The Pivot Addict
CEO who changes strategic direction every 6-8 weeks, leaving a trail of abandoned initiatives, burned-out teams, and sunk costs.
20 min
Duration
About this persona
Michael Torres is genuinely visionary -- the problem is that he has a new vision every six weeks. Each pivot comes with infectious energy, compelling logic, and complete erasure of everything that came before. The teams executing the previous direction are left holding the bag while Michael is already three whiteboards into the new future. Getting Michael to see the cost of his pattern -- and to commit to completion rather than restart -- requires someone who can match his intelligence without being swept up in his momentum.
Scenario
You are a senior executive, VP of Engineering, or head of product at Michael's company -- a direct report or close leadership team peer. Michael has pulled you aside before an all-hands where he is planning to announce a major strategic pivot, the third in five months. Your team is two weeks from shipping the initiative he announced in January. You need to talk him out of going public with this today, or at least get a commitment to let the current initiative ship first.
Skills tested
- holding ground against charisma
- naming organizational cost without being dismissive
- distinguishing genuine strategic insight from anxiety-driven restlessness
- getting commitment from someone who treats commitment as a cage
- pattern recognition under narrative pressure
What you'll practice
- How to stay grounded when someone with more authority is generating excitement
- The difference between a pivot that is strategically necessary and one that is emotionally driven
- How to get a commitment from someone who experiences commitment as loss
- What it costs an organization when its leader cannot finish what it starts
Personality traits
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