The Courage to Pivot – When It’s Time to Change Direction The Challenge

For many professionals, there comes a moment when the path that once inspired them begins to feel heavy. You look at your calendar, your metrics, even your paycheck—and something’s missing. It’s not that you’ve failed; it’s that you’ve outgrown a season. Yet few things are more intimidating than acknowledging that truth and deciding to pivot. I’ve coached leaders who clung to stability long after they’d stopped growing, afraid of the unknown. The irony is that the longer you resist a necessary change, the more it drains your confidence. Why It Matters We often equate consistency with success, but growth requires adaptation. Every major transition—whether it’s a role change, a new career path, or starting your own venture—demands courage to let go of an old identity. A pivot isn’t a failure; it’s a recalibration. It’s your system’s way of saying, “You’re ready for more alignment.” When you stay in a misaligned role, you’re trading potential for comfort. When you step forward, uncertainty becomes a teacher instead of a threat. The Shift The first step is to separate fear from data. Ask yourself: Is my hesitation based on real risk or imagined loss? When we confront uncertainty, our minds tend to catastrophize—assuming that every pivot will end in disaster. But in practice, most pivots start as small, low-risk experiments. When I left corporate marketing to build my coaching business, I didn’t leap blindly. I tested the idea through part-time coaching engagements first. Each conversation confirmed my intuition: this was work that energized me. That incremental shift gave me evidence and confidence to move fully into coaching. Pivots aren’t about burning bridges; they’re about building new ones while you still have footing on the old side. The best transitions are strategic, not impulsive. Clarity grows through action. Try This Name the Discontent. Write down what feels misaligned in your current situation. Is it the work itself, the culture, or your own growth plateau? Run Small Experiments. Take one concrete step toward your curiosity: join a professional group, shadow someone in a role you admire, or start a small project aligned with your interests. Check Energy, Not Ego. After each step, ask: Did this drain or energize me? Let your energy, not external approval, guide your next move. Map the Bridge. List the skills, resources, and people that can help you pivot safely rather than abruptly. The courage to pivot doesn’t come from erasing fear—it comes from acting in spite of it. Growth often begins the moment you stop asking for certainty and start trusting your own momentum. I’m Chris Kolling, a leadership and career coach at TorquePath, where I help professionals gain clarity, confidence, and direction in their work and life.