The CUInsight Experience podcast: The pivot (#216)

Welcome to episode 216 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your hosts, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com, and Jill Nowacki, President and CEO of Humanidei.

This episode is sponsored by The Sheeter Group - a leading executive benefits firm that meets your retention and succession needs. This includes non-qualified benefit plans, short and long-term incentive plans, compensation studies, scorecard design, performance evaluation, and more. Learn more at sheetergroup.com.

In this season, Jill and I will have conversations centered around leadership, credit unions, and living our best lives. We will have some of the most respected leaders from around credit unions who we are grateful to call friends join us in the discussion from time to time too.

In this episode, Jill and I talk about all things pivoting - when you realize the path that you're on isn't the one you need to stay on. It can be a strategic shift, a leadership adjustment, or even a whole new direction. The need to pivot can come from burnout, boredom, or external factors such as failing to meet success metrics. We discuss how internal signs such as lack of creativity or excitement for the work can also indicate that it's time for a change.

Pivoting can be difficult, as it requires overcoming our natural human desire for stability, and Jill and I discuss how leaders have the added challenge of bringing their teams along through the transition. We remind you that being transparent about the reasons behind the pivot, the expected outcomes and potential challenges, and inviting input from your team can all help ease the process for everyone. Celebrating milestones and small wins along the way is also important to maintain morale.

We also highlight how pivots don't have to be monumental shifts; sometimes, it's the "two degree" changes that open up new opportunities. The key, though, is being attuned to all of the signals that are trying to tell you that it's time to make a move, so whether in your career, your organization, or your personal life, the ability to recognize when it's time to pivot can be one of the healthiest and most impactful decisions that you make. The path forward may not be certain, but the alternative of staying stuck is often so much worse!

We hope that this episode offers you some great insight! As always, feel free to reach out to us and share your thoughts! We would love to hear from you!

[0:40] – Recognizing burnout, boredom, or poor results can signal that it’s time for a career or leadership pivot!
[3:33] – When work loses its joy, adjusting your approach can revive motivation and prevent quitting.
[5:17] – Staying relevant requires adapting to consumer behaviors and evolving ways that people receive information.
[7:16] – As people and leaders change over decades, adjusting direction can help keep life and work fulfilling.
[10:12] – Many people avoid pivoting due to fear, even when change feels like the obvious choice.
[12:00] – Fear of losing stability often stops people from pursuing better opportunities.
[15:56] – Pivoting too rarely runs the risk of irrelevance, but pivoting too often can derail long-term success.
[16:57] – Leaders build trust by communicating pivoting goals honestly while acknowledging uncertainties.
[19:14] – Effective pivots respect the past while steering toward a future vision.
[20:23] – Balancing urgency with patience helps leaders bring teams along during change.
[23:06] – Reflecting on gradual progress can reveal meaningful changes that you’ve already achieved.
[25:06] – Career pivots often happen in stages, reshaping both work focus and personal fulfillment.
[28:14] – Randy’s shift to remote work evolved gradually, driven by intentional testing and personal travel goals.
[29:27] – Hindsight reframes prior moves as inevitable steps toward present success.
[31:58] – Pleasing others can sometimes block the bold pivots that you truly need.
[34:50] – Jill urges acting on change signals, trusting resilience to allow corrections if needed.
[35:59] – Small, consistent pivots can prevent stagnation and create lasting change.