I Thought My Team Was Resisting Change — Turns Out It Was a Signal That Would Save My Company From Failure

Key Takeaways

Most resistance isn’t defiance — it’s a signal that risk hasn’t been fully translated.

The right question can turn pushback into your most valuable insight.

The CFO slammed her laptop shut. “This is insane,” she said. “We’re three weeks into the NetSuite migration, and my team is entering every invoice twice. We’re working until midnight just to keep up.”

The CEO looked confused. Wasn’t this supposed to make things easier?

Every leader has experienced it: you announce a new system or process, and instead of enthusiasm, you get pushback. Teams hesitate. Managers stall. People complain.

On the surface, it looks like resistance. But more often, it’s something else entirely — untranslated risk.

For every Steve Jobs whose vision defies the doubts of internal teams , the