The Power of the Pivot
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King Jr
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Proverbs 4:25
When I was growing up, I wasn’t really athletic. I was, well, energetic - kinda bouncy. I exerted energy for sure, but is wasn’t often strategic or focused or skilled.
I actually remember the first time my 6th grade basketball coach explained the pivot to us. When I was blocked from forward motion, I had to simultaneously stop, plant one foot using it as the pivot point, and release the other foot in the direction I wanted to exert the ball in my grasp to a teammate. If I didn’t do it right, I would be called out for traveling or the ball would get into the wrong hands. I actually didn’t know it was a thing up to that point. I know - 6th grade - yep. That was me. I didn’t even make it through one season of basketball.
In my adult life, the pivot is still just as valuable and requires just as much intentionality. In some ways I am still a little bouncy! But when all a person does is bounce around, forward momentum is much harder.
Recently, I had to pivot. I have been sick for more than two weeks. I have been way less bouncy! On day 12 I finally went to the doctor. I had bronchitis and strep. I was trying to power through it, still working out, still doing my job. But when I realized I might not have the ability to heal myself and went to get help, it made the difference, almost immediately.
Because I was less than my optimum, I had top step back a little at work too. I had to rely on other people a little more. They were happy to do it. I wasn’t as happy to let them. Like I said, I am still a little bouncy - even in my late 50’s. I like to keep moving around.
As I had a little more time to think about pivoting, two things came to mind: creating and capturing
Creating : Pivoting still requires creation. When a part of you is “planted” or “stopped” from forward movement, you still have an eye for forward movement. You just have to do a quick recalculation, which is creation.
Capturing: Pivoting also requires capturing. In 6th grade basketball, when I was stopped in place, I had to hand-off. It is the same in your life or work or parenting or marriage. You have to quickly and strategically assess your surroundings and its limitations, but also its opportunities. Look for who you can hand-off to? And then hand-off.
So here’s to pivoting and partnering; to creating and capturing. Next time you are blocked, do a quick pivot. Create and capture for a quick hand-off!
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