Reader situation
You’ve invested time and effort in a direction: a project, a career path, an approach to your work. New information suggests it may no longer be the best path. Changing direction can feel like admitting failure, especially if others know about your original plan.
Central idea
Continuing a path is not always the best response to past effort. Revisit your reasons, consider what has changed and explain a revised direction clearly.
Practical steps
Use these reflection steps when you’re considering whether to change direction.
- Recall original goal. What were you trying to achieve when you chose this direction? Write down the goal and the reasons you chose this path to reach it. Ask yourself: What did I hope would happen? What did I believe at the time that made this the best choice?
- Identify new information. What has changed since you made the decision? It might be new evidence, a change in your circumstances, a shift in your organization or market, or simply a clearer understanding of what the path involves. Ask yourself: What do I know now that I didn’t then? Would I make the same decision today, knowing what I know?
- Consider options. What are your choices now? Usually there are more than two: continue as planned, adjust the approach, pause, change direction or stop. Ask yourself: What would each option involve? What would I gain and lose? Am I favoring one option mainly because of the effort I’ve already put in?
- Choose direction. Decide which option best serves your goal now, or a revised goal if the original one no longer fits. Ask yourself: Which option fits my current priorities and the information I have? What’s the first step?
- Explain learning. Explain your decision to those affected, focusing on what you learned rather than on what went wrong. For example: “When we started, we expected demand from large clients. Over six months, we’ve learned that smaller clients are more interested, so we’re adjusting our focus.” Ask yourself: How can I explain this so that the change reads as learning rather than failure?
Worked example
Fictional example
The people and details are invented to illustrate an approach. It reports no outcomes.
Ade spent a year working toward a move into people management, completing a training course and leading small projects. During that time, she discovered she finds the hands-on technical work more satisfying, and her company created a senior technical track. Reflecting, she recalls her original goal: more influence and career progression. She realizes the technical track could meet that goal better than management. She considers her options and chooses to apply for the technical track. She explains to her manager: “The management training taught me a lot about leading projects, and it also showed me that I want to grow through technical work. The new track lets me do that.” Her manager supports the change, and Ade notes that the year of training wasn’t wasted, since it gave her skills she’ll still use.
Companion tool: Direction review canvas
Original goal: ________
Why I chose this direction: ________
What’s changed: ________
Would I make the same choice today? ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Unsure
Options
| Option | What I’d gain | What I’d lose |
|---|---|---|
| Continue | ||
| Adjust | ||
| Change direction |
Am I favoring an option because of effort already spent? ________
My decision: ________
First step: ________
How I’ll explain it, focusing on learning: ________
Boundaries
- Changing direction isn’t always right. Sometimes persistence through difficulty is what a goal requires.
- Decisions with significant financial, legal or employment consequences may need advice beyond peer reflection.
- You don’t owe everyone an explanation for changing direction. Explain to those affected.
Member action
Discuss one decision you may need to revisit and the information behind it. Focus on what has changed, so the conversation is about the decision rather than the past effort.
Discussion prompt
What’s a change of direction in your career that turned out better than continuing would have?
