Change Management · The leadership behind transformation
From resistance to readiness: the questions leaders need to ask
By Isabella Brusati
When a transformation slows, “resistance” can become a convenient explanation. It identifies a reaction without necessarily explaining its cause.
For an accountable leader, the more useful question is: what is this response telling us about the change and the conditions in which people are being asked to deliver it?
Some objections will challenge a necessary decision. Others will reveal operational weaknesses, competing incentives or a lack of capacity. Treating them all as an attitude problem makes it harder to distinguish between the two.
Separate the decision from the way it will work.
A strategic direction may be settled while important implementation questions remain open. People need to know the difference.
For example, an organisation may have decided to integrate two functions. That does not mean every question about accountabilities, handovers or service continuity has been resolved. A manager who raises these issues may be helping the integration succeed rather than rejecting it.
Be explicit about what is fixed, what can still be shaped and who will decide. Inviting participation where there is no genuine room to influence the outcome can weaken trust. Equally, presenting every design choice as non-negotiable can deprive the programme of useful operational knowledge.
Look at the conditions before judging the response.
Four questions help turn a broad label into a more useful diagnosis.
Is the change clear? Can people explain what will be different in their own work, why it matters and what remains uncertain? A polished presentation does not necessarily answer those questions.
Can they do it? Consider capability, access, practice and support. Completing training is different from being able to apply a new process under real working conditions.
Do they have room to do it? Examine workloads, deadlines and competing initiatives. People cannot make every priority their first priority, however committed they may be.
Does the organisation reinforce it? If measures, incentives and senior decisions continue to reward the old way of working, asking individuals to behave differently creates a contradiction.
These questions do not excuse every refusal to change. They make it possible to respond to the right problem. A capacity issue needs a different intervention from a capability gap or a disagreement about strategic direction.
Examine your own response to challenge.
Transformation places leaders under pressure to demonstrate progress. In that context, an inconvenient question can feel like an obstacle to momentum—or a challenge to personal credibility.
This is where the inner work of leadership has practical consequences. Can you remain curious long enough to understand the concern? Can you distinguish criticism of a proposal from criticism of you? Can you acknowledge uncertainty without withdrawing from your responsibility to decide?
Executive coaching can provide space to examine these reactions and rehearse a more constructive response. It cannot replace the governance, resources or management action needed to address the underlying issue.
A useful response might be: “Help me understand where this will break down in practice, and what you would need to make it workable.” That opens an investigation without promising that the entire decision will be reversed.
Close the loop.
Listening exercises lose credibility when participants never hear what happened to their input. After gathering concerns, distinguish between issues that will change the plan, issues that need more evidence and requests that cannot be accommodated.
Explain the reasoning and name the next action. Where the organisation cannot remove a constraint, say so honestly and discuss how the consequences will be managed.
Readiness is not a mood that a communications campaign can create on its own. It is a practical judgment about whether people and the organisation are sufficiently prepared to work differently—and what still needs attention.
The executive move
Choose one group currently described as “resistant”. Speak with its manager and a small number of people doing the work. Ask what they understand, what concerns them and what would make the change workable.
Compare their answers with the programme’s assumptions. Identify one condition you can change, assign an owner and report back. Do not promise to remove every difficulty; demonstrate that useful evidence leads to a considered response.
A question to take away: What might your organisation be trying to tell you that the word “resistance” is preventing you from hearing?
An original practice perspective on leadership, organisational dynamics and adoption. Examples and questions are illustrative; no client case or measured outcome is implied.