“Resistance is a predictable, natural reaction against the process of being helped and against the process of having to face up to difficult organizational problems.” – Peter Block

During client engagement or interacting in the business world, you will one day be faced with resistance from the opposite end. Understanding this resistance will be key to your success when helping to solve a problem.  Resistance comes in multiple forms that may sometimes be easy to detect while other times it may be very difficult to identify.

For example, if the client keeps reminding you that this is the “real world and we have real world problems”, then you may be up against an emotional issue that may lead you to go forward with a more practical approach.

Skills for dealing with resistance:

  • Be able to identify when resistance is taking place
  • View resistance as a natural process and a sign that you are on target
  • Support the client in expressing the resistance directly
  • Not take the expression of the resistance personally or as an attack on your or your competence

What types of resistance have you dealt with and what skills did you use to deal with it?