Week 6

Subject Line: Setbacks Are Setups for Comebacks 

Welcome back to The HayZ Minute. I appreciate you joining me again as we continue exploring ideas that support growth, leadership, and resilience. This week, I want to focus on something every leader encounters sooner or later: setbacks.

Setbacks are part of life. They can be frustrating, discouraging, and at times even painful. They test confidence and patience, especially when progress feels slow or invisible. But over time, I’ve come to believe this: setbacks are rarely final defeats. More often, they are steppingstones—moments that force reflection, sharpen focus, and ultimately set the stage for meaningful comebacks.

I remember one particularly challenging period when my team was tasked with reducing the time it took for veterans to receive their first scheduled appointment. The system was strained, the data looked grim, and morale was low. On paper, it felt like a no-win situation. Many would have accepted the delays as unavoidable. Instead, we chose to reframe the setback as an opportunity to rethink how we worked.

Here’s what made the difference: 

Step Back and Assess
Before jumping to solutions, we paused. We examined the data honestly, stripped away assumptions, and identified the true bottlenecks instead of reacting to surface-level symptoms.

Redefine Success
Rather than chasing an instant fix, we focused on progress over perfection. We broke the work into bite-sized goals and celebrated small daily wins. Momentum matters.

Lean on the Team
Some of the best insights came from frontline staff—the people closest to the work. Their perspective revealed issues leadership alone couldn’t see, and their ideas drove real breakthroughs.

Stay Persistent
Progress wasn’t immediate, but consistency paid off. Over time, those small improvements compounded, and we ultimately reduced the time to first scheduled appointment by three days. 

That experience reinforced a lesson I return to often: setbacks aren’t walls blocking our path; they’re detours pointing us toward better roads—if we’re willing to stay engaged long enough to learn from them. 

Weekly Quote:
“Fall seven times and stand up eight.” — Japanese Proverb

👉 Call to Action:
Question of the Week: What’s one setback you’ve faced that turned into a comeback? Your story might encourage someone navigating their own challenge.

 One reset at a time,
HayZ