The change leader’s role is to bring resistance into the light of day.

We often think of a change with a beginning and eventually an end. We have decided on our new destination and that at some point, we’ll be “done.” But change is coming at us too fast, and the pace of continuous change is having an effect. GlobeScan’s 2024 global public opinion research shows that nearly 8 in 10 people worldwide (78%) believe “the world is changing too quickly for me.”  This pace of change is especially true for business leaders. In Accenture’s 2024 Pulse of Change Index, business leaders believe they faced an all-time high rate of change in 2023 and expect it to accelerate even more this year.

One destination becomes the next and the next. The change never ends. This reality of continuous non-linear change requires modern change leaders who can guide others forward in these circumstances. Changes move organically through people, but no longer because of a well-defined hierarchy or a structured process. As Niels Pflaeging puts it, “Milk in coffee is a more helpful metaphor than the widespread notion of seeing change as a journey from here to there.”

Historically, leadership programs have been built on authority “leading the charge” and having all the answers. These classic leadership behaviors have been instilled in us since the early 1900s with the introduction of mass production bound by machines and interchangeable people. Leading a change today couldn’t be more different.

At a recent workshop, a leader explained that his team was going through a major change in their communication approach with customers. Customer needs differed by product and service, so this change was complex and inconsistent. He shared that he was the sole leader and spokesperson at their update meetings and didn’t allow time for questions or discussion. He wanted to give clear direction on every step because of the group’s uncertainty – but he often didn’t know enough to provide the best guidance. As a result, his team didn’t trust that he understood the issues and knew the right answers. He said he had to learn that many of his instincts about “being in charge” were getting in his way.

Influential change leaders ask questions and listen more because having all the answers in changing circumstances is no longer possible. They let others have a hand in achieving goals. They don’t evaluate so quickly, so new ideas feel too risky to share. They avoid becoming the “fixer.” The change leader’s role is to ensure the conditions for change and evolution exist.

What About Resistance? 

Inviting others to be part of the change will always bring resistance and skepticism because the status quo is extremely powerful — even if unspoken. It is no longer the change leader’s job to squash skepticism or quickly “get everyone on board.” The command of the “train is leaving the station with or without you” will no longer bring the outcome you want. You want to know what the resistance is and what to make of it.

Rather than thinking of initial resistance as an obstacle, reframe it as a treasure trove of information you can learn from. Rather than burying it, accept and embrace it; otherwise, you may miss an insight that would make a real difference or understand a problem that would have surfaced later. You may discover the team needs a skill set they don’t have today, or there is simply a lack of understanding. You can’t create the right conditions for change if you don’t fully understand where you are.

Bring the resistance into the light of day. Ask for ideas and solutions. Let everyone know you expect recommendations rather than just a list of problems. Welcome these ideas and recommendations — and then listen.

One of my clients set the tone for bringing resistance in the open by always asking her team what they were concerned might go wrong — and then patiently waiting for their answers. By assuming there was resistance, she embraced it and welcomed it into the room.

Conflicting objectives and views need a framework for progress so you don’t hit a stall. Holacracy uses a concept called a “tension” — acknowledging a distance between things as they are today and how they could be. A tension isn’t good or bad, but simply a gap. Tensions are openly explored, and everyone is expected to voice their tensions.

Ask a few basic questions to address resistance or discuss tensions:

• What is your tension? How does it show up?
• What do you recommend we try? What is the first step?
• Who needs to be involved? What must their commitment be?
• How long will this action take to try an experiment or an alternate approach?
• How will we act upon these learnings and new information?
  
  

These answers can lead to new experiments, options, or a new direction that will enable the change.

And remember: Your role is to create the conditions for change. People will change when they are ready and know how to change. Your role is to make it easier.