Pina Johnson

Change in a dental practice is inevitable—a new associate joins, a long-term team member leaves, systems get overhauled, you bring in AI tools, or a second location opens. What most leaders get wrong is assuming that change and transition are the same thing. They're not. Change is the event. Transition is what your people go through because of it.

Most leaders get lost in the gap between when change is announced and when the team fully embraces it. In this presentation, you’ll learn what your team is truly experiencing during times of transition, what to expect at each stage, and why guiding people through change requires the most creative, adaptive version of you as a leader. Walk away with a new lens for leading your team — not just through what’s changing, but through what comes next.


Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

- Recognize the stages their team is moving through and understand what people are experiencing beneath the surface of change.
- Anticipate what their team needs at each phase of transition, turning resistance into opportunities for connection and clarity.
- Lead with creative adaptability to move teams from surviving change to genuinely thriving.