Becoming Irresistible: Designing Strategy People Can’t Resist
The word resistance comes from the Latin resistere: to withstand, to stand back, to make a stand. Whenever a new strategy is announced, some people stand back. They hesitate, doubt, or even push against it, not because they’re stubborn, but because they’re protecting something that matters: their purposes, their concerns, their circumstances.
By contrast, irresistible comes from in- (not) + resistere (to stand back). An irresistible strategy is one that people don’t feel the need to resist. Instead, they lean in because it aligns with what they care about, respects their realities, and is practical in its design.
This distinction matters because most strategies don’t fail for lack of intelligence or analysis; they fail in execution.
Research from Harvard Business Review shows that 67% of well-formulated strategies fail because of poor execution, not flaws in design but in follow-through and engagement.
That failure rate is a signal: people are not fully engaging, collaborating, or committing.
It’s resistance disguised in missed deadlines, miscommunication, and inertia.
Becoming irresistible means creating strategies that people don’t just understand, but choose to own, drive, and deliver.
Why People Resist
Strategies often fail not because they lack brilliance, but because they ignore the human equation. People resist when they feel unseen or disrespected.
At Conversant, we use the idea of the intersection to describe the place where the purposes, concerns, and circumstances of different groups overlap. Real value is created at this intersection because what benefits one party without harming the others is more likely to last.
The challenge is that many strategies are built from one perspective only. When employees, customers, or investors don’t see their interests reflected, they resist.
This is why the Axioms of the Intersection are so important:
- All humans have purposes, concerns, and circumstances.
- If people believe you are unaware or disrespectful of those, they will resist you, actively or quietly.
- If people believe you are aware and respectful of those, they will join you, sharing information, co-inventing solutions, and moving into action.
When strategies are crafted without regard for these axioms, they are destined to be resisted.
What Makes a Strategy Irresistible
When people feel recognized and respected, resistance turns into commitment. An irresistible strategy shows three practical qualities.
1. Purposeful – Anchored in What People Are For
Too many strategies focus on what to fix or fight against: cutting costs, eliminating waste, overcoming competitors. While these may be necessary, they rarely inspire commitment. People come alive when a strategy speaks to what they are for.
Example: Instead of saying, “We need to cut 15% of expenses this quarter,” a purposeful leader reframes it as, “We’re committed to funding the innovations our customers are asking for. To do that, we need to reallocate 15% of our resources from low-value work to future growth.”
Now the focus isn’t just survival; it’s creation. People see themselves as part of building something meaningful.
2. Inclusive – Designed at the Intersection
Strategies gain traction when they account for the purposes, concerns, and circumstances of the people who must carry them out. Ignoring those views produces resistance; including them creates alignment.
When people see that a strategy reflects both organizational goals and the realities they face, they are far more likely to support it and make it work.
Example: A global company wanted to standardize processes across regions. At first, headquarters announced a “one-size-fits-all” approach, which met with strong resistance from local leaders who felt stripped of autonomy.
When the leaders applied the principle of researching resistance, they discovered local managers weren’t against standardization; they were worried about losing the flexibility to serve their customers.
By acknowledging that concern and designing a model with core global standards plus local adaptations, the company created a strategy that was not just accepted but championed worldwide.
3. Adaptive – Built to Adjust, Not Defend
The fastest way to make a strategy resistible is to treat it as unchangeable. People know the world shifts too quickly for rigid plans to work.
An irresistible strategy makes adaptation a feature, not a flaw. The mantra for this is “good enough for now, safe enough to try.”
Example: A healthcare organization rolled out a digital transformation plan with quarterly checkpoints. Instead of presenting it as “the answer,” leadership framed it as “our best starting point, to be refined together as we learn.” Teams were encouraged to surface obstacles and improvements along the way.
The result? People felt like co-inventors. Because they had permission to adapt, they engaged with more creativity and intelligence.
From Standing Against to Standing With
When a strategy is purposeful, inclusive, and adaptive, people don’t just comply; they commit. That commitment shows up in ways leaders can measure: faster implementation, fewer delays, lower rework, higher retention, and stronger customer satisfaction.
Irresistible strategies channel people’s natural energy into execution. They bring ideas forward instead of withholding them, solve problems proactively instead of waiting for direction, and deliver results with less friction.
In short, joy and intelligence aren’t abstract benefits; they’re the fuel for better performance at lower cost.
Consider a leader rolling out a new growth strategy. If she presents it as a finished plan, complete with directives and mandates, people will likely resist, stand back to protect what feels threatened.
But if she begins at the intersection, researching what her colleagues stand for, what they fear will be lost, and what circumstances must be accounted for, then the same people shift from resistere (standing against) to in-resistere (not standing back). They stand with her. They engage, commit, and execute with vitality.
The Irresistible Advantage
The difference between resistance and irresistibility is not about force; it’s about connection. A resisted strategy drains energy, requiring constant oversight and enforcement. An irresistible strategy releases energy, because people own it as their own.
In today’s world of complexity and speed, irresistibility is not a luxury; it’s an advantage. The leaders who design strategies people cannot resist will not only get results; they will get them faster, with less stress, and with teams who are proud of the work they do.
The next time you craft a strategy, remember the shared root of resistance and irresistible. The first stands back, the second leans in. The difference is not in the brilliance of the plan, but in whether people feel included, respected, and inspired.
Design your strategy at the intersection, where purposes, concerns, and circumstances are honored. When you do, you won’t have to fight for commitment. You’ll become irresistible.
Ready to make strategy irresistible?
At Conversant, we help you design and deliver strategies people don’t just follow, they own. Schedule a free 30-minute session with our team to explore how your next strategic move can win hearts and minds.
About the Author
Ryo Penna
Consultant
Ryo Penna is a global facilitator at Conversant, based in São Paulo, Brazil, who helps leaders transform everyday conversations into engines of clarity, trust, and results. A TEDx speaker on the wisdom of questions, Ryo’s experience includes leading a 25,000-member student association – his crash course in high-scale, high-impact leadership – and launching multiple businesses as a serial entrepreneur, where he learned that, in the end, it all comes down to how people interact and lead. What he loves most is watching people unlock their potential not by necessarily working harder, but by connecting better and smarter. Outside of work, he runs a secret one-table speakeasy at home, passionately follows soccer, and writes about AI, behavior, and all things human.
