Leading Through Transition - Jessica Whitney ’10

A simple but powerful leadership lesson: show up — whether in loss, transition or everyday life. SUMMARY Jessica Whitney ’10 reminds us that we often know what to do — the difference is actually doing it. Small acts of showing up can mean everything.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   JESSICA'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP LESSONS Here are 10 leadership lessons from this conversation: 1. Align your life with your values, not your plan Whitney thought she’d do 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, but family and faith became higher priorities than her original career plan. Leadership lesson: Be willing to pivot when reality and your values diverge, even if it means leaving a prestigious path. 2. Redefine success beyond titles and rank She struggled after leaving the Air Force because her identity was tied to “academy grad” and “officer.” Leadership lesson: Anchor your worth in who you are and how you impact people daily, not in your job title. 3. Use mentors to unlock “freedom to choose” A single honest conversation with her mentor gave Whitney “freedom” to imagine different possibilities. Leadership lesson: Seek out mentors who model alternative paths and will tell you the truth about tradeoffs. 4. Make decisions with the best information you have now Whitney references the Gen. George Patton quote about a good plan now vs. a perfect plan later, and emphasizes moving forward one step at a time. Leadership lesson: Don’t wait for total certainty. Clarify what you know, what you don’t control, then act. 5. Integrity = keeping and honoring your word From her transformational leadership class: Keep your word when you can. When you can’t, honor it: Notify early, reset expectations and clean up the impact. Leadership lesson: Integrity isn’t perfection; it’s proactive ownership. This builds trust and reduces stress for everyone. 6. Name the stories that secretly run you (“what’s undefined runs you”) Whitney recognized long-standing internal stories like “I don’t belong” from moving often as a Navy brat. Leadership lesson: Identify your limiting narratives (e.g., “I can’t disappoint people,” “I don’t belong”) so they stop unconsciously driving your behavior. 7. Create a compelling future and work backwards She describes standing in the future you want (for yourself or an organization) and asking, “If we were already there, how did we get here?” Leadership lesson: Lead by designing the future state (culture, behaviors, outcomes), then reverse-engineer today’s actions. 8. Show up for people — especially in their storms After her brother-in-law’s suicide, the support from church and Air Force community showed her the power of “just showing up.” Leadership lesson: You rarely know what others are carrying. Leadership is often simply being present, unasked, when it matters. 9. Align daily actions with stated values Whitney feels the most stress when her behavior and values (family, faith, health, service) are misaligned. Leadership lesson: Use misalignment (stress, guilt, burnout) as a signal to recalibrate how you spend time, energy and money. 10. Invest in small, consistent habits (1% better) Whitney references “atomic habits” — reading regularly, moving her body, cooking healthy meals and doing “one more rep.” Leadership lesson: Long-term leadership impact comes from small, repeatable behaviors, not dramatic one-time efforts CHAPTERS 00:00:05 – Introduction & Transition Theme Whitney is welcomed to Long Blue Leadership. Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99, frames the episode around transitioning out of the military, and Whitney shares her background as part of a dual-military couple and early family life. 00:02:02 – Mentorship, Freedom & First Thoughts of Leaving Whitney describes reaching out to her mentor about transitioning to the reserves. That conversation gives her “freedom