“Everyone Has a Plan…Until They Get Punched In The Face.” ~Mike Tyson~
As a leader, no words were truly spoken right?! Here is another great saying for leadership, “It is always fun until someone loses an eye.” I feel this so much as a leader. The greatest visions take a lot of punches. Even the best ideas aren’t instantly embraced. The best ideas took a lot of vision, commitment, resiliency, and tenacity to become realized and accepted. That vision that came from your gut that you just can’t let go of. It is worth it, even through the punches. The question is how should we face resistance? What is the most effective way to move through resistance rather than trying to avoid it? If the idea is worth it, there will be resistance. According to Seth Godin, “The best ideas require significant change. They fly in the face of status quo, and inertia is a powerful force.”
Michael Hyatt, who is one of the most inspirational leaders, says that there is no such thing as a resistance-free vision. He goes on to say that there are very few constants in life but resistance is one. In fact, he states that the best visions face hardships, miscalculations, setbacks, disappointments, and other barriers to success (Hyatt, pg. 161). The punches are coming and the question is how do we face it and respond to it? Well, just like a boxer, we have to come up with a system, we have to train, and we plan our course of action.
According to Hyatt, we have three types of resistance – environmental, social, and psychological. Environmental resistance is the realization that trying something new will create challenges and inefficiencies. These challenges can be redeploying talent, shifting workloads, deficits in budget, economical, and technical limitations. Social resistance is all about organizations. Bill Jerome and Curtis Powell are quoted as saying, “People say they want progress but they really don’t want change” (Hyatt, pg. 166). By being a vision-driven leader you really challenge the status quo which then shakes the sugar tree. This creates instability and uncertainty, which is why change agents aren’t always really appreciated. Psychological resistance occurs when it is all in your mind. You are the one manifesting your resistance through your own story telling which usually is way worse than actual reality. All three of these types of resistance can punch vision in the face and shut it down completely if you don’t figure out a way to respond to resistance. So…..let’s make a plan so that doesn’t happen!
Since your vision is an ache in your gut that you just can’t let go of, then isn’t it worth it to overcome the obstacles to get to the other side where there is a brighter future? Use your vision as a generator to propel you forward and through the resistance rather than letting it punch you in the face. Get back up and go again. Hyatt says, the key is to lead with courage and confidence and lead with your why. Don’t kid yourself, you will still face fear, doubt, and a million “no that won’t works”, but do not let that control you. Your gut is your knowing and it lights you up and burgeons at the pit of your stomach for a reason.
Like I said, Michael Hyatt is my go to guy for having all of his ducks in a row when it comes to leadership and all things productive and efficient. In fact, he is a downright master because he doesn’t give you fluff. He tells it like it is and then tells you how to solve it. So I got these ideas from him. I cannot take credit at all but what I can tell you is that they have helped me in the ring every time.
According to Hyatt, the three traits to combat resistance are: tenacity when resistance rears it’s ugly head, integrity when faced with ethical compromise, and courage to see your vision through.
Tenacity: As leaders, we are creators and with that change agents. Therefore, we take a lot of punches. The buck feels like it stops at the leader a lot. Rather than taking the punches and abandoning their efforts, leaders keep showing up. This is because they have a vision for what could be and knows that it will take some resiliency, commitment, and grit to see it through. They press on and more often than not, their dreams are met with doors closing or a flood of nos. Basically, we always have two choices, throw in the towel or get back in the ring. Throwing in the towel never leads to your vision coming to reality. Getting back in the ring is the only way to make progress. The payoff is worth the pain. Ironclad commitment is what it will take to make your vision come to life. No question.
Integrity: This is the next trait that Hyatt says is necessary to have in order to face resistance. Along the way, there will be instances, moments, or view points that don’t sit well with you. Your integrity is the core of who you are and it is steadfast so hold strong on that. You will be tested on your integrity, but that could be the very opportunity to validate your commitment to your team and community members. Holding true to your belief and your word will help to build trust rather than jumping around according to other people’s opinions. It is so important to think about how you will respond when your integrity is challenged? Integrity is embedded as a core value in leadership so use that to combat resistance and validate your commitment to your vision.
Courage: This one is my favorite of the traits that Hyatt suggests are necessary to respond to resistance. When leaders deliver the vision with excitement and passion, people get excited and energized. However, the first part is easy. It is the implementation part and the longevity of the work that it will take that is hard to sustain. When the work gets hard, tedious, and long, it will take massive courage to hold true to your vision vs. conceding that it is just too hard. Hyatt states that courage gives life to the vision once the initial enthusiasm wears off (Hyatt, 177). It will take courage to stand for greatness. Courage requires a steadfast commitment and a dedication to play full out. It will take courage to stick to the touch tree of your integrity and will require you to push through extreme exhaustion and frustration. Kind of like boxing hey! Just like Mike Tyson said….punches to the face and you just….keep….getting…back…up. You will have to speak up and challenge and that takes courage. You are the advocate for your vision and therefore you must also be stubborn, which takes courage too. You will have to shoulder the load, refuse to settle, and lead with humility. Perhaps my favorite part that I read from Michael Hyatt is this, “If vision is something your team expects from you, don’t let them down. There is no reward for giving up” (Hyatt, pg 179).
All great ideas in our world started with punches to the face. All these great ideas started as new, fresh ideas that scared the sh#* out of people. However, they never would have come to be if there wasn’t a leader with a vision behind them. Don’t take resistance as failure. Take it as a part of realizing your vision. So….put em up and get in the ring!
Speaking of Michael Hyatt being a guru in productivity and efficiency in leadership, I am running a free masterclass on June 12, at 10 am MST called Building Momentum: How to Develop a System For Increased Productivity and Efficiency in Your Leadership. Click here to register!
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Hyatt, M. (2020). The Vision Driven Leader (pp. 159-181). United States: Baker Publishing Group.
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