Reframing Resistance - How Great Leaders Shift Perception to Unlock Progress
Resistance isn’t the enemy; it’s information.
It’s a signal. A story. A signpost pointing to fear, unmet needs, or values clashing with the current direction.
The mistake many leaders make is to fight resistance with logic, pressure, or silence. But the real skill lies in reframing it.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to use reframing, both one-to-one and with groups, to move people from fear and friction to clarity and constructive action.
The Hidden Power of Reframing
Reframing is not about convincing. It’s about shifting perspective.
When people resist, they’re often caught in a story that feels true but may be incomplete. That story is shaping how they feel, what they do, and the energy they carry.
Reframing is the art of helping them step outside that frame, and see it differently.
One-to-One Reframing Process
When to use this: A team member is resisting a change, stuck in fear, or operating from a limiting belief.
|
Step |
Coaching Focus |
Sample Prompt |
|
1. Name the Current Frame |
Uncover their story or meaning |
“What are you telling yourself about this?” |
|
2. Understand the Impact |
Reveal emotional and behavioural cost |
“How is this helping or hurting you right now?” |
|
3. Open Possibility |
Introduce alternative views |
“What else might be true?” |
|
4. Create a New Frame |
Shift to an empowering belief |
“What belief would serve you better?” |
|
5. Anchor in Action |
Reinforce new mindset through behaviour |
“What’s one thing you’ll do differently now?” |
Tip: Use this in performance reviews, mentoring moments, or to support personal breakthroughs.
Group Reframing: From Collective Resistance to Constructive Action (Breaking the Pact)
Scenario: A team is resisting a new organisational initiative, despite clear long-term benefits. The resistance isn’t about logic; it’s about identity, mistrust, or fear of loss.
|
Step |
Group Coaching Goal |
Leadership Cue |
|
1. Name the Current Narrative |
Reveal the shared story driving resistance |
“What might we be believing about this change?” |
|
2. Explore the Impact |
Highlight the cost of the current stance |
“What happens if we keep holding this position?” |
|
3. Open to Possibility |
Challenge assumptions safely |
“Could there be another way to see this?” |
|
4. Create New Frame |
Build an empowering team narrative |
“What would a confident team say instead?” |
|
5. Anchor in Action |
Move from belief shift to clear steps |
“What’s one action we can each take this week?” |
Tips:
- Break the groupthink by coaching one respected person (influencer) privately, change often ripples from the edges.
- Focus on creating psychological safety. Resistance dissolves when curiosity rises and individuals feel seen, not coerced.
The Science Beneath the Shift
From a neuroscience lens, reframing activates the prefrontal cortex, home of higher-order thinking. It interrupts the emotional loop and creates new neural possibilities.
It aligns with the Ladder of Inference, where people climb from data to belief too fast. Reframing walks them back down the ladder to explore assumptions. Here’s a common team scenario:
The Ladder of Inference in Action
- Data (All Observable Reality)
A team member doesn’t speak up in a meeting. - Selected Data
You notice they looked away and didn’t contribute. You ignore that they were taking notes or listening closely.
✅ Filtering begins, shaped by past beliefs. - Meaning-Making
“They’re disengaged.”
✅ Perception bias kicks in. - Assumptions
“They’re not interested in this project.”
✅ Motives are assigned without checking. - Belief Formation
“They always check out when it gets hard. They’re not reliable.”
✅ This belief shapes how you see them next time. - Acting from Bias
You exclude them from future decisions. They feel sidelined.
✅ Your action becomes their observable data—and the cycle deepens.
This example is a perfect match for what we teach in P90XL: the Belief Self-Reinforcing Cycle©.
Reframing interrupts this loop. It creates a break in the automatic meaning-making process and invites conscious leadership back into the moment.
It also invites us to question a story before it becomes a belief, and challenge the belief before it becomes bias in action.
From Personal or Group Resistance to Strategic Influence
We’ve all seen it, leaders who quietly resist change not because they disagree, but because they feel caught between group pressure and personal doubt.
In one case, a senior leader recognised they were heading toward a lose/lose situation by staying silent during a strategic pivot. Through coaching, they reframed their role from “peacekeeper” to “possibility guide.”
Here’s the prompt that sparked the shift:
“What if your job isn’t to win consensus, but to model courageous decision-making?”
From there, we layered in the 5-step Reframe Tool. The leader began speaking with clarity and calm conviction, guiding others without overpowering them.
Final Thought: Reframing is Leadership
If you want teams to step into change, you must go first. Model how to shift from assumption to inquiry, from fear to possibility.
Resistance is not a wall. It’s a mirror. And what you reflect back determines whether people stay stuck or start moving.
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