Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One

by Jenny Blake

Overview

What's next? is a question we all have to ask and answer more frequently in an economy where the average job tenure is only four years, roles change constantly even within that time, and smart, motivated people find themselves hitting professional plateaus. But how do you evaluate options and move forward without getting stuck?

Jenny Blake—a former training and career development specialist at Google who now runs her own company as a career and business consultant and speaker—has a solution: the pivot. Pivoting is a crucial strategy for Silicon Valley tech companies and startups but it can also be a successful strategy for individuals looking to make changes in their work lives. This book will introduce you to the Pivot Method and show you how to to take small, smart steps to move in a new direction—now and throughout your entire career.

No matter your age, industry, or bank account balance, Jenny's advice will help you move forward with confidence. Pivot also includes valuable insight for leaders who want to have more frequent career conversations with their teams to help talented people move and grow within their roles and the broader organization.

If change is the only constant, let's get better at it. Your career success and satisfaction depends on your ability to navigate change well and this book can help you do so.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143129035
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/19/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	180,643
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jenny Blake is a career and business strategist and international speaker who helps people move beyond burnout and create sustainable careers they love. She left her job in career development at Google in 2011 after five and a half years at the company to launch her first book, Life After College, and has since run her own consulting business in New York City.

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Pivot is the New Normal 1

Piviot or Get Pivoted 4

Changing Careers in the Age of the App 8

Connect the Dots Looking Backward 10

Pivot Method at a Glance 13

High Net Growth 18

Career Operating Modes 23

Trust Your Risk Tolerance 25

Two (Many) Steps Ahead, One Step Back 29

Stage 1 Plant 33

Plant Overview 35

Chapter 1 Calibrate Your Compass 39

What Are Your Guiding Principles? What Is Your Happiness Formula?

Create Your Compass 40

Identify Your Happiness Formula 46

Your Body Is Your Business 47

Reduce Decision Fatigue 49

Meditate to Activate Your Best Instincts 50

Chapter 2 Put a Pin in It 53

What Excites You Most?

What Does Success Look Like One Year from Now?

Avoid the Tyranny of the Hows 55

Vision Cloudy? Start Somewhete 56

Clarify Your Vision Statement 60

Summarize Knowns and Unknowns 62

Chapter 3 Fuel Your Engine 65

What Is Working? Where Do You Excel?

Identify Your Strengths 67

Work-History Highlights 70

Chapter 4 Fund Your Runway 75

What Is Your Timeline? How Can You Earn Extra Income?

Build a Solid Financial Foundation 76

Pivot Finance 101 77

Income-Anxiety Seesaw Awareness 84

State 2 Scan 87

Scan Overview

Chapter 5 Bolster Your Bench 91

Who Do You Already Know? Who Can Provide Advice?

What Can You Give in Return?

Expand Your Sphere of Influence 93

Build a Network of Collective Brainpower 94

Career Karma: Seek Reciprocal Success 104

Chapter 6 Bridge the Gaps 107

What Skills and Expertise Will Take You to the Next Level?

Mind the Gap 108

Learn How to Learn 108

Limit Linear Thinking 111

Investigative Listening 114

Be Discerning About Your Learning 119

Chapter 7 Make Yourself Discoverable 123

How Can You Add Unique Value and Build Visibility?

Define Your Project-Based Purpose 124

Platform and Leverage 125

Revel in the Work Others Reject 130

Leapfrog: Work Backward from Two Moves Ahead 130

Let Others Know You Are Looking 133

Stage 3 Pilot 139

Pilot Overview 141

Chapter 8 Get Scrappy 143

What Small Experiments Can You Run?

What Real-World Data Can You Collect?

Aim First for Quantity, Not Quality 145

What Makes a Strong Pilot? 146

Incremental Pilots Within Organizations 152

Reduce Risk with Redundancy 153

Travel Pilots to Shake Up Stagnant Thinking 157

Chapter 9 Pause, Review, Repeat 161

What Worked? What Didn't? What Could You Do Differently?

Pause and Review 163

Take Incrementally Bigger Risks 164

Stage 4 Launch 169

Launch Overview 171

Chapter 10 Build First, Courage Second 173

When Will You Make the Big Move?

What Are Your Linchpin Decision Criteria?

Identify your Launch Timing Criteria 174

Pivot Hexagon 183

Know When to Hold Versus Fold 186

Your Gut Has a Brain 192

Pivot Scales: Comfort Versus Risk 194

Chapter 11 Flip Failure 197

What Will Move You into Action?

Rejection as a Stepping-Stone to Success 200

Mine Failure for Strengths 201

You Can't Make Everybody Happy-So Stop Trying and Start Living 202

Separate Decisions from Difficult Conversations 205

Don't Wait for Perfect Conditions 207

How Do You Know Your Launch Worked? 209

The Continuous Pivot 211

Stage 5 Lead 215

Lead Overview 217

Chapter 12 Are You Listening? 219

How Can You Facilitate Engaging Career Conversations?

