Resistible Leadership: When Position Replaces Presence
By Rod Patterson, MBA
What makes leadership resistible?
Irresistible leadership draws people in. Resistible leadership quietly drives them away. It says, “Follow me, or else!” It doesn’t attract excellence, it attracts compliance. It’s magnetic to those who are insecure, and tolerated by the disengaged, and avoided by the courageous.
Leadership that lacks character, chemistry, and commitment doesn’t elevate, it erodes. It may demand attention, but it rarely earns respect. It may deliver results, but it seldom delivers growth.
Resistible leadership is rooted in positional authority. It’s leadership that hides behind titles, not truth. It creates cultures where fear replaces courage, silence replaces collaboration, and potential goes untapped.
Here are the characteristics of resistible leaders:
Weak Character – When ego overrides integrity, trust evaporates. Leaders who prioritize self over values build cultures of skepticism and self-preservation.
Shallow commitment – Resistible leaders are present when it’s easy, but absent when it’s hard. Their leadership lacks depth, and their followthrough is unreliable.
Broken Chemistry – They struggle to connect. Their presence divides teams, drains energy, and leaves others feeling unseen.
In The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly, an icy fashion editor modeled after Anna Wintour, delivers a brilliant monologue that exposes her assistant’s ignorance. Andy Sachs, a recent journalism grad and outsider to the fashion world, becomes the target. Though Miranda’s insight is sharp, her intent is to diminish, not develop. Her expertise becomes a tool of humiliation, not empowerment. That’s resistible leadership: admired for brilliance, but lacking connection. She commands respect, yet forfeits trust.
So, what kind of leader are you becoming?
Are you leading with presence, or hiding behind position? Are you cultivating transformation, or enforcing compliance?
The good news? Resistible leadership is reversible. With humility, clarity, and conviction, any leader can shift from being tolerated to being trusted, and eventually, irresistible!
Guard Your Gates 