A willingness to pivot early and often can set the stage for corporate achievement. George Feldenkreis was poor when he fled Cuba for the United States, bringing only $700 with him. Initially, he sold automotive parts, but a pivot to selling the guayabera shirt—a cultural symbol of Cuba—marked his foray into fashion. Feldenkreis went on to become chair of Perry Ellis International, which acquired more than 30 clothing labels and became a billion-dollar empire.
As a woman rising up the corporate ranks in the 1960s, Carol Goldberg, Stop & Shop’s former president, navigated uncharted territory. Rather than subscribe to societal norms, she challenged them. Goldberg was only the second woman to graduate from Harvard Business School’s advanced management program and the first to serve on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. She also coauthored a book to help women executives succeed.
Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman wrote the next chapter of his own life story and, through a series of pivots, went from National Basketball Association (NBA) player to part NBA owner. In the 30-plus years between playing for the Bucks and owning a 10 percent stake in his former team, the player-turned-billionaire owned more than 500 franchises.
Daniel Ludeman, the longtime president and CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors, shifted from a business focus to a more personal one. He founded Concordance, a not-for-profit organization that helps people rebuild their lives—and reclaim their dignity—after incarceration.
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