In her October 8 “Calling the Game” video, Bobbie LaPorte continues the VUCA Ready journey by talking about “Pushback”—which is inevitable whenever you introduce a new approach. She provides real-world examples to help you respond when your colleagues are resistant to change.
Pushback: The third element of VUCA Ready leadership
Hi, this is Bobbie LaPorte, back with another week of “Calling the Game,” where I share my own experience and insights while giving you valuable tools you can use to call your own game…and plan the best moves for you and your team.
This week, we continue our VUCA Ready® Series with the third element: building the leadership ability to normalize the unexpected and tackle whatever curveballs are thrown at you.
That element is “Pushback.” Do you have coping mechanisms for what always happens with change? How do you engage your peers who may doubt your approach?
This is definitely a tough one for most leaders, even in change-hearty organizations. We are wired for certainty, and peer pressure can be hard to overcome when you are facing stiff opposition to change.
Navigating the Element of Leadership Pushback
Let me share a case where challenging the status quo played out.
One of my clients was leading a large, customer-facing field operation at a major utility company. The company was facing many significant challenges. Internally, they were dealing with major financial issues, employee departures on all levels of the company, and unions pushing back at budget and operational cutbacks. Externally, suppliers, customers, and regulators were pressuring the company to become more customer-focused and accountable.
A new leadership team was driving a highly unpopular but necessary transformational process—moving from a traditional, slow-to-change organization to one that was more agile, flexible, and responsive.
My client was facing all these challenges, plus the need to restructure her own operation. It was an uphill battle: She faced significant resistance throughout the organization, from members of her own leadership team to front-line workers. Even when she shared her new approach and how it would benefit all stakeholders, the naysayers kept saying it couldn’t be done.
They relentlessly focused on the negative, amplifying the impossibility of every move she suggested, lobbying for the status quo, and continuing to create a case that would secure their own position and perceived value in the organization.
But she refused to give in and give up. She understood that the only feasible path forward was to rise above the negativity and help people see the possibilities in this situation. She made sure her own personal mindset was focused on seeing what could be.
She was relentless in making her case, and slowly, she brought people along, including some of her peers, even though she knew her future in the organization could be derailed.
Happily, her efforts resulted in record-setting results for her team, unprecedented cost efficiencies, and recognition of her work by senior leaders in the company.
I realize that not all major change initiatives have such a happy ending. It can be very tempting to take the easy route and just do the minimum to resist and hope the whole situation will go away. There will always be pushback on multiple fronts. Your team needs you to have the courage and VUCA Readiness to take it on.
As part of this VUCA Ready series, I am offering my quick 30-minute online Introduction to Navigating Uncertainty course free to viewers for a limited time. Click on the link at the bottom of this post to sign up now!
OK, that’s it for this week’s “Calling the Game.” Hope this helps you gear up for a great week and navigate any curveballs that may come your way!
[ICYMI] See the previous posts in this VUCA Ready Series:
- Leadership Readiness: 5 Elements of a VUCA Ready Mindset – Master the mindset that turns organizational challenges into opportunities
- Initial Response: The First Element of VUCA Ready Leadership – Mastering your first reaction to getting hit with a curveball
- Is Your Confidence Infecting Your Team? (In a Good Way!) – Contagion: The second element of VUCA Ready leadership
FREE Introduction to Navigating Uncertainty Course →
1. Click The Link
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