Starting Over (Again): The Hard and Hopeful Side of Restructuring

This time of year, makes me reflect on change. Starting with new staff and new leadership can be tough. Anyone who’s led a college team knows that. Every couple of years, it feels like we’re starting over — new assistants, new graduate coaches, new athletes, new energy, and new personalities.

As a head coach, my goal isn’t just to build a great staff; it’s to launch people. I want our assistants and graduate coaches to grow, move on, and lead programs of their own. That’s success.

But even good change brings growing pains. Every time someone leaves, you lose the rhythm and chemistry that took years to build. And it’s not just a coaching thing.

Big organizations like USA Swimming face the same challenges. Leadership shifts, priorities reset, and people have to learn to trust again. Change always sounds exciting until you’re the one in the middle of it. It takes patience and ya just gotta trust the process.

John Maxwell said, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” That hits home because growth requires humility. It means admitting that not every fit is perfect. Some personalities and leadership styles just don’t align—and that’s okay. I’ve learned I’m not the right leader for everyone, and some great people weren’t the right fit for our culture. Recognizing that without resentment takes maturity and grace.

But here’s the beauty of it: every time new people arrive, new ideas arrive with them. Tony Robbins says, “Progress equals happiness.” I’ve seen that firsthand. A new coach or athlete brings different energy, asks new questions, and challenges us to grow in ways we didn’t expect. That spark is what keeps programs alive and evolving. This is also true in the business world.

Jim Collins, in Good to Great, wrote that great organizations “confront the brutal facts but never lose faith.” Change forces us to do both—to be honest about what isn’t working while believing in what still can.

Brené Brown puts it simply: “Clear is kind.” In times of transition, people don’t need perfection; they need clarity. I’ve learned to talk openly about what’s shifting, what’s uncertain, and what we’re still figuring out. That kind of honesty builds trust faster than any policy or pep talk ever could.

Starting over doesn’t mean something failed. Often it means something worked—someone grew, someone got promoted, someone took what they learned and ran with it. That’s the point.

Change stretches us, but it also refines us. Whether you’re leading a swim team, a business, a national organization, or an athlete, restructuring is a chance to rebuild with clearer vision, deeper humility, and renewed purpose.

Because when handled well, change doesn’t erase what came before—it expands it. And sometimes, starting over is exactly what moves us closer to the best version of who we’re meant to become as a team, organization or person.