🔥 5 Minutes of Leadership Fuel
✉️ This post is part of The 5-Minute Mentor — my weekly leadership newsletter. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, click here to subscribe.
Welcome to The 5-Minute Mentor — your weekly dose of leadership inspiration, curated resources, and practical action. All in under 5 minutes.
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A Dose of Inspiration
“How do you change the world? One room at a time. Which room? The one you’re in.”
— Peter Block
Change is inevitable and required for growth. It is also personal, human, and immediate. Change doesn’t happen in abstract systems; it happens in the room you’re in, with the people in front of you.
📥 Download the quote graphic to use in your next staff email or meeting.
🤓 A Dose of Learning
The honeymoon is over, am I right? As the new year — and the initiatives that come along with it — settle in, resistance often emerges. Not because you’re failing, but because that’s simply what change brings.
On The Change Signal podcast, Lisa Reynolds shares how to anticipate resistance so you’re ready for it:
- “Expect resistance — it’s a signal, not a setback.” Resistance isn’t failure; it’s feedback that growth is happening.
- “Plan for the pushback before you need firefighting.” A little foresight (mapping concerns, considering perspectives) saves a lot of friction later and multiplies the likelihood of success.
- “Frame losses, don’t ignore them.” Every change brings trade-offs — loss of familiarity, roles, or comfort. Acknowledging those shows empathy and builds trust.
- “Trust + inclusion = less resistance.” When people feel seen and heard, resistance tends to move out of the shadows and becomes more manageable.
- “Iterate, observe, adjust.” Change isn’t linear. Accepting that you’ll need to tweak your approach, based on how people actually respond, is part of planning and navigating smartly.
🎥 Watch or 🎧 listen the full episode
🎬 A Dose of Action
Think ahead to one meeting, initiative, or conversation where resistance is likely to surface this week.
- Name it. Write down 2–3 possible sources of pushback you might encounter.
- Plan for it. Decide how you can proactively respond – invite a perspective, acknowledge a loss, or clarify expectations.
- Try it. Go in prepared, and notice how your approach shapes the conversation.
Change isn’t about avoiding resistance… it’s about leading through it with intention.
You got this. Let’s lead with belief.
In your corner,
Melody
Founder, Culture of Belief
PS: Seems rude not to… 🍎😂🍏
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