Fear of change can hold your association back from success. Clear leadership can help keep your employees on board. Also: tips on how to improve your learning strategies.

In the business world, the phrase “change is the only constant” is a cliche—but true. From acclimating to new leadership to collaborating on new ideas, dealing with change is an ongoing process that employers and employees must navigate together.

Coming to grips with change and more in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Time for a change: As nonprofits grow, change is inevitable—and often intimidating. Inc.com contributor Dino Signore notes that a well-established office code of conduct provides stability and fosters mutual respect, but behavior can shift during times of evolution, particularly when employees believe they’re missing out on vital company information or being deprived of career opportunities. During those times, strong leadership is critical. “There’s an old saying that people fear change,” Signore writes. “That’s not true. They don’t fear change, but they do fear loss that change my bring…. Savvy leaders can help by identifying the perceived loss (in some cases, employees may be imagining a loss that simply won’t happen) and approaching change as an opportunity to learn something new.” When you prep your team for change, employees will be more at ease and willing to strive for success.

Lifelong learning lessons: Few in the association space have focused as intently on continuing education as Tagoras’ Jeff Cobb, whose Mission to Learn site is dedicated to improving our learning skills later in life. That’s perhaps why he was drawn to a recent piece [PDF] by Kent State University professor John Dunlosky in American Educator outlining five successful learning approaches that improve understanding of a given topic. The keys to successful learning it recommends: practice testing; practice distributed over time; interleaved practice, which mixes different types of problems or materials; elaborative interrogation, or explaining why something is true; and self-explanation. Cobb writes that the professor’s suggestions are easily applicable to lifelong learning. “One underlying message in Dunlosky’s work is that learning benefits greatly from identifying and constantly using effective strategies,” he says.

Startup roundup: Event startups are on the rise, and with that comes a constant stream of creative concepts for meetings. Event Manager Blog editor Julius Solaris guarantees “something fresh” and “never seen before” with his collection of 10 intriguing event startups to help event planners innovate. “In 2013, I travelled the world talking about how those [companies] who develop a reputation for innovation can’t afford to compete on price alone,” he says. “That is an immense competitive advantage you can obtain only by spousing the curiosity of trying something new.” From SceneSquid, which works to enhance event promotion through digital press, to Livecube, the self-proclaimed “world’s most engaging event app” for scheduling and attendee check-ins, the startups that Solaris lists offer numerous jumping-off points for creative planners.

Are you aware of any startups offering new ideas for the events space? Share in the comments section below.