Change is Hard: Leadership is Harder

The transformation of the Military Health System to the Defense Health Agency under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 is a change of historical proportion. Change can be seen as hard, yet change is always happening. What is actually hard is providing leadership to accomplish the mission and goals for ourselves and our organizations within constant change. Those of us selected for leadership positions often receive standardized preparation and experiences to help us with this challenge. The hard part, though, is not what we often think it is. Leadership is not hard because of the amount of change or the people we are leading. Leadership is hard because, as we increase our rank and responsibilities, there are more people we need to see as people, having an outward mindset toward them, to have a positive influence and impact. In this article, I share the challenge I experienced with an outward mindset in leading the transition of our military treatment facility under the transformation to Defense Health Agency.