Leading Through Resistance

Don't Eliminate Resistance; Lead Through It!

Every leader knows the stormy seas of resistance. When faced with change, even the most dedicated teams can push back, especially when there's something to lose. How do you guide your team through these turbulent times without losing sight of the mission? Leading Through Resistance by Tod Bolsinger is a beacon for leaders navigating the choppy waters of organizational change.

Leading Through Resistance offers more than just strategies; it delivers a mindset shift. With wisdom woven through every page, Tod Bolsinger teaches you unexpected skills to not only face resistance but to transform it into a mission-driving force.

Transformative Insights

Courage and Empathy in Leadership: Discover how to guide your community with a blend of courage and empathy. Learn how to help your team confront losses head-on, transforming obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Practical Wisdom from an Expert: Gain insights from Bolsinger himself—an experienced Christian leader whose bestselling books have guided countless leaders through the complexities of change.

Bite-sized Brilliance: Enjoy brief, impactful chapters that are as rich in insight as they are in brevity. Each chapter is sprinkled with vibrant illustrations to keep you engaged and inspired.

Leading Through Resistance is not just a book; it's a roadmap to resilient leadership. Equip yourself with the tools to lead with confidence, adapt with grace, and inspire transformation. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting your leadership journey, Leading Through Resistance is your essential guide to turning resistance into resilience.



Tod Bolsinger is the founder and principal at AE Sloan Leadership Inc., the executive director of the DePree Center Church Leadership Institute, and associate professor of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary. He is the author of Canoeing the Mountains and Tempered Resilience. Tod and his wife, Beth, split their time between Pasadena, California, and Ketchum, Idaho.



Mark Demel brings ideas to life through pictures and creative communication. He has spent more than a decade using his artistic skills in the non-profit sector.



Marty Linsky is a professor at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and a co-founder with Ronald A. Heifetz of Cambridge Leadership Associates. He has published extensively on leadership, management, politics, and education.

Foreword by Marty Linsky


About the Practicing Change Series


Introduction: Jerks & Control Freaks


1. A Leadership Story: When Pushing Back Sets You Back


2. Old Mindset: Don't Let Them Push You Around


3. New Skillset Part 1: Start with Two Shared Convictions


4. New Skillset Part 2: Stay Calm, Curious & Connected


5. New Skillset Part 3: Give the Work Back & Stay on Course


6. Adaptive Reset: Attunement Accelerates Change


7. The Story Continues: Back to the Mat


Acknowledgments


Discussion Guide: Take Your Team to the Balcony


Notes

"The Practicing Change Series is compelling and immediately applicable. Each book weaves us through story, illustration, and discussion to contextualize paradigm-shifting frameworks for thinking. Your leadership, but more importantly the impact through your leadership, will experience a trajectory change through the words penned. Tod is a master storyteller, carefully threading points, principles, and processes with ease and nuance. Today's era of leadership calls for continual, on-the-go growth, and this series offers solutions to today's demands. For the leader whose time is limited and responsibilities toward self and service are complex, these books are for you."



"Here's a scary truth: regardless of where you work or what you do for a living, a crisis is coming. In fact multiple crises lie ahead for you because our world is now changing at an unprecedented rate, and those changes will render you and your organization obsolete if you can't find a way to continuously adapt to these coming crises. Leading through these changes will require leaders who aren't afraid to slay some sacred cows, challenge conventional wisdom, and even live outside their own leadership comfort zones. Adaptation will be the single most critical survival skill of the twenty-first century. Tod Bolsinger's four short books in the Practicing Change Series are the 'emergency preparedness drill' that you will be grateful to have read when the next 'tsunami' hits your organization. Read them now before the next wave hits your shore."



"The Practicing Change Series is like having Tod Bolsinger as a personal coach. He offers practical and powerful wisdom for anyone who is wrestling with the complex challenges of ministry leadership today."



"This series is required reading for anyone who wants to lead change. In the very best way, reading these books was like sitting down with a mentor who has done the hard work of leading change himself and wants to help us work through the mistakes, challenges, and dynamics we can't see by ourselves."



"Leaders who know organizational change is needed but don't know how to go about it will find accessible, practical, and wise guidance in Tod Bolsinger's Practicing Change Series. I've found the concepts of adaptive leadership incredibly helpful in thinking through organizational challenges. Bolsinger helps us apply and practice these concepts in a way that will transform our organizations and ourselves as leaders."



"The Practicing Change Series provides exactly the kind of help that busy leaders need in seeking to bring meaningful change to their organizations in the midst of the ongoing demands of day-to-day leadership. Concisely accessible. Imminently practical. Immediately actionable. And built on solid theory tested in the real world. My own life and leadership have been profoundly impacted by having Tod Bolsinger as a trusted guide in navigating the complexity of leading adaptive change."



"Leadership is a lot like twirling a baton: it looks easy until you try it! If you are involved in leadership at any level I would highly recommend Tod Bolsinger's Practicing Change Series. It invites those of us in leadership to reflect on and rethink what it means to be a leader and to build a 'in what really makes a difference—transformation.'"



"Having watched and worked with Tod Bolsinger for many years, I always wanted a more practical way to engage my teams on his important work. This book provides an easily accessible path to do just that! I can't wait to give it to individual staff members facing resistance in their own areas and to use it in times that require adaptive change for our entire church."



"In Leading Through Resistance, Tod Bolsinger takes on a few new roles: guide, wise sage, Jedi Master, family systems counselor, and therapist . . . all to get us to look at the ways we tend to push back when resistance shows up. I absolutely love the approachable way Tod teaches a combination of contemplative spirituality, family systems theory, and systems thinking in this very important book. If you've been wondering how to take the next step as a leader and grow in your proficiency, this book is a must."



"Can existing organizations really change in order to meet the needs of a changing world? If so, how do we lead that kind of transformation without giving up our core purposes and values? In this book, Tod Bolsinger starts with his love for leaders and then offers engaging stories and practical advice to walk us through the process of leading our organizations to change." weniger anzeigen expand_less