Your team isn’t ‘Resistant to Change’ - they’re starving for context
As AI takes over more technical and repetitive tasks and our world of work rapidly changes, the leaders who stand out are those who can interpret complexity, translate it for humans, and hold space for uncertainty. Human skills like empathy, communication and judgement are ranked as the #1 differentiator.
If you’re facing resistance or the age-old ‘we’ve always done it this way’ from your team(s), chances are, they’re starving for context.
Think about the last time a big announcement dropped at work:
“We’re rolling out a new AI tool from Monday.”
“We’re restructuring the team.”
No why. No story. No context.
That’s the difference between leadership that pushes orders (“Here’s what to do”) and leadership that sets context (“Here’s why this matters, and what it means for you”). As leaders in today’s workplace, we need to consider:
Context multiplies meaning and motivation. When people understand how their work connects to strategy and customers, autonomy and trust grow.
Context is personal. During change, people occupy different “realities” depending on their role, values, history and risk appetite. Leaders have to tune into those realities and adjust how they frame decisions.
Context must be repeated. “Why to explain why, again” matters — our brains shortcut, forget and fill gaps with fear. Leaders who re-explain why create psychological safety and performance.
Leadership today requires less command, more context
Most people don’t wake up excited about your org chart. They wake up wondering:
Does my work matter?
Do I understand what’s changing?
Is someone actually levelling with me?
Modern leadership is a context game, not a control game. And it looks a little different depending on where you sit:
In small-to-medium businesses (SMEs), context is about clarity and honesty:
“Here’s why we’re trying AI, here’s what might feel clunky at first, and here’s how we’ll learn together.”In complex multinationals, context is about coherence:
making sure the story from the CEO actually lines up with what teams in Mumbai, Melbourne or Ho Chi Minh City experience day to day.
If leaders don’t set that context, people will write their own version. It’s usually more dramatic, less accurate, and the consequences of these alternatate-versions are far more expensive.
Context that works across cultures, countries and time zones
As organisations expand across regions, remote teams and hybrid work, context becomes the glue that holds everything together.
Working across cultures, countries and time zones means assumptions multiply:
What feels “urgent” in one culture feels abrupt in another. What sounds “direct” in Sydney may land as “rude” in Hanoi.
Leaders who slow down to give context — “Here’s the bigger picture; here’s how this lands locally; here’s what we actually care about; the results we’re looking to achieve are...” — reduce misunderstandings and build respect. This is where soft skills training around empathy, listening and communication stops being theoretical and starts being commercial.
4 habits for contextual clarity every leader can start today
Think of these as small, repeatable tools you can build into your leadership practice.
1. Lead with “why this, why now, why you.”
Borrow from leadership research and ask: “What does this change actually mean in your day?” You’ll uncover different realities across functions and levels, and can refine your message to bridge those gaps. Before the slide deck or the AI demo, share the story: why this change matters, why now, and why this specific team is crucial. Then repeat it.
2. Translate strategy into real-life impact.
Use language deliberately: metaphors, customer examples, before/after stories. The stories you tell become the context people act from — especially when the work is complex and high-change. Skip the buzzwords. Explain that “This should mean fewer late nights on month-end,” or “Yes, there’s a learning curve, but it should save you an hour a day once we’re through the messy middle.” This is where soft skills training around communication and empathy really shows up.
3. Set guardrails, not just tasks.
Context-rich leaders define outcomes and constraints, then let teams design the “how”. This builds autonomy, trust and motivation, and it’s critical when AI tools are evolving faster than policies. “Here’s what good looks like, here’s what’s non-negotiable. I want your ideas.” Context + autonomy = engaged team members, not compliant robots lacking innovation and shutting down opportunities for improvement..
4. Make AI change a conversation, not a broadcast.
Communicate purpose, invite experimentation, create forums to talk ethics, risk and impact. Programs like Maxme’s Human Skills for AI Excellence are built exactly for this – helping leaders practise the conversations, not just the prompts. Use regular check-ins to ask, “How is this AI tool really landing in your day?” “What is working for you and what isn’t?” and create space for questions.
Ready to develop your leadership superpowers?
Whether you’re introducing AI, navigating ongoing change, or re-energising teams across locations, communicating context is a superpower.
At Maxme, our human skills training and leadership workshops and training are designed to help:
leaders communicate context clearly and confidently
teams build the human skills that make AI and change stick
organisations thrive across cultures, countries and complexity
If you’re thinking, “This is exactly what our leaders need on their next offsite / reset / AI rollout,” let’s turn that into something real.
Host a Maxme leadership workshop, explore a human skills program, or start with a conversation about your organisations’ skills gaps.
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