An effective change agent on a standards committee should exhibit which characteristic?

• A. Respect From Clients and Families
• B. High Ethical Decision-Making
• C. Quality Interpersonal Skills
• D. Expertise in Clinical Therapeutics

Answer: (C)

Quality interpersonal skills are essential for a change agent on a standards committee because this role relies on guiding collaboration across diverse professionals. Facilitating productive discussions, actively listening, negotiating, and building consensus are how you translate ideas into practical standards and secure buy-in from others. Without these skills, strong ideas may fail to move forward, regardless of their merit. While ethical decision-making is important for trustworthy policy work, and domain knowledge in therapeutics adds value, neither alone guarantees the ability to influence a group or drive change. Respect from clients and families matters in clinical care, but on a committee the key capability is how well you interact with and lead others to agree on new standards.