What Healthcare Leaders Can Learn from Setbacks (Including Mine)
Every leader has faced a moment that shakes their confidence—a setback that makes them question if what they’re doing is even working.
Maybe you’ve tried everything to improve retention, but people still walked away.
Maybe you invested in leadership training, but nothing changed.
Maybe you care deeply about your team, but burnout is still running the show.
I get it. I’ve been there, too.
For the past year, I’ve put everything into helping healthcare leaders solve one of the industry’s biggest crises—turnover. I had the data, the strategies, and the proof. I KNOW how to fix this.
Yet, I still hit roadblocks.
I talked to decision-makers who saw the problem but weren’t ready to act.
I laid out the financial impact, but logic alone wasn’t enough.
I watched leaders repeat the same cycle—knowing something wasn’t working but struggling to change it.
That’s when I had my breakthrough:
Turnover isn’t just an HR problem. It’s not just about staffing shortages. It’s not just about pay.
Turnover is a leadership blind spot.
And until leaders address the real reasons people leave, the cycle will continue.
Lesson #1: Data Alone Won’t Save You—People Make Decisions Based on Emotion
When I first started speaking with leaders about turnover, I led with numbers:
The cost of losing one employee: $40,000–$300,000.
The impact of burnout on productivity.
The long-term financial hit of constant turnover.
And guess what? Many nodded, agreed… and did nothing.
Because numbers don’t change behavior—EMOTION does.
Think about your own team. People don’t quit just because of pay.
They quit because they feel unheard.
They quit because they don’t feel valued.
They quit because they’ve been running on empty, and no one has stepped in to help.
People leave when they stop believing their workplace is where they belong.
✅ Fix It:
Stop assuming that offering a raise or implementing another engagement survey will fix retention.
Instead, ask yourself:
When was the last time you made someone feel truly seen?
What would your team say if they could be completely honest with you?
If you’re not asking these questions, your best people may already be planning their exit. In fact, you might be planning yours, too.
Lesson #2: The Hardest Problems to Solve Are the Ones You’re Too Close to See
If you asked me six months ago why my message wasn’t landing, I would have said:
“Maybe they don’t get how bad turnover is.”
Wrong. They DID get it.
The real issue? They were too close to the problem to see what was really causing it.
This happens in healthcare organizations all the time.
Leaders THINK they know why people are leaving, but they’re only seeing the surface.
They assume it’s pay. (It’s often not.)
They assume it’s about “finding the right people.” (Nope, retention is the issue.)
They assume HR can fix it. (This is a leadership problem, not an HR problem.)
✅ Fix It:
If your turnover rates are high and your team is disengaged, you need an outside perspective. You need someone who can see what you’re missing—because solving this from the inside isn’t working.
"But we’ve tried everything!"
Have you? Or have you just tried the same things over and over, hoping for a different result?
Lesson #3: Setbacks Aren’t a Sign to Quit—They’re a Sign to Lead Differently
When I faced rejection after rejection, I started questioning everything.
But here’s what I learned:
Setbacks aren’t stop signs. They’re feedback.
And leaders who don’t take setbacks seriously—who don’t pause and ask, “What is this trying to teach me?”—will repeat the same mistakes until their teams crumble.
✅ Fix It:
Ask yourself:
If your turnover is high… what is that telling you?
If your team is disengaged… what patterns need to change?
The best leaders don’t just survive setbacks. They use them as the turning point to lead differently.
The Hard Truth: You’re Either Leading a Workplace People Want to Stay In—or One They’re Actively Planning to Leave
Turnover, burnout, disengagement—these aren’t random challenges.
They are symptoms of deeper leadership issues that need urgent attention.
When I stopped trying to “fix” turnover and started addressing the real leadership gaps behind it, everything shifted.
Leaders started listening differently.
Teams started responding differently.
Organizations saw real change—up to a 38% reduction in turnover in just 90 days.
Because when leaders stop chasing quick fixes and start making real shifts, people want to stay.
Are You Ready to Lead Differently?
If you’re tired of losing good people and you’re ready for solutions that actually work, let’s talk.
📅 Book a free consult: https://www.yashicalind.com/freeconsult
💡 What setback taught YOU the biggest lesson as a leader? Share your story in the comments—I’d love to hear how you turned it into a moment of growth.