3. Keep the mission in mind, even when the tactics changed — The “why” (*hint: it’s always about serving the customer) stayed steady; the “how” evolved.

   
   

This aligns with what Rita McGrath discussed in the podcast: pivots work best when they’re intentional, informed, and timely—not knee-jerk reactions. To me, this doesn’t mean a significant shift needs to take a ton of time; you just need the right people in the room to move quickly and purposefully to reach the best solution.

Creative relevance requires constant renewal

In brand and marketing, relevance isn’t just about design trends or editing techniques—it’s about resonance. Are we reaching our audience? Are we telling the right story for right now? And, how can we measure that?

Some signs it might be time to pivot:

• Audience engagement has plateaued or dropped

• Your messages are reacting to external pressures rather than leading the conversation

• You’re producing work to “check a box” rather than solve a problem (Ugh!)

• Competitors are finding new ways to connect that make your approach feel dated

  
  

My takeaway (and yours?)

After listening to this episode, I reflected on how often timely business or personal pivots have helped create the most successful and satisfying stretches of my own career. When I’ve embraced change—whether it was a shift in creative direction, adopting a new production technology, or rethinking my entire career—it’s led to growth, for the business, for the teams I've been privileged to lead, and for me.

And that’s why I’m passing this along: relevance and career success takes constant practice and adjustment. We can’t just adapt once and call it a day, any more than we’d go to the gym, work out one night, and say “I’m good.”

So if you could use a spark of inspiration to rethink your own approach, I hope you will give this conversation between Shankar Vedantam and Rita McGrath a listen: When to Pivot. Then ask yourself: What could my next pivot look like—and what’s stopping me from making it?