3-Strike Pivot Strategy to become a Happy Engineer
If it costs you your peace, it's too expensive!
You have a bad manager or a disruptive colleague 👿 who gives you panic attacks and creates chaos in your work, but you stick with them. When should you move away?
You are working on a project that is getting deprioritized by your leadership. When should you change the project?
Throughout my career and mentoring experiences, many software engineers have sought answers to questions like these which boil down to a single concern:
When and how can I reduce tension and navigate my career happily through corrective actions?
Today, I'm sharing my "3-Strike Pivot Strategy", a framework I've used successfully for five years to:
Anticipate and pivot from problematic situations before they escalate,
Maintain calm, manage stress, and fail fast out of complex situations.
By sharing this, I hope you will benefit from it as well.
No action can guarantee success, but “no action” will guarantee failure.
⭐️ Key Takeaway
Using the 3-Strike framework helps you sustain and advance in your career. It does this by spotting red flags early and managing tough situations well.
🧠 3-Strike Pivot Strategy
This strategy means giving three chances to an unfavorable situation. I use it to evaluate the problem at hand. I also use it to understand the long-term impact of these situations. Then, I plan to take action at different times. I will pivot myself out if nothing works.
I was inspired to use it after learning about The Three Strikes and You're Out Law.
If companies can PIP (Performance Improvement Plan) you out for stupid reasons, you can certainly do the same with the company or people for all the valid reasons - and that is your own sanity, growth, and happiness.
— Gourav Khanijoe
🚀 What does it look like?
My execution of this strategy goes like this:
🩺 Strike one: Identify and try to address the issue directly
The idea here is to not give up on an issue just immediately. As a leader, you are there to solve such problems and take corrective action before you can expect it from others.
🧯 Strike two: Reassess and Seek Support to resolve the problem
No one is perfect and it takes time to improve. Once you have given them the feedback, you reassess if things are moving in the right direction or not after giving a reasonable time to the party.
🗡️ Strike Three: Make the Pivot
You are sure that, despite your efforts, things are not improving. You have done all you can, but issues persist. If they're culturally entrenched, it's time to move on for your own well-being and career growth.
In each strike, consider:
⌛ Timeframe: How long to address each stage. It varies based on circumstances.
🚦 Signs: Indicators that prompt action.
🧲 Your Actions: Steps that you take to facilitate improvement.
Each of these parameters varies based on the problem but once you apply this in your life, you will adapt to it.
Practical Implementation Using 2 Different Examples
Let me explain how I used it in the past to solve 2 different situations:
Example 1: When I had a bad manager 🦹♀️
The first time I had a bad manager, I stuck with them for too long and it crippled my chances of promotion and I was burnt out. That taught me a hard lesson to move on sooner as it wasn’t worth it. The second time it happened to me, I was more educated on this concept of 3 strikes and so I used it like it. I am sharing the action plan, similar to what I took used, in a more general manner here for you to reference.
⚡ Strike One: Identify and Try to Address the Issue Directly
⌛ Timeframe: 2-3 months after having a new manager. This is because it takes that much time to understand a human generally.
🚦 Signs: panic attacks are common. Stress is constant. Expectations are unrealistic. Support is lacking. There's a feeling of being gaslit. Conflicts happen in every conversation.
🧲 Your Action: Schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss your concerns. Be specific about what is causing your anxiety and propose solutions that could improve your working relationship.
⚡⚡ Strike Two: Reassess and Seek Support
⌛ Timeframe: 1.5 months after Strike One. This will possibly give you enough time for a few 1:1 and team meetings where you can assess improvements.
🚦 Signs: Stress and anxiety have continued, despite initial discussions. They are harming your mental health. You fear being judged for the last conversation and feel politics at play.
🧲 Your Action(s):
Document specific instances of problematic behavior. Seek advice and action from a Trusted mentor, Skip level manager, or HR representative.
Begin looking for opportunities to transfer to a different team within the company or start exploring external job opportunities.
⚡⚡⚡ Strike Three: Make the Pivot
⌛ Timeframe: 1 month after Strike Two. Observe that I give less time now because I don’t want to burn out of stress now that things are pretty clear
🚦 Signs: Condition worsens, no significant impact despite your efforts, no action from top management.
🧲 Your Action: Make the switch to a new team or company.
Example 2: When I was working on a project that got deprioritized 📽️
My promotion was denied 3 times for Senior Engineer because I was stuck on a low-priority project. The next time, it was about to happen within a different company, I became self-aware of the situation and used this strategy to move out of the project at the right time.
⚡ Strike One: Identify and Try to Address the Issue Directly
⌛ Timeframe: 1 month of observing reduced traction on your project.
🚦 Signs: Project milestones are delayed; Decreased communication from stakeholders; Reduced resources allocated to the project
🧲 Your Action(s):
Schedule a meeting with the project manager and stakeholders to discuss concerns;
Request clarity on the project's priority and future plans;
Propose adjustments or initiatives to re-engage interest in the project.
⚡⚡Strike Two: Reassess and Seek Support
⌛ Timeframe: 1 month after Strive One. This is because it takes time to reallocate resources to the project.
🚦 Signs: Continued delays and lack of updates; Project is consistently overshadowed by other priorities; Minimal feedback or support from management
🧲 Your Action(s):
Document specific instances of deprioritization and their impacts.
Seek advice from a mentor or senior colleague on how to navigate the situation.
Suggest a formal review of the project's goals and alignment with company objectives.
⚡⚡⚡ Strike Three: Make the Pivot
⌛ Timeframe: 1 month after Strive Two. This is because it takes time to drive strategic decisions about the changing priorities.
🚦 Signs: No improvement in project prioritization; Ongoing lack of support and resources; Personal and team morale is affected; Career Progression is stuck.
🧲 Your Action(s):
Begin exploring opportunities to transfer to a different project within the company.
Network within the organization to identify high-priority projects that need assistance.
Consider external opportunities if internal options are limited.
🏋️ Action Item
Identify one challenge that you are facing at your workplace and use this 3-Strike Strategy to solve it. Let me know in the comment or reply to email to share your problems and I can help you to form the strikes.
Shoutouts 🔊
Why do companies keep so many secrets by
An Engineer's Guide to Linkedin 💼 by
That Extra Focus on Solution is Hurting Your Leadership by
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Gourav Khanijoe