To maintain resilience when your team resists change, focus on empathetic listening to understand their concerns, stay patient, and communicate the long-term benefits clearly. Remind yourself of the positive impact the change will bring, seek support from mentors or colleagues, and celebrate small wins to build momentum. Keep a flexible mindset, adapting your approach as needed, while staying committed to the vision and leading by example.

Navigating change is challenging for leaders. Change brings uncertainty, often leading people to focus on potential negatives. That’s why clear, positive, and transparent communication is essential; any unclear or negative messages may be amplified or used against you. This is reality. True stability in leadership starts within yourself. Developing personal resilience through stress management, health, goal-setting, and mental well-being helps you lead and communicate effectively. Patience and empathy are crucial—understanding each team member’s perspective while maintaining professional distance is key. And when things get tough, seeking support strengthens your capacity to lead through change.

I've always been a proponent of the ADKAR model for change. This stands for: Awareness Desire Knowledge Ability Reinforcement A well-developed change management plan reduces resistance to change and gives a framework for diagnosis when unforeseen challenges occur. Listen to your team & seek to understand their perspective. Ensure you are open to their feedback and empathic. Don't be surprised to find that there may be some feeling of grief associated with the change. Once you have clarity, you can best identify what the overall team and each individual need to accept the change. Plan your communication and support plan to meet them where they are at. The team will appreciate your effort. You'll lead more effectively and be less stressed.

Change can be difficult It means letting go of what is considered safe, and reaching for the unknown, or uncertain, which can be scary. What if it doesn't work? How long will it take me to learn this new way? What will this mean for me? Listening to and addressing you team's very real concerns and addressing each one, is key. They are the ones delivering, so not only do you need them onside willingly (which means realigning their focus to the overall vision not the method), but they may also see potholes you may not have noticed from your bell-tower. If there's resistance, instead of seeing it as resistance, see it as concern from a team who care enough to raise it to your attention for the success of the company

Navigating resistance to change can feel like holding steady in a storm. One approach I find grounding is to act as a ‘compass’ for the team—keeping everyone focused on the bigger picture while respecting their concerns. Open conversations and genuine listening often help ease their fears, turning resistance into understanding. Sometimes, all it takes is showing them that you’re in it together, committed to guiding them through. How do you stay resilient and keep your team focused when facing pushback?