Whether charged with introducing a new technology or process improvement, or adapting to new regulatory requirements or larger shifts in the health care environment, leaders must constantly face the challenge of initiating changes to renew the organization.  The ability to lead change in fact draws on multiple skills.  First, leaders must deteremine their own level of personal committment to the initiative.  Second, to minimize the risk of failure they must identify, gain, and hld the support of key stakeholders.  Finally, they must develop a communication strategy that is tailored to the individual interestes of those who matter most to the success of the initiative.  Gaining mastery over any one of the requisite skills take time, and learning to combine them to advance change initiatives is typically the realm of only the most sphisticated leaders.  The course prepares individuals to effectively lead change initiatives at the unit or department level.