Chief Change Officer Podcast Summary Episode: Career Math 101: Erica Sosna’s Formula for Bouncing Back – Part Two Release Date: February 1, 2025 Host: Vince Chan

Introduction

In the second part of the two-part interview series, Vince Chan continues his conversation with Erika Sosna, the author of Career Equation and a fellow podcast host. This episode delves deeper into Erika’s extraordinary journey of resilience following a life-altering accident and explores the foundational principles of her Career Equation model designed to enhance career growth from both employee and employer perspectives.

Erika Sosna’s Journey of Resilience

[01:02] Vince Chen: Vince opens the discussion by highlighting Erika's remarkable comeback after a 2022 accident left her paralyzed. Despite facing immense physical and mental challenges, Erika managed to regain mobility, return to her consultancy, and launch a podcast while balancing a reduced work schedule.

[04:52] Erika Sosna: Erika reflects on the early stages of her recovery. She shares how external perceptions labeled her as "inspiring," but she initially dismissed these labels, recognizing that others who face similar adversities might not always display the same strength. She emphasizes three key elements that fueled her resilience:

1. Acceptance: Erika adopts a philosophy of accepting her situation as if she had chosen it, which helped her stop resisting the reality of her spinal injury. This acceptance was crucial in moving forward without being bogged down by frustration or despair.

   “Accept it as though you chose it.” — Erika Sosna [04:52]

2. Visualizing the End Goal: Using a modality from her Career Equation, Erika stresses the importance of starting with the end in mind. By vividly imagining the desired outcomes—such as walking again, dancing, or parenting—she worked backwards to identify the necessary steps to achieve these goals. This approach provided her with a clear roadmap for both her personal and professional recovery.

   “Start by vividly imagining you having the experience... and then working backwards.” — Erika Sosna [04:52]

3. Openness to Unconventional Methods: Erika highlights her willingness to explore alternative healing methods outside the traditional medical model, such as acupuncture, mctiminy (a gentle form of chiropractic care), and frequency-specific microcurrent therapy. Her insatiable thirst for novel solutions played a significant role in her recovery process.

   “I was very interested in what might exist in terms of alternative paths to healing.” — Erika Sosna [04:52]

Additionally, Erika discusses the Hero’s Journey model, explaining that enduring the "darkness before the dawn" is essential for meaningful transformation. This mindset helped her maintain tenacity during the toughest phases of her recovery.

The Career Equation: Empowering Employers and Employees

[11:34] Vince Chen: Transitioning to Erika’s expertise, Vince introduces Career Equation and notes its unique focus on aiding employers in supporting their employees' career growth, unlike many career books aimed solely at individuals.

[13:33] Erika Sosna: Erika elaborates on the Career Equation framework, which serves as a mutual framework for both employers and employees to understand and discuss career development effectively. She outlines the four fundamental components of the equation:

1. Skills: Identifying what individuals are naturally good at allows them to apply their strengths, leading to greater job satisfaction and success.

2. Passion: Understanding what employees enjoy and what energizes them ensures that their skills are aligned with tasks that they are passionate about, fostering deeper engagement.

3. Impact: Clarifying how individuals measure success helps tailor feedback and development opportunities to align with their personal definitions of achievement, which often go beyond monetary rewards.

4. Environment: Recognizing the environments in which individuals perform best enables organizations to minimize friction and create settings that enhance productivity and satisfaction.

Erika emphasizes that Career Equation facilitates meaningful career conversations by providing a consistent language and structure, much like standardized accounting systems in finance. This consistency enables both employers and employees to co-design development plans and career paths that are mutually beneficial.

“Skills plus passion plus impact divided by reducing the amount of levels of friction between the ideal environment and the environment that they've got.” — Erika Sosna [13:33]

She further explains that organizations adopting this model have seen significant improvements, including longer employee tenure, lower sickness absence rates, increased loyalty, higher engagement, better productivity, enhanced internal mobility, and greater diversity at senior levels.

Practical Application and Impact

Erika discusses how companies like Amazon and Nomura have implemented Career Equation to foster environments where employees feel valued and motivated. By using the equation as a lens for dialogue, these organizations can swiftly understand and address the needs and aspirations of their workforce, leading to a more harmonious and productive workplace.

“It takes just five minutes... you can immediately start to apply it.” — Erika Sosna [13:33]

Erika encourages listeners to engage with the podcast series to see real-life applications of the Career Equation through various career coaching conversations, demonstrating its effectiveness in helping individuals refine their careers to operate within their "sweet spots."

Conclusion

[20:44] Vince Chen: Vince wraps up the episode by thanking Erika for her insightful contributions. He encourages listeners to subscribe, leave reviews, visit the website, and follow him on social media for more content on career and life transformation.

Key Takeaways

• Resilience Through Acceptance: Embracing one’s circumstances as if chosen can provide a stable foundation for overcoming adversity.
• Vision-Driven Planning: Visualizing desired outcomes and working backwards creates actionable pathways to success.
• Openness to New Methods: Exploring unconventional approaches can lead to effective solutions in challenging situations.
• Career Equation Framework: A structured approach to career development benefits both employers and employees by aligning skills, passion, impact, and optimal environments.
• Mutual Growth: Effective career conversations foster mutual growth, leading to a more engaged and productive workforce.

Notable Quotes

• “Accept it as though you chose it.” — Erika Sosna [04:52]
• “Start by vividly imagining you having the experience... and then working backwards.” — Erika Sosna [04:52]
• “Skills plus passion plus impact divided by reducing the amount of levels of friction between the ideal environment and the environment that they've got.” — Erika Sosna [13:33]
• “It takes just five minutes... you can immediately start to apply it.” — Erika Sosna [13:33]

Final Thoughts

This episode of Chief Change Officer provides profound insights into personal and organizational transformation. Erika Sosna's story exemplifies how resilience, strategic planning, and innovative thinking can lead to remarkable recovery and career growth. The Career Equation offers a practical tool for fostering meaningful career development conversations, ultimately enhancing both employee satisfaction and organizational success.

For more episodes and to join the community of ambitious changemakers, visit Chief Change Officer on LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.