You're facing team resistance to a new strategic priority. How will you overcome the challenge?

Strategic leaders often make the mistake of isolating themselves, which can lead to team disengagement and resistance to change. It's crucial to listen to your team's concerns, as this fosters a deeper understanding of overlooked factors or provides a chance to clarify the plan’s strategic importance. Addressing these concerns can alleviate anxiety and enhance buy-in. Engaging with your team not only builds trust but also ensures that everyone is aligned with the strategic direction. There's no downside to understanding and addressing their concerns.

To overcome resistance to a new strategic priority, focus on aligning your team with the vision. Start by clearly explaining the reasons behind the shift and how it supports the organization's broader goals. In a previous experience, we faced pushback when introducing a new market strategy. I held a series of workshops where we walked through the strategic rationale, showing how the new direction would benefit both the company and the team members individually. By connecting the strategy to their daily work and long-term career growth, we transformed skepticism into support.

When teams resist new strategic priorities, it's often because they feel excluded from the decision-making process. To overcome this, involve everyone from the outset. However, it’s not just about assigning roles; it’s about co-creating the strategy with your team. Let them help shape the direction, which fosters a sense of ownership. Encourage each team member to contribute ideas and challenge assumptions, which can uncover insights that lead to more robust strategies and stronger buy-in. Engaging everyone also means creating spaces where dissenting opinions are heard and addressed constructively, which builds trust and commitment to the new direction.

While monitoring is often seen as a checkbox activity, it can be transformative when done strategically. Instead of just tracking progress against milestones, use this as an opportunity to recalibrate and re-engage. Regular check-ins should be less about compliance and more about learning and adapting. Encourage teams to share what’s working, what’s not, and what’s surprising them. This continuous feedback loop allows for iterative adjustments that keep the strategy aligned with both internal dynamics and external changes. Additionally, recognizing progress, even incremental, helps maintain momentum and morale.

Adjusting tactics is essential, but the key is to be proactive rather than reactive. Instead of waiting for issues to arise, anticipate potential roadblocks and have contingency plans ready. Flexibility should be built into the strategy from the beginning. When adjustments are necessary, frame them as part of the ongoing learning process rather than deviations from the plan. This approach reduces resistance and fosters a culture where agility is valued. Additionally, involve your team in the adjustment process, as their insights can lead to innovative solutions that you might not have considered.

While generating ownership and buy in is critical it is also important of finding innovative and creative ways to unpack and explain the WHY of the new strategy. Leaders also do well when they help their teams cisualize success. Create vision boards and tangible images of what success looks like for the company, the strategy and for themselves!