7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change

CHAPTER 8Use Your Self

You are your most important tool for change.

PRINCIPLES, METHODS, TOOLS, AND A GOOD DOSE OF COMplexity thinking—all are useful for nurturing change in an organization. In the end, how you use you will matter as much if not more.

Use of self is a concept from social work and organizational psychology. People bring a wide range of professional skills to their work, but they also bring their personalities, characteristics, belief systems, and life experiences. How adeptly they apply the latter characteristics affects outcomes. The same is true for those of us who help shift organizational systems. Change is a social activity, and how you show up matters. Your personality, experiences, world view, and style—all influence how ...