Resistance as a Pathway to Change
[Applause]
i
am a resistor i challenge everything
and as a continuous improvement
authority who inspires
change and efficiencies and people and
processes
i am also the unexpected
so how did i get here
growing up i was led to believe that i
was not good enough i was told
that i would never amount to anything
worth caring about
i was bullied every single day
of my life
people would say you don’t belong here
you’re ugly
die already
so believing the narrative
of you don’t matter
was required accepting the label
of i’m a loser was my badge of shame
i resisted everything
and instead of looking at resistance as
an opportunity
to explore more or to ask questions
the naysayer and me fell further down
the rabbit hole
resistance had a hold on me in the worst
way
imaginable
how long does it take to change your
perspective
on resistance well for me
it took a lifetime
so when i heard they were looking for
highly selective candidates for this
event
and discovered that i was selected
i said really they want me
are you kidding me i’m thinking things
can go a little rogue
well because
one of the common misconceptions in the
world is to believe we can change
without
first resisting it from racial injustice
to economic
populism to health mandates today’s
current events resemble moments in
history where
resistance was used as a vehicle for
change
groundbreaking movements that shifted
problems into possibilities
perceptions and opportunities and
skepticism into chance
planting seeds of doubt in our minds and
physically resetting our thoughts
towards the art of the possible
showing us that resistance happens not
only when we are trying to prevent
something
but when we are trying to do something
extraordinary
the question is resistance
pushing us back or is it pulling us
forward
change resistors we all know the type
structured
discipline a routine a naysayer the
outspoken pessimist whose only purpose
in life it appears
is to squash dreams or to crush ideas
i remember i thought i could change the
world one
process at a time until i met him
now this wasn’t your average resistor
this was
mr naysayer the leader of the naysayer
crew
you know the well-organized
international operation of
change sucks it won’t work and if it
ain’t broke don’t fix it
he stood about 6'5 muscular with a
prominent tattoo on his right forearm
that read with him what’s in it for me
naysayer was intimidating but well
respected in the organization
not only did he push back and resist
change
he built barriers to prevent it and an
army
to house it i remember one day i was in
the middle of facilitating a continuous
improvement workshop
when guess who decides to show up
naysayer
now i got to admit this was probably one
of the best events
ever but things happen the way they
happen
naysayers swung open the door walked in
looked around and said
this chain stuff sucks the class
responded with a thunderous cheer
yeah as if to stick it to the man
naysayer looked at me and then casually
took a seat
i was shocked and if we could rewind
that exact moment in time
you can pinpoint the very second
when utter confusion took over and i
peered off
into the class and said why
is this happening
throughout the workshop naysayer kept
finding reasons
why the new process wouldn’t work
despite
constant pleading no one could convince
him to stop
resisting it was brutal
ideas were kicked to the curb before
they even got enough traction
and it became apparent to me that if i
can convince
naysayer to stop resisting everyone else
would follow so i started to think
i’m gonna have to call in the big guns
it was the only person i knew
that can help my dad
yeah i thought makes sense dads they
know everything right
he can fix this well
instead i opted to reflect on what i
learned
when people feel like they are losing
control
or would no longer be perceived as an
expert
they push back that was the obvious
explanation right
we’ve been convinced to believe that
resisting change is bad
countless experts confirm this theory by
providing strategies that help sway
resistance into persuasion
offering their number one tip for 4.99
on how to manage it how to overcome it
and how to avoid it just
in case we experience it but
what if i told you everything you’ve
learned about resistance
was wrong imagine if this seemingly
oppositional behavior was the spark that
enabled breakthrough transformations
instead of stopping something resistance
was a
pause
to understand the intent of something
a mental trigger to collect more data
to query the unknown
at this very moment you
are resisting this idea questioning
every aspect
comparing it to a memory that does not
exist
so let’s expand the reach let’s dig a
little deeper
and reimagine what it means to resist
i’d like to ask for you to cross your
arms
now cross your arms in the opposite
direction
finally cross your arms
differently than what you did the first
and second attempt and this one could be
tricky so you know i know crossing your
arm is tricky
how many you thought that crossing your
arms the second or third time
required more thought
you’re right in fact it is implied that
when you cross your arms the first time
that signal came from your hidden brain
the amygdala a place where routines and
habits are stored memorized and released
however crossing your arms the second or
third time created a flutter of ideas
because this was a new ask with no
pre-recorded routine
more information was required in order
to move forward
those thoughts those thoughts were
triggered
in a new place called the prefrontal
cortex
the thinking questioning and reasoning
section of our minds
a place where new ideas and new
information is received
that hesitation you felt your initial
thoughts
and questions the fumbling of your arms
when trying to decide which way or how
does that look
that that was resistance
i used to think resistance was the
killer of ideas
far too often great ideas would crumble
after hitting a wall of disagreement
i’ve since learned that resistance takes
many forms
to some it’s a refusal to stop something
to others it’s simply the ability to
move in a new direction
resistance can be hidden organized
individual
or seen an opposition to change that
not only pushes back but it leans
forward
to make change possible resistance
is a gap in understanding
a mental calculation needed in order to
question if moving from the current
state
a place of comfort to the future state
the place of of the unknown if it makes
sense
i realized the naysayers pushback wasn’t
because he didn’t want to change
it was because he needed to understand
the change before
moving forward with this understanding i
encouraged the naysayer to embrace his
resistance
and to ask questions with purpose this
re-energized the group fresh ideas and
opposing views were openly discussed
providing a new way to present a
different angle into the content
every time a question was answered a new
learning was formed and instead of
pushing back
i found the naysayer pulling the change
towards him
gradually building enough confidence to
move forward
into the unknown
so allow me to leave you with a few
takeaways
it’s easy to invite people in
when everyone agrees with you however
it’s more impactful to bring in and
listen to people
that don’t agree with everything you say
we are hardwired to resist
because there is a burning curiosity to
understand the intent
of the message before moving forward
my resistance wasn’t because of
avoidance or
fear it was because i needed to know
there were so many unanswered questions
i needed to know in order to move
forward
out of the place of pain
resistance it’s probably one of the most
fundamental tools we can use
for sustainable growth because it allows
us to move forward
into the change at our own pace
so i invite you to rewrite your
resistance and discover what is the more
you want accept resistance as a
opportunity to query the unknown
to explore possibilities and to seek
opportunities that
inspire and drive new decisions in your
life
nurturing it as a positive motivator
instead of a
force to fight against will help change
your perspective
and your lens on how you see
and more importantly use it thereby
allowing you
to let resistance pull you
forward instead of pushing you back
thank you