Your Interest Matters More Than You Think 221

How to Use the Pivot Method Within Organizations 226

Pilot Creative Internal-Mobility Programs 229

Conclusion: Celebrate Complexity 235

Checking in at the Last Resort 237

The Courageous Life 238

Afterword: What Happens After You Pivot? 241

Acknowledgments 249

Post Pivot: Online Resources 255

Pivot Method Quick Reference 257

Launch Criteria Checklist 259

Resources for Companies 261

Pivot 201: Recommended Reading 263

Notes 265

Index 271

Editorial Reviews

"A sharply reasoned and immensely practical guide to crafting a meaningful working life in an unpredictable world."
—Cal Newport, author of Deep Work
 
"If you don't manage your career, who will? Jenny Blake is here to remind us that we live in a different time, and the possibilities are endless—as long as we're willing to pivot."
—Seth Godin, author of What To Do When It's Your Turn
 
"If you should trust anyone in the career space about the way to thrive in the new world of work, it is Jenny Blake. Pivot is packed with practical, actionable and repeatable ways to remain relevant and highly employable. Jenny shares her signature killer tools and processes for the benefit of us all."
—Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work and Escape from Cubicle Nation
 
"To pivot well is the difference between millions and failure. Former Googler and entrepreneur Jenny Blake (one of my favorite human beings) dissects the pivot, how to do it, and how to do it right.”
—James Altucher, author of Choose Yourself and Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth
 
"It's not a matter of if you'll need to pivot your career, it's a matter of when. Let Jenny Blake show you how with this wildly practical guide to the career changes headed your way."
—Jon Acuff, author of Do Over
 
"Changing jobs or careers can be daunting. Pivot is an invaluable guide for planning and succeeding in your next professional reinvention."
—Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You and Stand Out, and adjunct professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business
 
“Feeling stuck? It's time to try something new. All that stands between you and your next adventure is a bit of strategy, planning, and preparation. If a change is in your future, Pivot is your guide.”
—Josh Kaufman, bestselling author of The Personal MBA and The First 20 Hours
 
"Pivot is a book you will turn to again and again, whether you're seeking a new career direction, a second career after retirement, or just on the lookout for new ways to use your talents. Jenny Blake takes a strength-based approach to managing the risk that comes with making a change and provides tons of helpful examples and exercises.”
—Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell is Human and Drive
 
"Non-traditional career journeys are not only the new normal; they're how innovators throughout history changed their world and ours. With actionable insights and lucid prose, Jenny Blake illuminates the path to building your own destiny."
—Shane Snow, bestselling author of Smartcuts and co-founder of Contently
 
"Wondering what your next move is? Read this book! Jenny Blake is one of the wisest and freshest voices on the subject of career development, and this is her best work yet. In Pivot, you will hear the good news: that you can get paid to do what you love. It may not look like what you thought, and it may require some personal growth, but you can find the work you were meant to do. You just have to pivot."
—Jeff Goins, best-selling author of The Art of Work
 
"Are the tectonic plates below your sturdy career suddenly splitting into a deep abyss of unknown? Let this book be your rope ladder out."
—Neil Pasricha, author of The Happiness Equation and 1,000 Awesome Things
 
"If you think life is a highway, then you've got it wrong. It's more like a winding path through an unpredictable forest. Not only do you have to wade the swamp and battle the beasts, but time after time you come to a crossroads. Left? Right? Straight ahead? Jenny Blake's new book will help you find the wisdom and resources to make the best choices, move into the sunlight and end up where you want to be."
—Michael Bungay Stanier, Author of The Coaching Habit and Do More Great Work
 
“We live in a time of rapid evolution, and we develop skills quickly now by absorbing many shorter term work experiences, so we can become what Jenny Blake calls impacters in our careers. This book gives you a solid roadmap to making the right call about career changes that will help you discover what you’re truly built for. Courage, consciousness, and competence—that’s what Pivot offers you. It’s excellent!”
—Penney Peirce, author of The Intuitive Way, Frequency and Leap of Perception
 
"The book is fantastic. No matter where you are in your career, Pivot is provokingly relevant."
—Dr. Tom Guarriello, founder of RoboPsych and founding faculty at New York’s School of Visual Arts, Masters in Branding
 
"Today, the average person has eleven jobs and three to six careers, which is why Pivot is essential reading for every professional. Let Jenny be your coach, giving you the confidence and tools required to make your next career transition. Whether you're an employee, freelancer or entrepreneur, this book will help you identify the skills you have or need that will lead to your next opportunity. Jenny has been through career transitions and has successfully navigated them on her own, which makes her the perfect spokesperson for helping you do the same. Pivot is the book that you'll need to read multiple times through your life because change is constant and often times unexpected!"
—Dan Schawbel, Author of Promote Yourself and Me 2.0
 
“Whether you’re considering a career change, job change or figuring out what to do next, Jenny Blake’s Pivot is the book you need. It’s a comprehensive, practical, must-have guide to your pivot.”
—Susan RoAne, keynote speaker and author of How To Work a Room

"Well-researched, well-written, and well-organized, this book will appeal to those willing to invest time, energy, and effort into the process of "pivoting" their careers for the better."
—Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/01/2016
Blake, a former Google career development specialist and author of Life After College, presents a five-stage (Plant, Scan, Pilot, Launch, Lead) career development process for new and seasoned professionals exploring fresh occupational options. She defines "pivoting" as an "intentional, methodical process for nimbly navigating career changes." Similar to many popular career coaching strategies, Blake's recommendations include a number of tried-and-true approaches, such as examination and clarification of personal values and work-related strengths; identifying allies; networking; and testing the career waters through internships, volunteering, and work projects. Citing such diverse sources as entrepreneur Steve Jobs, writer Joseph Campbell, and comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Blake applies the principles of "lean" business practices to personal and professional development. VERDICT Well-researched, well-written, and well-organized, this book will appeal to those willing to invest time, energy, and effort into the process of "pivoting" their careers for the better.—Alan Farber, Univ, of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Library Journal