When Life Breaks Your Ankles (And Your Plans): A Strategic Planner's Guide to Pivoting

Sometimes the universe has its own timeline - and it doesn't care about your project deadlines

Two weeks ago, I took what I like to call an "unplanned vertical descent" down my stairs. The result? Two broken ankles and a very humbling reminder that even the most carefully crafted plans can go sideways in a heartbeat.

As I sit here with my feet elevated, surrounded by the chaos of an ADU remodel that's been testing my patience for over a year, I can't help but laugh at the irony. Here I am, a strategic planning consultant who helps organizations navigate complexity and uncertainty, and I just got schooled by my own staircase.

Let's start with some context.

For the past year… or two…. or three… I've been deep in the trenches of what can only be described as a masterclass in project management gone rogue. The ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) project on my property has been a symphony of moving targets, questionable contractor decisions, and city bureaucracy that would make even the most seasoned project manager weep. Every time I thought we had a clear path forward, something shifted. New regulations. Delayed permits. The contractor who assured me he "totally knew what he was doing" clearly did not.

Sound familiar? If you've ever led a strategic initiative, managed a major project, or tried to implement organizational change, you're probably nodding your head right now.

The Pot Twist Nobody Ordered

Enter my spectacular stair tumble. Two broken ankles don't just slow you down; they stop you completely. Suddenly, all those site visits, contractor meetings, and hands-on problem-solving sessions became impossible. My carefully orchestrated timeline? Shot. My ability to micromanage every detail? Gone.

And here's the thing that surprised me most: it was exactly what I needed.

The Forced Pause Strategy

In strategic planning, we talk about the importance of stepping back to assess and recalibrate. We encourage leaders to take time for reflection, to examine their assumptions, and to consider whether their current approach is actually serving their long-term goals. But how often do we actually do this when we're in the thick of execution?

Breaking both ankles gave me something I hadn't allowed myself in months: a mandatory pause.

From my new vantage point (horizontal, with excellent views of my ceiling), I could finally see what had been happening with my project. I'd been so focused on solving each immediate problem that I'd lost sight of the bigger picture. I was reacting instead of strategically responding. I was managing the project instead of leading it toward the vision I'd originally set.

Strategic Insights from the Couch

Lesson 1: Your Plan B Needs a Plan B

No strategic plan survives first contact with reality unchanged. The ADU project taught me this, but breaking my ankles drove it home. When I couldn't physically be on-site, I had to activate systems and relationships I'd been neglecting. Turns out, my contractor was more capable of independent decision-making than I'd given him credit for. Who knew?

Lesson 2: Sometimes the Obstacle IS the Path

This forced pause didn't derail my project—it redirected it in ways that are proving more effective than my original approach. Without my constant oversight, my team stepped up. Issues that had been lingering got resolved. Progress actually accelerated.

Lesson 3: Vision Beats Perfectionism Every Time

When you can't micromanage every detail, you have to trust your vision and the people you've chosen to help you achieve it. This is exactly what we tell our clients about strategic implementation, but apparently, I needed a broken-ankle reminder to apply it to my own life.

The Strategic Pivot

Here's what I've learned about powering forward when life breaks your carefully laid plans:

Reframe the Disruption: Instead of seeing this injury as a setback, I'm viewing it as strategic intelligence. What can this forced change teach me about my approach, my assumptions, and my real priorities?

Leverage Your Network: The people and systems you've built matter more than your ability to control every detail. Trust them. Let them surprise you.

Focus on Outcomes, Not Activities: Being unable to "do" everything forced me to focus on what actually needed to happen versus what I thought I needed to manage personally.

Find the Strategic Opportunity: Every disruption creates space for new possibilities. What opportunities become visible when you're forced to change your perspective?

The Badass Realization

You know what I realized, sitting here with my feet up? I'm actually pretty badass at this strategic thinking stuff, even when (especially when) life throws me a curveball. And so are you.

The same skills that help you navigate organizational challenges, market disruptions, and competitive pressures? They work just as well when life hands you two broken ankles and a construction project that seems designed to test your sanity.

Moving Forward (Carefully)

Plot twist: The ADU project is actually complete, and I have a renter moving in this month. My ankles are healing (slowly but surely). And I'm approaching both milestones with the strategic insights this forced pause has provided.

But here's what I want you to take away from my tumble down the stairs: the measure of a great strategist isn't whether their plans go perfectly. It's how they respond when those plans meet reality.

Sometimes you need to pivot. Sometimes you need to pause. Sometimes you need to trust your team and your vision more than you need to control every detail.

And sometimes, just sometimes, the universe breaks your ankles to teach you something you needed to learn.

What unexpected disruptions have forced you to recalibrate your strategic approach? How did you turn that obstacle into an opportunity?