
Leading Through Change: Practical Tools for Navigating Change
Why do some changes move forward while others get stuck? Why can the same change energize one person and create uncertainty or resistance in another? And what can leaders do to help people adapt and succeed?
Whether you’re growing a business, introducing new technology, changing processes, or helping a team navigate uncertainty, leading change takes more than communicating what’s different. It requires understanding how people experience change and knowing how to help them move forward.
In this interactive, hands-on workshop, you’ll explore practical frameworks for understanding your own responses to change, navigating uncertainty, and leading others through transitions. You’ll use the Bridges Transition Model to explore the human side of change, ADKAR to identify what people need to adopt new ways of working, See–Do–Get to examine how perspective shapes behavior and results, and the Circle of Concern, Influence, and Control to identify where you can make a difference.
Through real-world scenarios, partner discussions, and team activities, you’ll practice recognizing what’s behind resistance, improving communication and engagement, removing barriers, and reinforcing new behaviors so change leads to lasting results.
What You’ll Take Away
- Practical frameworks for understanding how people experience and respond to change.
- Tools to identify what’s getting in the way and determine what support people need.
- Strategies to build understanding, address concerns, and help people take action.
- Ideas for sustaining new behaviors and turning change into lasting improvements.
Registration Information
Date: 11/5/2026
Schedule: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Grainger Hall, Wisconsin School of Business, UW–Madison

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Registration Fall 2026
Date: November 5, 2026
Time: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm CST
Location: In person, Wisconsin School of Business
The cost of this course is being paid by the Main Street Bounceback Program for eligible businesses. Eligible businesses must be in business (not pre-venture), located in the state of Wisconsin, and employing fewer than 500 employees. These businesses may register here:
We have a limited number of seats available for nonprofits, pre-venture (not yet started) businesses, businesses outside of Wisconsin, and those participants from a company of over 500 employees. Register below:
Cancellation Policy: Due to program costs and space limitations for these programs, participants are expected to cancel their registration at least 24 hours ahead of the program. Cancellations that occur less than 24 hours prior to the start of the program will be considered no-shows and may be removed from future programming and/or charged a course fee.
Disability Statement: Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW–Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu to request accommodations.
Jen Erickson
Instructor

Jen Erickson helps leaders, teams, and organizations navigate change, strengthen collaboration, and build the skills needed to work more effectively. As Capacity Building Lead in UW–Madison’s Office of Strategic Consulting, she designs professional development programs and practical tools focused on leadership, organizational effectiveness, change management, and continuous improvement.
Prior to joining the Office of Strategic Consulting, Jen spent nearly two decades with UW–Madison Extension, partnering with communities, nonprofits, and local governments on leadership and organizational development.
Across her work, Jen is particularly interested in how people experience change and how self-awareness, communication, relationships, and intentional leadership can help people navigate it more effectively.
The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Office of Business & Entrepreneurship within the Universities of Wisconsin. It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Wisconsin SBDC at UW–Madison is also part of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub at UW–Madison.
The Wisconsin SBDC at UW–Madison helps entrepreneurs succeed at any stage. We offer no-cost, confidential consulting and business education across a wide region, primarily serving Dane, Sauk, and Columbia counties. SBDC services are provided in a nondiscriminatory way to all legal residents and citizens in the US.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or call (608) 263-2221.