Leading with Resistance: Finding Strength in Impossible Decisions
The last few years have changed the way we work and lead. We’ve lived through the “remote work revolution”, the “great resignation”, and “quiet quitting”. Each of these phrases captured a cultural shift and helped us make sense of the uncertainty swirling around us.
And yet, as we move through 2025, I find myself asking: what will we call this moment?
For those of us leading in the social impact sector, the first months of this year have been particularly tough. Mass redundancies handled with little care. Funding streams suddenly frozen, leaving organisations we rely on in limbo. Every day, charity leaders are having to make decisions with far-reaching consequences—often with no clear “right” answer.
Again and again, I’m seeing a pattern in my coaching conversations: decisions feel like lose–lose scenarios, and moral injury feels like a daily risk.
Do we comply, defy, or stay silent? Do we risk losing critical funding to take a stand? Do we make quiet compromises in the hope no one notices?
It’s exhausting—and it’s eroding the values that brought so many of us into this work in the first place.
A different question
Recently, while supporting a leader navigating these dilemmas, I found myself instinctively asking the question:
“How can you resist?”
At first, we discussed it as “resisting temptation”—but what I meant was:
How can you use your leadership—and your agency—to resist injustice?
The more I’ve sat with it, the more I’ve realised the two are connected. To resist injustice, we must first resist the temptation to stay quiet, stay small, or stay the same.
This isn’t about having perfect answers. It’s about choosing powerful, purposeful resistance.
Three ways to lead through resistance
Listen to your body
Leadership keeps us in our heads, constantly strategising. But our bodies often notice dissonance first. Where are you holding tension? What is exhausting you? What’s giving you life? Resist the temptation to push through or ignore the signs—create space for rest and recovery so you can face difficult decisions with clarity.Seek advice, but trust your truth
We’re all navigating a fog of fear and uncertainty. Seek out trusted advisors, but remember that one of the most powerful forms of resistance is knowing yourself, thinking for yourself, and believing in what you stand for. In times like these, knowledge is power—but truth is king.Choose curiosity over certainty
Leaders often feel they must have the “right answer” immediately. In reality, resistance doesn’t require certainty. It asks for courage—the willingness to pause in the discomfort of the “in-between” and ask: What else might be possible if we resisted urgency and old patterns?
One of the myths I hear from coaching clients again and again is this:
“Could this be The Great Resistance?”
Perhaps this is the defining leadership movement of 2025: a collective resistance—not only to external pressures but also to the internal voices that push us to stay silent, small, and safe.
You don’t have to be fearless or have all the answers. You only need to trust that you can resist—in the small, everyday ways that matter most.
When your body chooses rest, your heart chooses truth, and your mind chooses curiosity—that’s when resistance becomes leadership.
If this speaks to where you are right now, and you’re looking for support to navigate hard choices with clarity and confidence, I’d love to work with you. Coaching offers the space to untangle the noise, reconnect with your values, and lead in a way that feels true to you.
