What will I learn about: Learn the four-step framework—plant, scan, pilot, and launch—to efficiently change career paths or industries without wasting time and money?

Learn the four-step framework—plant, scan, pilot, and launch—to efficiently change career paths or industries without wasting time and money.

What will I learn about: why changing career directions is perfectly normal and how you can successfully pivot into a new role without even leaving your current employer?

Discover why changing career directions is perfectly normal and how you can successfully pivot into a new role without even leaving your current employer.

What will I learn about: the importance of stepping back to define a tight, value-based vision for the next few years before getting tangled up in the logistics of a career shift?

Understand the importance of stepping back to define a tight, value-based vision for the next few years before getting tangled up in the logistics of a career shift.

What will I learn about: how to evaluate your past experiences and natural strengths so you can transition into a new field without feeling like you are starting from a blank slate?

Find out how to evaluate your past experiences and natural strengths so you can transition into a new field without feeling like you are starting from a blank slate.

What will I learn about: the anxiety of losing a regular paycheck by thoroughly evaluating your financial situation to know exactly when you can afford to take a bold risk?

Master the anxiety of losing a regular paycheck by thoroughly evaluating your financial situation to know exactly when you can afford to take a bold risk.

Pivot

The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One

Jenny Blake

★ 4.1 / 5(89 ratings)

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Categories:

Management & Leadership Entrepreneurship Career & Success

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡What if you could navigate a major career shift without the fear of starting from scratch by following a simple four-step method?
💡Did you know that feeling 'stuck' in your job is often the most important signal that you’re ready for a high-growth breakthrough?
💡Have you ever wondered how to test-drive a new career path with minimal risk before you decide to make the final leap?

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Key Takeaways from Pivot

✓Learn the four-step framework—plant, scan, pilot, and launch—to efficiently change career paths or industries without wasting time and money.
✓Discover why changing career directions is perfectly normal and how you can successfully pivot into a new role without even leaving your current employer.
✓Understand the importance of stepping back to define a tight, value-based vision for the next few years before getting tangled up in the logistics of a career shift.
✓Find out how to evaluate your past experiences and natural strengths so you can transition into a new field without feeling like you are starting from a blank slate.
✓Master the anxiety of losing a regular paycheck by thoroughly evaluating your financial situation to know exactly when you can afford to take a bold risk.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Pivot

Mind Map

Pivot

Core Concept+

Step 1: Plant+

Step 2: Scan+

Step 3: Pilot+

Step 4: Launch+

Step 5: Lead (For Managers)+

Actionable Advice+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

What are the four primary steps of the pivot method for individuals looking to change their careers?

A. Plan, search, practice, execute
B. Plant, scan, pilot, launch
C. Prepare, seek, prototype, leap
D. Pause, study, plan, lead

Question 2 of 9

During the 'plant' stage of pivoting, what is the first thing you should focus on before worrying about the 'hows' and 'whens' of your career change?

A. Securing a new, reliable source of income
B. Finding a long-term mentor in your desired field
C. Establishing your vision and identifying your broader values
D. Launching a small-scale experiment to test the market

Question 3 of 9

Why is it important to evaluate your past strengths and financial situation during the planting phase?

A. To prove to your current employer that you deserve a promotion or raise
B. To determine when you can afford to take a risk and to realize you aren't starting from a blank slate
C. To calculate exactly how much money a long-term career coach will cost
D. To ensure you have enough capital to completely replace your current salary from day one

Question 4 of 9

What approach does the author recommend regarding mentorship during the 'scan' phase?

A. Hire a professional career coach for a multi-year contract
B. Find one senior executive in your current company to guide your entire career
C. Avoid mentors entirely and rely solely on a mastermind group of peers
D. Seek out a series of one-off conversations with experts instead of demanding long-term mentorship

Question 5 of 9

How did Shawn Henry successfully pivot within the FBI to become chief of computer investigations despite having no prior experience in the computer division?

A. He proactively applied his existing strengths in traditional investigative tactics to the digital realm
B. He waited patiently for his manager to assign him to a new department
C. He took a sabbatical to earn a master's degree in computer science
D. He built a massive social media following to prove his digital expertise

Question 6 of 9

What is the primary purpose of the 'pilot' stage in the pivot process?

A. To permanently quit your day job and commit fully to your new idea
B. To write a comprehensive, 50-page business plan for your future career
C. To conduct small, low-risk experiments to determine if the new direction actually thrills you
D. To secure large-scale venture capital funding for a new business

Question 7 of 9

How can a pivoter best overcome the fear of failure when it is finally time to 'launch'?

A. By ensuring that the new venture is 100% guaranteed to succeed before taking action
B. By establishing specific 'launch criteria,' such as a financial benchmark or a set date
C. By ignoring all potential risks and relying entirely on a gut feeling
D. By waiting until their current employer officially lays them off

Question 8 of 9

According to the book, how should managers apply the pivot method to help retain skilled employees?

A. By strictly defining what the employee should be doing for the next five years
B. By discouraging employees from developing skills outside their current job descriptions
C. By leading open-ended discussions using the question 'what's next?' and providing internal mobility opportunities
D. By offering higher salaries without changing the employees' daily responsibilities

Question 9 of 9

What actionable advice does the author give regarding finding your purpose?

A. Define a project-based purpose based on your values and immediate goals rather than an overwhelming life purpose
B. Focus entirely on financial metrics and abandon purpose-driven work until you are wealthy
C. Adopt the life purpose of a successful mentor in your mastermind group
D. Wait until you have successfully launched your final pivot to think about your purpose

Pivot — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Changing career paths is increasingly common, and it’s really nothing to be afraid of.
3Take a step back and set your values to guide what you’ll ultimately achieve.
4Shift into your new career by leveraging your strengths and assessing your financial position carefully.
5Successful pivoters depend on a network of mentors and advisers.
6Create opportunities instead of waiting for them to naturally appear.
7Before fully pivoting, test your ideas with small, low-risk experiments.
8The fears involved in launching your pivot can be overcome by setting clear criteria.
9Managers can apply the pivot method inside their own companies.

Pivot Summary & Overview

Pivot (2016) defines the four-step approach for navigating personal career changes and growth. In addition to demonstrating the basic elements of this method, author Jenny Blake shows how it can also be incorporated by managers into their day-to-day business practices.

Who Should Listen to Pivot?

Entrepreneurs or artists planning on making a career change
Anyone who feels stuck in their current job
Recent graduates trying to make the right career choices

About the Author: Jenny Blake

Jenny Blake is a career and business strategist and international speaker who helps people build careers aligned with their talents and interests. After working as the first employee at a political polling start-up in Silicon Valley, she pivoted to training and career development at Google, where she cocreated the Career Guru Program. Blake became a full-time business consultant in 2011. She is also the author of Life After College.

Pivot

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Pivot — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Pivot

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Pivot — Full Chapter Overview

Pivot Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Pivot?

About the Author: Jenny Blake

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