What do you do if your team is resistant to your brand strategy leadership?

To understand why your team resists your brand strategy leadership, I'd like you to please dive deep into their perspectives. Initiate open, empathetic dialogues, asking specific questions to uncover their concerns. Listen actively, validating their feelings. Often, resistance stems from fear of change, lack of clarity about the new direction, or feeling undervalued. Regular team meetings and anonymous feedback channels can reveal underlying issues. Analyzing these insights helps identify common themes, whether it's uncertainty, misalignment with personal goals, or doubts about strategy effectiveness. Understanding is the first step to addressing and overcoming resistance.

This is a very important and sensitive topic of discussion that I had experience with when I was a key member of my former company's brand strategy/marketing team and we launched the company's all new brand. I couldn't agree more that it's of great importance to seek to understand before seeking to enforce a new or existing brand and its guidelines as Branding Police, even though that's your job. What's most urgent, however, is the need to immediately involve leadership. Manager level team members should be sure to involve leadership and in some cases the CMO and CEO as soon as this issue of pushback on brand strategy so that they can deal with the situation and work together to resolve it and keep it from escalating.

Encourage open communication and create a supportive environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and concerns. Actively listen to their feedback without judgment and demonstrate empathy towards their perspectives.

Start by figuring out why your team is pushing back against your brand strategy. Are they unclear about the strategy's benefits? Do they disagree with the brand's direction? Or maybe they're worried about their roles? Listening to their feedback will help you understand their concerns and find ways to address them.

It's often a mix of unclear benefits, differing visions, job security worries, or personal tensions. Openly listening to and addressing these concerns not only sheds light on the resistance but also strengthens team trust and unity. It's about finding common ground and moving forward together, making the strategy stronger and more inclusive.

Effective communication that educates rather than excludes is key to create robust and organic buy in. Take time to listen to your team. Know their concerns. And express how your strategy mitigates their apprehension.

When facing resistance, clear and consistent communication is your strongest ally. Start by articulating the vision, goals, and the "why" behind your brand strategy in a way that resonates with your team's values and concerns. Use diverse formats—meetings, emails, one-on-ones—to ensure the message is understood by all. Be transparent about the challenges and open to feedback, fostering a two-way communication channel. Regular updates on progress and decisions help maintain trust. Show empathy, listen actively, and address concerns directly, reinforcing the strategy's benefits and how each team member plays a crucial role in its success.

Clearly articulate the key elements of your brand strategy, including its purpose, goals, value proposition, and execution plan. Break down complex concepts into simple, digestible messages that resonate with your team members.

Effectively communicating the "why" behind your brand strategy is crucial for gaining buy-in and alignment from your team for instance Highlight the importance of differentiation >> Emphasize why differentiation is critical for the success of the organization in a competitive marketplace. or Use contextual examples, analogies, or metaphors to make complex concepts more relatable and easier to understand. Draw parallels to familiar experiences, stories, or situations to illustrate key principles and clarify abstract ideas.

Overcoming resistance involves making your team feel valued and empowered. Start by involving them in the strategy development process and soliciting their ideas and feedback. This inclusion fosters ownership and reduces opposition. Assign roles that play to each member's strengths, demonstrating trust in their expertise. Encourage innovation by creating a safe space for creative risk-taking. Celebrate both individual and team successes, highlighting how their contributions directly impact the brand's journey. Empowerment and recognition can turn resistance into enthusiastic support.

Rather than dictating strategies, I've learned to harness the collective wisdom of my team, fostering collaboration and a sense of ownership. By involving them in decision-making, I've witnessed a surge in innovation and enthusiasm. Assigning tasks aligned with individual strengths not only boosts morale but also enhances productivity. According to a study by Gallup, teams that play to their strengths are 12.5% more productive. Providing resources, guidance, and constructive feedback cultivates a culture of continuous improvement. Recognizing and celebrating team achievements fosters motivation. By nurturing a culture of trust, respect, and accountability, I've seen my team thrive, driving impactful outcomes and a cohesive brand identity.

Resistors to your brand strategy leadership aren't enemies, they're untapped resources. People buy into what THEY help create. Get those resistant team members into the room (or Zoom). Not to sell them, but to get their brains working on the problems you're solving. Ask their opinions, listen, and use their insights. Then, they won't be promoting someone else's plan, they'll be championing their own.

Encourage open dialogue and actively seek input and feedback from your team members throughout the brand strategy process. Involve them in brainstorming sessions, workshops, and decision-making processes to leverage their diverse perspectives and expertise.

Managing team conflicts and resistance requires a blend of empathy, clarity, and assertiveness. First, acknowledge the resistance without judgment; understanding the root cause is key. Engage in open, honest dialogues, encouraging team members to express concerns while actively listening. Address issues directly, offering clear explanations for decisions and demonstrating how feedback has been considered. Promote a culture of collaboration, reminding everyone of the common goal. Sometimes, compromise may be necessary—find solutions that align with your strategy while respecting team input. Constructive conflict management strengthens teams, fostering a more cohesive and motivated unit.

Adapting your strategy amid resistance requires a balance of firm leadership and flexibility. Listen to your team's feedback to understand their concerns and identify valid points that can enhance the strategy. Analyze whether resistance points to deeper issues needing addressal. Be willing to revise your approach if it strengthens the brand’s position, integrating team insights for a more unified plan. Communicate changes clearly, emphasizing how adaptation is a strength, not a setback. Demonstrating responsiveness to constructive feedback can rally your team around the refined strategy, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.

The key is to bring everyone (team and business) on this journey vs presenting the final outcome. Lots of people might be long standing employees and have historical and very valuable insights hence their opinion at the table is really valuable. Equally, some newbies can have a fresh and valuable insight into trends and changes within the category. And so taking all these diverse opinions, moving slowly, discussing step by step will help for the easier sell at the end.