Podcast Summary: Chief Change Officer #304 with Sarah Lopkovich

Episode Title: When the System Doesn’t Fit, Rewrite the Operating Manual
Release Date: April 17, 2025
Host: Vince Chan
Guest: Sarah Lopkovich

Introduction

In episode #304 of the Chief Change Officer podcast, host Vince Chan welcomes Sarah Lopkovich, a strategy coach and author, to discuss her journey through various career transformations and her insights on effective goal setting and strategic thinking. This episode delves into Sarah's personal experiences, challenges faced in her professional life, and her mission to help others unlock their potential through self-defined objectives.

Sarah's Background and Early Career

[05:15] Sarah Lopkovich:
Sarah introduces herself as a "strategy coach and goal nerd," passionate about goal setting and behavior change to support personal and professional achievements. Her fascination lies in helping individuals connect with their intrinsic motivations and purposes, moving beyond external rewards and expectations.

Early Life and Influences

Sarah hails from Port Townsend, a small town on the Olympic Peninsula in Western Washington, known for its vibrant arts and creative community. Growing up in an environment that nurtured creativity, Sarah developed an activist spirit early on. She reminisces about successfully petitioning for milk equality in her third-grade cafeteria, an experience that ignited her passion for systemic change and human-centered practices.

Career Beginnings

Sarah's career trajectory took her into technology as an early adopter. In the mid-90s, while still in high school, she co-founded an internet content company focusing on online community and content from the ground up. This early venture paved the way for her first career in technology, followed by a transition into law. She practiced law for nearly five years before shifting to marketing and strategy roles due to life circumstances.

Key Challenges and Transformations

[06:39] Sarah Lopkovich:
Sarah recounts her struggle with authority and the frustration of being undervalued in her early career. Despite bringing immense energy and ideas to her roles, she often found herself in positions that undervalued her strategic capabilities, labeling her efforts as mere tactical execution.

Finding Her Path in Strategy

In around 2012, Sarah discovered a passion for strategy while working as a content strategist. This role combined strategic thinking with creativity and data analysis, allowing her to optimize and measure performance effectively. Her tenure in various creative agencies from 2013 to 2018 marked a pivotal period where she honed her strategic skills, nurtured talent, and led teams effectively.

Experiencing Burnout

Sarah's demanding role, which involved extensive travel and leadership responsibilities, eventually led to burnout. This period of exhaustion became a catalyst for her to rethink her career approach, emphasizing the need for self-set goals and a deeper connection to her personal 'why.'

Overcoming Stuckness through Curiosity

[24:19] Sarah Lopkovich:
When discussing moments of feeling stuck, Sarah highlights her intrinsic curiosity as the key to overcoming challenges. She explains that curiosity serves as an antidote to anxiety and stagnation, allowing her to view obstacles as opportunities for learning and growth.

Strategic Self-Reflection

Sarah shares an anecdote about a perceived "dream job" that didn't meet her expectations. Instead of succumbing to frustration, she reframed the experience as a "mini MBA," focusing on what she could learn from the enterprise environment and using it to fuel her ongoing education in career and leadership.

Misconceptions about Strategy Consulting

[29:02] Vince Chen:
The conversation shifts to Sarah's upcoming book, "You are Astrologist. Use No BS Objectives and Key Results to Get Big Things Done." Vince probes into misconceptions about strategy consulting, particularly the prestigious image crafted by firms like McKinsey and BCG.

[30:50] Sarah Lopkovich:
Sarah addresses the myths surrounding strategy consultancy:

• Accessibility: She candidly admits that breaking into big strategy firms is challenging without the right credentials or background.
• Nature of Strategy Work: Contrary to popular belief, being a strategist isn't about being the "smartest person in the room" or delivering polished presentations like the archetypal "Don Draper." Instead, it involves curiosity, asking insightful questions, and fostering collaborative environments to develop meaningful solutions.
• Democratizing Strategy: Sarah emphasizes the importance of making strategy accessible and human-centered, moving away from elitist perceptions. She cites thought leaders like Mark Pollard and Rob Estraneo, who advocate for a more inclusive and inquisitive approach to strategic thinking.

Insights on Strategy and Leadership

Sarah elaborates on her philosophy that strategy should tap into human insights to build scaffolding for solutions addressing significant human and organizational challenges, not just financial metrics. Her approach blends logical frameworks with creative inquiry, fostering environments where diverse teams can collaboratively solve complex problems.

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Vince praises Sarah for her relatable insights and shares a preview of the next episode, which will delve deeper into Sarah's book, her motivations, and her vision for empowering others through strategic goal setting.

Key Takeaways:

• Intrinsic Motivation: Connecting personal 'why' to career and business strategies enhances fulfillment and effectiveness.
• Curiosity as a Tool: Embracing curiosity can transform challenges into learning opportunities and prevent feelings of being stuck.
• Redefining Strategy: Moving beyond traditional, elitist notions of strategy to a more inclusive, human-centered practice.
• Personal Growth: Continuous self-reflection and adapting one's approach are crucial for overcoming burnout and achieving long-term success.

Notable Quotes:

• Sarah Lopkovich [05:15]:
  "It's really a passion and a movement around helping people tap into their intrinsic motivation and their purpose and their why."

• Sarah Lopkovich [24:19]:
  "Curiosity is an antidote to anxiety. It's an antidote to stuckness."

• Sarah Lopkovich [30:50]:
  "We can think of strategy as the way that we tap into our very deeply human insight to develop scaffolding for solutions to our biggest problems."

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