Lead the Pivot, Don’t Chase It: How to Stay Ahead of Industry Shifts
In healthcare—and leadership in general—waiting too long to pivot can cost you more than acting too soon. By the time a shift is obvious to everyone, the leaders who moved early are already ahead. They’re capturing opportunity while others are still reacting. The difference isn’t just timing—it’s mindset. Because great leaders don’t just adapt. They anticipate. They scan the horizon, listen for subtle signals, and ask hard questions before change becomes urgent.
So, how do you lead the pivot instead of chasing it?
Here’s what I’ve learned from experience:
1. Trade Tunnel Vision for Peripheral Awareness
When you’re deep in operations, it’s easy to lock in on what’s right in front of you—metrics, dashboards, and what’s “always worked.” But leaders who stay ahead widen their lens. They’re looking across industries, paying attention to emerging trends, watching consumer behavior, and listening to what competitors aren’t saying out loud.
The clues are there—if you’re willing to look beyond your immediate environment.
2. Make Curiosity a Strategic Advantage
When you’re asking “What if?” and “Why now?” long before there’s a burning platform, you’re able to pivot from a place of strategy instead of survival.
Curious leaders ask questions others aren’t asking:
What part of our business model feels outdated?
What’s the next major disruptor our industry isn’t prepared for?
What’s changing in our patients’, customers’, or clients’ expectations?
Curiosity isn’t a personality trait. It’s a competitive edge.
3. Pilot Before the Pressure
The best pivots don’t happen under duress. They happen when a team has room to test, adjust, and learn. Innovative organizations build a culture of safe experimentation. They expect small tests. They welcome stretch ideas. And when a real shift is needed, they’re not starting from scratch—they’re accelerating from something already in motion.
4. Build a Strategy You’re Willing to Evolve
Your strategy shouldn’t be so rigid that it crumbles under pressure. If your plan can’t flex, your team won’t either. Build a strategy that holds firm on the mission but flexible on the methods. Because agility isn’t a sign you’re unsure—it’s a sign you’re prepared.
5. Surround Yourself With Strategic Contrarians
Want to know what’s changing? Don’t just talk to people who agree with you. Seek out people who challenge your thinking. Some of my best insights have come from cross-functional peers, early careerists with fresh eyes, or people outside my industry entirely. They saw the cracks before I did. And because I listened—I moved early.
Leading the Pivot Takes Courage
It’s easy to look bold in hindsight. It’s harder to lead the pivot in real time—when the data is incomplete, the path is uncertain, and others haven’t caught on yet. But that’s exactly when real leadership shows up.
When you choose to move—not because it’s popular, but because it’s right.
If you’re sensing a shift in your industry, your organization, or even your own leadership journey—don’t wait for permission. Start scanning. Start testing. Start leading.
Because the leaders who anticipate the wave are the ones who ride it. Everyone else scrambles to stay afloat.
Ask yourself: Are you waiting for change to happen—or shaping what comes next?