As a manager—and just as a person paying attention—I’ve noticed something strange.

People are often more willing to push against a goal than to join it.

Even if it’s a good goal.

Even if it’s clear.

Even if it’s meant to help them.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some people love a vision. They show up, get behind it, and make it their own.

But just as often—sometimes more—you’ll find resistance. Pushback. Shrugs. Silence.

Why is that?

Is this just what it means to be human?

Is resistance baked into the way we process change?

Is it fear? Ego? Burnout? Mistrust?

I don’t know.

But I do know this pattern isn’t limited to the office.

We see it everywhere—

In politics.

In families.

In classrooms.

In communities.

Anywhere more than one human exists, you’ll find the same loop:

One person moves forward. Another resists.

So what do we do with that?

How do we influence—not just through policy or persuasion, but through presence?

How do we lead, coach, and support people who don’t want to come along?

And how do we stay humble enough to ask:

What if we’re wrong?

What if our great vision is actually off?

What if it’s not the people resisting change—but us clinging to something that’s already outdated?

It’s a hard pill to swallow.

But if we’re honest, many people aren’t pushing back on your dream.

They’re pushing back on how it’s being delivered.

How it’s being measured.

How it’s being demanded.

According to Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report, only 23% of employees worldwide are engaged at work—meaning more than three-quarters of the workforce is either passively or actively checked out.

And that tells me something deeper than disengagement:

It tells me a lot of people don’t believe in the story they’re being asked to join.

They don’t trust the why.

They don’t see themselves in the how.

And they don’t feel inspired by the who.

So maybe the job of a leader isn’t just to sell the vision.

It’s to check if anyone can see themselves in it.

And when they can’t?

Maybe the real leadership begins there.

—Micah

P.S.

If this hit something real for you—or you’re wrestling with vision, people, or the future of your workforce—

grab 15 minutes with me. No pitch. No fluff. Just a straight scan of where you are and where you’re headed.

Book a time here.

Photo credit: https://babylonbee.com/