Week 5

Welcome back to The HayZ Minute. Each week, we explore insights, lessons, and practical strategies designed to help you grow in leadership, mindset, and resilience. I’m grateful you’re here and part of this growing community that values thoughtful leadership and intentional progress.

This week, we’re focusing on one of the most universal—and challenging—realities we face: change.

Change is often uncomfortable, sometimes unpredictable, and almost always disruptive. It can stretch routines, test patience, and expose gaps we didn’t realize existed. Yet, change is also where growth happens. It’s where innovation is sparked, systems improve, and leaders are truly revealed. Over the years, I’ve learned that the leaders who succeed aren’t the ones who resist change—they’re the ones who embrace it, adapt quickly, and guide others through it with clarity and confidence.

In my current role, overseeing staff across 10 facilities and supporting more than 377,000 veterans, change is a constant. Federal regulations evolve, new initiatives roll out, budgets expand and contract, and unexpected crises demand immediate attention. At first, these shifts can feel overwhelming. But through experience, reflection, and a few hard lessons along the way, I’ve learned that leading through change comes down to a few core practices:

1. Communicate Early and Often

Silence creates anxiety. Even when answers aren’t clear yet, sharing what you do know builds trust and reduces uncertainty. People don’t expect perfection—they expect honesty.

2. Model Calm Confidence

Teams mirror the energy of their leaders. When pressure rises, a steady presence reassures people and helps them stay focused on solutions instead of stress.

3. Empower Your Team

The best solutions often come from those closest to the problem. I regularly rely on frontline staff for insight. Inviting their input not only leads to better decisions—it reinforces trust, ownership, and morale.

4. Keep the Bigger Picture Front and Center

Change feels harder when people lose sight of why it’s happening. Remind your team that short-term disruption is often the cost of long-term progress.

My time in the Navy reinforced this mindset early on. At sea, storms are inevitable. You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails. That lesson has stayed with me through every professional transition since—and it’s one I return to whenever change feels especially heavy.

Weekly Quote:
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” — Albert Einstein

👉 Call to Action:
What’s one strategy you use to lead through change? Reply and share your experience—I’d love to feature your insights in a future edition of The HayZ Minute.

 One reset at a time,
HayZ