Question · Sustainability
When should I pivot?
The Short Answer
Pivot when the feedback signals that your current approach cannot succeed in the current environment - but distinguish between poor execution (fixable) and wrong strategy (fundamental mismatch). A pivot should be toward something you have evidence for, not away from something that's failing.
Biological Insight
Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to adapt to environmental changes within their lifetime - changing behavior, physiology, or even form in response to conditions. But there are limits; not every organism can adapt to every environment. The key is distinguishing between changes you can adapt to (pivot) and changes that require you to move to a different environment entirely (fundamental repositioning).
Key Questions to Ask Yourself
- Is the problem execution or strategy?
- What evidence suggests a different approach would succeed?
- Do you have the capabilities to succeed in the new direction?
- Are you pivoting toward something or just away from failure?
- How much runway do you have to prove the new direction?
Common Mistakes
- Pivoting too early (not giving strategies enough time to work)
- Pivoting too late (persisting past the point of useful data)
- Pivoting without a clear hypothesis about why the new direction will work
- Serial pivoting (thrashing between strategies without learning)
- Confusing a pivot with giving up (pivots should build on what you've learned)