What is Change Fluency (and why it might be the leadership super-skill of the 2030s)?
By Jay Kiew
The following is an excerpt. The original article published on Jul 22, 2025 can be found here.
Disruption isn’t slowing down; it’s accelerating.
AI is reshaping entire industries, customer expectations pivot overnight, and yesterday’s best practices are today’s bottlenecks. So how do you, as a business leader, navigate complexity, uncertainty and constant change, while driving innovation?
Enter Change Fluency ™, the change mindset that bridges the gap between navigating change and driving innovation to create applied value.
Think of it as learning a second language: at first you conjugate slowly, but with practice you improvise in real time. When scaled, Change Fluency systematically discovers what’s possible, designs the future, and differentiates from the standard.
The Pre-Requisite: The Five Chains You Must Break
Before you sprint toward innovation, spot the shackles that slow you down. The Five Chains of Change are invisible forces that keep well-funded initiatives stuck:
- Clutter & Chaos – everything feels urgent, nothing feels clear
- Comfort with Status Quo – legacy success becomes tomorrow’s trap
- Competing Interests – silo metrics trump shared mission
- Constraints – “lack of resources” masks lack of focus
- Apathy – engaged bodies, disengaged minds
The Nine Innovation Principles of a Change-Fluent Mindset
I first developed the Change Fluency model to help leaders reimagine change not as a burden to endure, but as a capability to master. Since then, it’s been battle-tested with organizations across industries - from healthcare to tech, government to nonprofits.
People who hold a Change Fluency mindset operate under the following nine innovation principles:
- Foresight: They recognize patterns in seemingly chaotic environments to imagine more desirable futures.
- Vision: They evolve vision through collaboration rather than by mandating it.
- Wonder: They embrace wonder rather than demanding certainty.
- Sacrifice: They make strategic sacrifices instead of adding complexity.
- Leverage: They transform constraints into competitive advantages.
- Expansion: They create new market possibilities rather than competing in existing ones.
- Purpose: They connect organizational purpose to personal meaning.
- Contribution: They cultivate genuine contribution rather than mere participation.
- Care: They create with authentic care even at scale.
We don’t need another methodology to control change—we need a mindset that metabolises it.
That’s exactly what Change Fluency delivers: a practical, trainable way to transform constant disruption into a renewable source of innovation and energy.
It’s more than change management; it’s change as a second language. And just like learning a new language, change fluency is something you build over time through practice.
Traditional change management treats transformation as a project to be controlled: launch a restructuring, tick off stage-gates, push compliance, and declare victory when the “go-live” date hits.
Change Fluency flips that script. It frames disruption as a continuous conversation—one where every employee, from the C-suite to the frontline, gains the vocabulary, grammar, and confidence to improvise in real time.
Why the shift matters
- Speed of learning beats rigor of planning. In an AI-accelerated world, a flawless plan is obsolete the moment it’s approved. Fluency arms teams to sense, decide, and act faster than disruption unfolds.
- Energy is the new currency. Compliance drains motivation; agency fuels it. Organizations fluent in change convert anxious energy into curiosity and momentum.
- Value compounds. A one-off rollout yields a one-off benefit. A fluent culture creates an ever-growing portfolio of micro-innovations that stack into outsized gains.
Mastering a language doesn’t happen overnight, but daily conversations add up. The same is true for Change Fluency: practice it in small moments, and your organization will soon speak disruption as effortlessly as its native tongue.
Jay Kiew is a change navigation strategist who has advised over 400 executives and delivered over $2B in market value.His remarkable blend of professional expertise and personal resilience equips leaders to hack through the thick of change and disruption. Recently recognized by the Project Management Institute as a Future50 honoree for his work in enabling AI adoption, Jay has also been featured in the Financial Times, Globe and Mail and Financial Post. His #1 Amazon bestselling book Change Fluency, has set the tone for the world to not just manage change, but master it.
Meeting Your CPD Requirements—Made Easier
For today’s busy professionals, finding time to meet Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements can feel like a challenge. Between work commitments and family responsibilities, carving out hours for structured learning isn’t always realistic. Recognizing this, CPABC has expanded its flexible learning options to make professional growth more accessible, practical, and tailored to your schedule.
Meeting your CPD requirements has never been easier. With CPABC’s expanding suite of flexible learning options, professional development is no longer a burden on your schedule—it’s a resource designed to fit seamlessly into it.
Microlearning: Bite‑Sized Knowledge, Big Impact
One of the most innovative approaches CPABC offers is microlearning on-demand. Instead of committing to lengthy courses, members can engage with content typically ranging from 20 to 30 minutes in duration, perfect for fitting into a coffee break or a commute. We currently have three titles to choose from: Safe Income, Bare Trust and Examining the Course of Eifel.
These offerings allow members to sharpen technical expertise quickly, ensuring they remain confident and compliant in their professional roles.
On‑Demand Courses: Learning Without Limits
Flexibility is at the heart of CPABC’s on‑demand courses. Available anytime, anywhere, these courses empower members to take control of their learning journey. With a wide range of topics from leadership and ethics to specialized technical training, members can select courses that align with both CPD requirements and personal career goals. The self‑paced format also allows learners to revisit material as needed, reinforcing understanding and mastery.
Highlighted topics include:
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Why Flexibility Matters
The expansion of flexible learning options reflects CPABC’s commitment to supporting members in balancing professional obligations with personal priorities. By offering microlearning and on-demand courses, CPABC acknowledges that CPD is not just about compliance, it’s about meaningful growth. These tools empower professionals to stay current in their field, enhance their expertise, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving business environment, all while maintaining balance in their daily lives.
As the profession continues to evolve, CPABC’s approach to Continuing Professional Development ensures that learning remains relevant, engaging, and accessible. By embracing flexible formats, members can transform CPD from a requirement into an opportunity—an investment in themselves that pays dividends in career advancement and personal confidence.
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Meet David Fortin, a CPA in Quebec, Microsoft MVP and LinkedIn Learning Instructor. He has accounting experience at a Big 4 accounting firm and a major video game company.
Read More on our Instructor Spotlight
Before teaching, David spent over a decade in the corporate world, raising $30M in venture capital and helping lead a $200M company exit (with Excel at the heart of it all).
David is the founder of Piggy Bank Accountant, a YouTube channel and online training platform that focuses on Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Copilot topics.
Since 2023, David’s channel has taught more than 2,000,000 people, with 12,000 people currently subscribed to his channel. David has contagious energy and loves to help others become more productive and efficient with tools like Copilot and Excel.
His mission is to make Microsoft Copilot approachable, practical, and a tool you’ll look forward to using every day. Explore some of his on‑demand sessions, including AI-Powered Excel Quick Wins, Build Your First Microsoft Copilot Agent; Increase Productivity: Understanding & Building Your First Copilot Agents; Microsoft Copilot Essentials: From AI Beginner to Proficient.
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