I'd start by shifting the question from "how do I get them to follow?" to "how do we create ownership?" Direction sticks when people are involved early, understand the purpose, and can see why the path matters.

Bring the team into the conversation before you lock the plan. Ask what they think will move the business forward, what worries them, and what they'd need to commit. When people help shape the way forward, they back it.

If you're clear on the direction and they still resist, treat that as data — it's usually telling you something about trust, clarity, or whether people feel led rather than managed.

The word "follow" is where I'd push back gently. New managers often try to push a direction; the ones who get traction pull — they make the destination worth walking toward.

Practically: in your next 1:1s, ask each person to restate the goal in their own words. Misalignment shows up in seconds, and you fix it person-by-person instead of broadcasting louder.

Then give the "why" a job. People don't rally to a plan; they rally to a reason. Name the reason every week until you're bored of saying it — that's usually when the team's finally heard it.

Preparing Marcus's perspective…

The trap most founders fall into is treating "direction" as an announcement instead of a story. A team follows a story they can see themselves inside — where the work they already do is the hero, not the org chart…