Listen actively and empathise with their feelings of frustration. Acknowledge the resistance without judgment, helping them feel understood and validated. Encourage an open dialogue where they can express their concerns, fears, or doubts, and be sure to ask questions that allow them to reflect on the root causes of the resistance—guide by reframing the situation as an opportunity for growth and learning. Offer practical strategies or tools to help overcome resistance, such as breaking down goals into smaller steps or creating clear, achievable action plans. Reinforce their strengths and successes, emphasizing the progress they’ve made so far. Finally, show encouragement and follow up to celebrate incremental wins and maintain momentum.

In my view, supporting a team leader facing resistance during a coaching session requires a blend of empathy and strategic intervention. First, listening actively to the team's concerns creates a safe space for open communication. Then, by fostering collaboration and showing understanding, resistance can often transform into constructive dialogue. Encouraging the leader to adapt their approach, focusing on clear, actionable insights, and involving the team in problem-solving helps bridge gaps. Ultimately, it's about aligning the session with the team's needs while keeping the leader’s goals in focus.

When a team leader faces resistance during a coaching session, I step in to help them refocus and reframe. I encourage them to address the resistance head-on, turning it into a dialogue by asking open-ended questions like, “What concerns do you have about this approach?” This shows the team that their voices are heard while keeping the session productive. I also help the leader re-align the conversation with shared goals, reminding everyone why they’re in it together. By providing calm support and actionable strategies, I help them regain control of the room. Because, as I always say, “Great leaders don’t avoid resistance—they transform it into momentum.”

When facing resistance, use the 5 R's: - Relevance: guide the team leader to understahnd the pertinence of the issue at hand - Risk: explore the immediate and longer-term risks of the status quo - Rewards: articulate the potential benefits of the change - Roadblocks: identify the barriers that prevent movement forward - Repetion: often attempts / efforts must be repeated to eventually achieve breakthroughs

I usually take the following steps: 1. Ask indirect questions to understand the source of resistance, to get context on the root cause. 2. If that is not working, I acknowledge the resistance by calling out it out and asking the coachee/mentee their point of view of the root of the resistance. 3. As a last resource, I recommend taking space/break with a little micro-reflexion the team can do on their individual time. Then, I allocate time for sharing by establishing a reminder on a the safe space for a session based on radical candor principles.