Courage to Pivot
In the first reflection, The Power of Gratitude, we looked back — honoring the people and experiences that gave our year meaning. Gratitude helped us see how far we’ve come.
Now, we turn toward growth. Change — whether chosen or unexpected — often asks us to release what’s familiar and trust what’s ahead. Courage to Pivot explores how we find strength in uncertainty and transform change into renewal.
And as we uncover the lessons courage reveals, we prepare for our next step — setting clear intentions that align purpose with action in Setting Intentions for the New Year.
Every pivot begins with courage — but lasting growth comes when we turn that courage into clear direction.
Courage to Pivot: What the Year Taught Us About Change
Every December, as the final projects wrap and inboxes quiet, I find myself looking back at the year and thinking about the moments that changed me — the choices that demanded courage, the opportunities that required letting go.
Change rarely asks for permission. It shows up in the form of reorganization emails, shifting priorities, or the quiet realization that you’ve outgrown a role you once loved. Yet within each disruption lies an invitation:
Will you hold on — or will you pivot?
The past few years have taught many of us that career paths are no longer straight lines but evolving stories. Industries transform, organizations merge, technology disrupts. In this environment, the most essential career skill isn’t endurance — it’s adaptability. But adaptation requires courage: the willingness to step into uncertainty before the path is clear.
The Emotional Side of the Pivot
We often talk about change as if it’s a strategy. We use words like agility and resilience, but at its core, change is emotional. It requires grieving what was, imagining what could be, and acting before you feel ready.
Organizational psychologist William Bridges (2009) describes this as the transition process — the psychological journey between an ending and a beginning. Real transformation doesn’t happen when the external change occurs; it begins when we internally accept the ending and embrace the unknown.
I’ve seen this countless times with clients — talented professionals who knew intellectually that a pivot was necessary, but emotionally struggled to release what felt familiar. One client, a long-time marketing leader, once told me, “I realized I wasn’t afraid of failure — I was afraid of losing who I thought I was.”
That’s the quiet truth behind many career transitions:
Our fear isn’t of the future; it’s of losing the identity tied to our past.
Redefining Courage
Courage in the modern career isn’t about reckless leaps. It’s about clarity and curiosity coexisting. It’s what Brené Brown (2018) calls “rising strong” — choosing to show up imperfectly, to ask questions, and to take ownership of your story even when you don’t control the ending.
Research supports this. Harvard’s Amy Edmondson (2019) found that teams and individuals who cultivate psychological safety — the courage to speak up, try, and fail — innovate faster and recover more quickly from setbacks. On a personal level, that same principle applies: courage creates momentum, not perfection.
So if this year has forced a pivot — whether by choice or circumstance — it might help to remember that courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s moving forward with fear, guided by meaning instead of mastery.
Career Lessons from a Year of Change
If you look closely, every career pivot reveals lessons that shape your professional evolution. Here are three themes that consistently emerge from change:
1. Uncertainty breeds clarity.
In the absence of structure, our real values emerge. When you’re forced to make a hard decision, you learn what truly matters — autonomy, impact, stability, or growth.
2. Curiosity fuels reinvention.
According to Herminia Ibarra (2015), we “act our way into new identities.” Experimentation — taking a class, volunteering, exploring adjacent roles — often leads to clarity faster than analysis ever could.
3. Community sustains courage.
Courage isn’t solitary. It grows in connection. Conversations with mentors, peers, and coaches turn uncertainty into shared wisdom. Change may start alone, but it never sustains that way.
Reframing the Pivot
If you’re standing on the edge of a transition right now — deciding whether to leave a role, change industries, or start something new — try reframing the pivot not as a detour but as an evolution.
Think of it this way:
You’re not abandoning your story; you’re expanding it.
You’re not losing ground; you’re deepening roots.
You’re not starting over; you’re starting from experience.
As organizational theorist Peter Drucker once said, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence — it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” (Drucker, 1985).
Each pivot demands new logic — new ways of seeing yourself and your possibilities.
Closing Reflection
Maybe this year didn’t unfold as planned. Maybe it asked more of you than you expected. But if you’re reading this, you’ve already proven one essential truth: you kept going. You adapted. You learned.
Courage isn’t about having no doubts. It’s about holding the doubt in one hand and your purpose in the other — and choosing to take the next step anyway.
As you prepare for the new year, remember that change doesn’t erase your past accomplishments. It expands the canvas on which your next chapter will be written.
Next in the series: Setting Intentions for the New Year — Leading Your Next Chapter with Purpose.
References
Bridges, W. (2009). Managing transitions: Making the most of change (3rd ed.). Da Capo Press.
Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts. Random House.
Drucker, P. F. (1985). Innovation and entrepreneurship: Practice and principles. Harper & Row.
Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning,
innovation, and growth. Wiley.
Ibarra, H. (2015). Act like a leader, think like a leader. Harvard Business Review Press.
