---
title: "3 Lessons: Rachel Tristano on Change Management"
id: "17700"
type: "post"
slug: "3-lessons-rachel-tristano-on-change-management"
published_at: "2013-06-01T12:00:20+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-15T20:22:24+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/06/01/3-lessons-rachel-tristano-on-change-management/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/06/01/3-lessons-rachel-tristano-on-change-management.md"
excerpt: "Rachel Tristano, director of Chapter and Regional Programs of the Council of Residential Specialists, has learned leadership on the fly."
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  - "Aspiring Leader"
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "Change Management"
  - "Leadership"
  - "Professional Development"
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  - "Article"
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  - "Director"
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taxonomy_persona:
  - "Association Professionals"
  - "Early Career"
---

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**Don’t be afraid to dive in:**I started my career in a coordinator position, but soon I was running teams with people at all different levels. I had senior managers on my teams, which forced me to lead people who intimidated me. But having a desire to succeed no matter what gave me the courage to speak up. I started doing training back then, never knowing that now, probably 80 percent of my job is training.

**Embrace the critics:**Early on, there were a few times where I didn’t treat somebody as respectfully as I should have. I’ve come to learn that a difficult person can inspire thinking in groups that isn’t always there without them. My initial reaction was more disdainful: “You’re causing trouble again?” That was a negative, defensive reaction. Now it’s more, “Let’s take a look at your viewpoint. Why are you feeling like this?” I think I’ve benefited from them enough where I can look back and say, “That person can help me be more innovative.”

**Different groups demand different leadership:**With leadership styles, I’m kind of a chameleon because of my volunteer base. With some of them you can be laissez-faire because they’ll be motivated internally. With others, I have to be the charismatic cheerleader. I have tendencies to be a certain type of leader, but I’ve watched myself adjust as I work with groups and adapt my style to them.

(Photo by Todd Winters)

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Tags: [#Aspiring Leader](https://associationsnow.com/tag/aspiring-leader/)
 [#Change Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/change-management/)
 [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/)
 [#Professional Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/professional-development/)

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