Pivotal

Creating Stability in an Uncertain World

KNOWING WHAT SHOULDN’T CHANGE MIGHT BE YOUR KEY TO SUCCESS

In our fast-paced modern world, uncertainty and confusion have become the norm.

But it doesn’t need to be this way.

Pivotal offers a powerful antidote to the dizzying spinning and relentless chaos overwhelming countless organizations (and individuals) today.

Through tools that enable you to discern genuine opportunities from mere distractions, you can create stability in both your professional and personal life.

The concept of stability is akin to a basketball player executing a pivot. While one foot moves in a circular motion, the other remains anchored to the ground.

The unsung hero is the foot that doesn’t move, as it provides the solid foundation and stability needed for future shifts.

This book champions the planted foot. By focusing on what doesn’t—and shouldn’t—change, you can build a robust foundation that supports future shifts without wasting valuable resources on bright, shiny objects or fleeting fads.

The emphasis has always been on what’s next. But sometimes, we need to focus on what’s now.

Being pivotal emerges from a place of power—today. It involves knowing where to channel your resources for the greatest impact, allowing you to offer clarity and direction to your employees—and in the process, becoming irreplaceable to your customers.

Stop the spinning and start winning.

$26.95
ISBN: 979-8-89138-002-8
SKU: 18-1218-01
Categories:Business and Finance, Leadership and Management

“Innovation has become the default—but what happens when innovation becomes the enemy of quality and focus? Steve Shapiro’s Pivotal focuses on not just what it takes to change the game, but when and if change is even necessary. Rethinking the efficacy of the terminology and practices that maintain the status quo, Shapiro encourages a future that thinks more critically and keeps substance at the forefront.”—DR. MARSHALL GOLDSMITH, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

 

“‘Read not the Times. Read the Eternities.’ Henry David Thoreau wrote that bit of timeless advice in 1863, a good 150 years before social media and today’s hustle culture took over. Like Thoreau, Stephen Shapiro understands that in a future obsessed with the next big thing, Pivotal readers will differentiate themselves by rejecting the cult of distraction and doubling down on substance and depth.”—MIKE BECHTEL, Chief Futurist, Deloitte Consulting; Adjunct Professor of Corporate Innovation, University of Notre Dame

 

“Pivoting is all the rage among start-ups. But Shapiro makes clear that pivoting without differentiation and stable capabilities is a fast turn to nowhere. If your business environment is changing—and whose isn’t?—you need to read this book.”—THOMAS H. DAVENPORT, Distinguished Professor, Babson College; MIT Research Fellow; author of Competing on Analytics and All-in on AI

 

“Technology and AI are changing the game for every organization, and Shapiro’s important insight is the power of focusing on what doesn’t and shouldn’t change. His mantra, ‘innovate where you differentiate,’ is not just advice; it’s a strategic imperative for thriving in today’s dynamic, turbulent world. Pivotal provides a road map for leaders seeking to drive reinvention while holding fast to what is truly unchangeable.”—PAUL DAUGHERTY, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Accenture

 

“In today’s fiercely competitive entrepreneurial landscape, standing out is not just important—it’s essential. Shapiro’s Pivotal elevates the conversation from mere differentiation to a masterclass on becoming irreplaceable. This book is more than a read; it’s a potent catalyst for career transformation.”—DORIE CLARK, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game and executive education faculty, Columbia Business School

“Shapiro has written a grounded book for dizzying times. His simple yet profound framework combines stability and agility to offer a wise alternative to perpetual pivoting that can help you build an iconic, enduring business.”

—DANIEL H. PINK, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive, The Power of Regret, and To Sell Is Human

Stephen M. Shapiro

Innovation Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant

www.StephenShapiro.com

Stephen’s career started after he earned a degree in industrial engineering from Cornell University. His focus was on improving manufacturing productivity. Although Stephen didn’t know it at the time, this was the perfect field of study for the work he would eventually do.

Right out of college, Stephen joined Arthur Andersen’s Management Consulting Division (now Accenture, the global management consulting firm). His first big career opportunity came in 1993, when he helped run their Business Process Reengineering practice. This optimization work was a natural build on Stephen’s industrial engineering work. Instead of improving manufacturing productivity, they focused on improving business productivity.

After a few years of promoting this work, he experienced an existential crisis when he realized that their process improvement work had led to massive downsizing. During a leave of absence, Stephen evaluated what he wanted to do with his life and he realized he wanted to help companies grow. And, since 1996, innovation has been his focus.

Stephen was lucky to be given the opportunity to lead a twenty-thousand-person process and innovation practice. He gave speeches and workshops to consultants and clients around the world, promoting their perspectives on innovation.

In 2001, he made another shift: he wrote his first book, 24/7 Innovation: A Blueprint for Surviving and Thriving in an Age of Change (McGraw Hill), left Accenture, and branched out on his own.

Since then, he has written seven books. Stephen’s previous book, Best Practices Are Stupid: 40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition (Portfolio Penguin), was named the best innovation and creativity book of 2011 by 800-CEO-READ (now Porchlight). Personality Poker®️ (Portfolio Penguin), which is both a book and a card game, has been used in twenty-five countries around the world to create high-performing innovation teams.

Stephen has had the great luxury of traveling the world and giving speeches in more than fifty countries. He is a Senior Fellow with The Conference Board. In 2017, he was a judge and mentor on the TLC innovation reality television show, Girl Starter. And, in 2015, he was bestowed one of the highest honors of the speaking profession: he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.

When not speaking on stage, Stephen enjoys practicing magic and making the impossible possible. Stephen lives in Orlando, Florida, where he gets to enjoy the most amazing life with his wife.

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