Unlock Progress: Identifying Resistance and Moving Beyond Comfort

It's not a strategy problem. It's a comfort problem. Change feels welcome until it asks you to move into new territory, and then it can feel daunting, even when you've hired outside experts. Sometimes the stress and frustration around AI disruption, rising costs, and burnout grow big enough that change has to happen. Other times, the real issue is business resistance rooted in a future that isn't compelling enough to pull you forward.

In this episode of It's Your Business, Christy Maxfield (President and CEO at Purpose First Advisors), Dean Barta (Founder and CEO at Barta Business Group), and Jess Dewell (Managing Partner and Growth Strategist at Red Direction) have a candid look at what keeps businesses stuck.

Together, they unpack the internal friction that slows change management efforts and how to bridge the gap between planning and execution one uncomfortable, necessary action at a time.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why uncommitted leaders stand aside and how that quietly erodes progress

• Why even well-made plans stall at the execution stage

• How unspoken issues and discomfort, not a lack of strategy, block momentum

• Why comparing past successes to current efforts creates new self-doubt

• How honest reflection and outside perspective move businesses from talk to action

• Why over-reliance on numbers and systems can overshadow culture and instinct

• How accountability becomes real through practice and clear agreements, not checklists

• Why someone who can't genuinely agree with the direction is free to move on

Three Key Takeaways

• Single-Task Focus: Build momentum by focusing relentlessly on one core priority at a time.

• Compelling Vision: Drive people-led change by crafting a future so magnetic that it overcomes resistance.

• Action Despite Fear: Build mental toughness by taking decisive steps forward, even while acknowledging uncertainty, fear of failure, and fear of success.

It is BOLD to name what's keeping you comfortable and take the next step anyway.

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If you want to identify business bottlenecks, the necessary skills, the initial actions to take, the expected milestones, and the priorities for achieving growth, try the "Growth Framework Reset" approach. This will help you keep learning and growing while working strategically on your business.

You can get in touch with Jess Dewell on Twitter, LinkedIn or Red Direction website.