How to Change Direction Without Losing Momentum
GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato
LAST UPDATED: January 26, 2026 at 6:21PM
Innovation is inherently messy, but the risk of changing direction is often lower than the risk of staying the course on a failing hypothesis. The challenge lies in momentum management. How do we shift the “what” and the “how” without losing the “why” that keeps our employees engaged and our customers loyal?
“A pivot is not a failure of vision; it is a victory of insight over ego. The goal isn’t to be right the first time, but to be right when it finally counts.”
The Architecture of a Human-Centered Pivot
To de-risk a pivot, we must move away from abstract technology-led strategies and return to purposeful learning. This requires three foundational pillars:
- Continuous Feedback Loops: If you only listen to customers once a year, a pivot will feel like an earthquake. If you listen daily, it feels like navigation.
- Psychological Safety: Teams must feel safe enough to admit that a prototype is failing. Without this, they will hide the truth until the cliff is unavoidable.
- Modular Strategy: Build your initiatives so components can be repurposed. Don’t build a monolith; build a library of capabilities.
Why Pivots So Often Destroy Momentum
Most pivots fail not because the new direction is wrong, but because the transition is mishandled. Leaders announce abrupt shifts without context, invalidate prior work, or overload teams with conflicting priorities. The result is confusion, cynicism, and disengagement.
Common momentum killers include:
- Declaring past efforts a failure instead of a foundation
- Changing strategy without changing incentives or metrics
- Asking teams to pivot without removing legacy commitments
- Withholding the data that triggered the change
When people feel whiplash rather than continuity, they slow down. Momentum is not lost because direction changed — it is lost because meaning was broken.
The Human Psychology of Directional Change
From a human perspective, pivots threaten identity. Teams invest time, pride, and personal credibility in their work. When leaders abruptly change course, people often hear, “What you did no longer matters.”
De-risking a pivot requires re-framing it as a learning milestone, not a repudiation. Effective leaders make it clear that the organization is not abandoning effort — it is capitalizing on insight.
Case Study 1: The Transition from Product to Platform
Consider a mid-sized industrial firm we worked with that specialized in high-end HVAC sensors. They realized their hardware was becoming a commodity. The data the sensors produced, however, was priceless. To pivot toward a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, they didn’t fire their engineers. They engaged them in collaborative solution-sketching.
By focusing on the real-world outcome — energy efficiency and predictive maintenance — they maintained momentum. The employees weren’t “switching jobs”; they were “upgrading the value” they provided to the same customers. This human-centered approach reduced turnover during the transition by 40% compared to industry benchmarks.
Case Study 2: Re-aligning with the Customer Reality
A retail brand once spent millions on a “store of the future” featuring VR mirrors and robotic assistants. It was flashy, but it was abstract technology that didn’t solve a problem. Customer feedback (captured on simple paper surveys and through direct observation) showed that shoppers actually wanted faster checkout and better lighting in fitting rooms.
The pivot was swift: they stripped away the “futuristic” gadgets and reinvested in practical tools for staff. Because the leadership framed this not as a “mistake” but as disciplined learning, the store managers felt empowered rather than defeated. Sales rose by 22% within six months.
“A pivot should feel less like slamming the brakes and more like changing lanes at speed—guided by evidence, trust, and intent.”
The Role of the Innovation Leader
As a leader, your job is to be the Chief Meaning Officer. When the direction changes, you must connect the dots between the old path and the new one. Use handwritten notes, face-to-face town halls, and authentic communication. Show the “metrics on simple screens” that prove why the change is necessary. When people understand the evidence, they will follow the insight.
How to De-Risk the Pivot
Leaders can dramatically reduce pivot risk by following a few human-centered principles:
- Anchor the change in evidence: Share the signals that made the pivot necessary
- Name what stays the same: Values, goals, and core strengths should feel stable
- Retire old work explicitly: Do not ask teams to carry two strategies at once
- Align incentives quickly: Metrics should reinforce the new direction immediately
A pivot without structural reinforcement is just a speech.
Momentum Is Emotional Before It Is Operational
Organizations often treat momentum as a function of process and speed. In reality, momentum is emotional first. It comes from belief, clarity, and a sense that effort compounds rather than evaporates.
When people believe that learning is valued and that change is purposeful, they move faster — even in uncertainty.
Conclusion: Pivots Are Proof of Learning
The most innovative organizations are not those that never change direction, but those that change direction with discipline, transparency, and respect for human effort.
A well-executed pivot sends a powerful signal: we are paying attention, we are learning, and we are confident enough to evolve without losing ourselves.
That is how organizations adapt without stalling — and how they turn uncertainty into sustained momentum.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you know when it is time to pivot versus when to persevere?
How can a company maintain employee morale during a major shift in direction?
What is the biggest risk during a business pivot?
Extra Extra: Because innovation is all about change, Braden Kelley’s human-centered change methodology and tools are the best way to plan and execute the changes necessary to support your innovation and transformation efforts — all while literally getting everyone all on the same page for change. Find out more about the methodology and tools, including the book Charting Change by following the link. Be sure and download the TEN FREE TOOLS while you’re here.
Image credits: ChatGPT
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