"The only thing that is constant is change." Heraclitus

Change. Sometimes it feels like such a buzzword. We talk about the need for it. We agonize over it happening. We celebrate it when we are successful at it. Regardless of where you work or what you do, change is a constant companion.

It only follows that since we're so experienced at dealing with change, we should be really good at managing it, right? Not necessarily.

Why not test your understanding? Mind Tools, a respected peer in our industry, offers a free, short quiz. I particularly like this test because Mind Tools gives you a brief analysis of your score, guides you through the key areas of change management and provides you with links to resources for improvements.

Take a few minutes to answer the question, "How good are your change management skills?"

"Don't Fake It Until You Make It - Fake It until You Become It" Amy Cuddy 

Curated by Kris Campbell, Managing Partner at BoldWork

When I read those words spoken by Amy Cuddy during her 2012 TED talk, I knew they were the exact words that the small groups I work with needed to hear - especially around 10 a.m. When working with small groups to change their micro WorkClimate, the first step is participating in our program, ClearSky Day. This is a transformative process that requires the group to collectively overcome fear and demonstrate courage to speak out and speak up with clarity, confidence and conviction.

During ClearSky Day, the group challenges their WorkClimate's status quo and their habitual ways of speaking, thinking and doing. It's during the morning portion of the day, around 10 a.m., that the group typically faces what I call the predictable "crucible of doubt." One person may activate the hesitation with a look or phrase, and it then flashes through the group like a contagion. Suddenly, "doubt is all about" and no one is clear, confident or has much conviction that speaking the truth is wise. Too much risk? Recriminations? This is the "critical moment" when multiple options arise and the choices made will impact the outcome of the group's effort to change. The group either crosses the crucible, or forward momentum halts. It's at this malleable point when the group can either evolve or devolve, when a dynamic shift must occur for the entire group - a shift to the kind of clarity, confidence and conviction that will compel the group forward and advance the changes they want.

To trigger this critical shift, I use a Facilitator's technique we call CourageSpeak. I influence the group's language as they craft ChangeGoals. As the group makes conscious, deliberate choices of words, phrases and stories, there's a boost in the group's sense-making and strengthening of their clarity, confidence and conviction. Through consciously changing their language, the group refocuses and shifts forward.

Now Amy Cuddy, professor at Harvard Business School, provides an additional tool to overcome doubt and fear. (We first brought this TED talk to your attention last February. We highlight it again, from a different perspective...another example of changing our "see".)

Just as changing our language can change our thinking and, therefore, our actions, Cuddy offers a simple tool anyone can quickly access and use. She adds the power of body posturing as a way to "SEE" and experience ourselves differently - more powerfully. Her research is quite convincing that when people physically posture and alter their carriage in strong, confident, commanding ways...boldness and courage follow. Cuddy's research on body language confirms that we can change not only our own but other people's perceptions - even our own body chemistry - simply by changing body positions.