Ever feel like you're speaking a different language than your colleagues when presenting your ideas? Or, like a square peg in your work? Do you feel like you're trying to read minds to understand what's expected of you, while your co-workers are just humming along doing their work? Or, do you lead people who that describes well? In this powerful episode, Sara Lobkovich reveals why the very qualities that might make some people feel like an outsider at work—being "too analytical" or "too detail-oriented"—could actually be their greatest strategic strengths (and a tremendous asset to the organizations they work within). In today's Thinkydoers short, hear a preview of the Introduction to Sara's upcoming book: You Are A Strategist: Use No-BS Objectives and Key Results to Get Big Things Done "You Are A Strategist" isn't just another theoretical strategy book. It's a practical playbook for people who think differently about work and want to make real change happen. Through frameworks like the Connected Strategic One-Pager and No-BS OKRs, you'll discover how to transform your strategic insights into clear, compelling direction that others can actually follow, without getting lost in politics or burning out. Drawing from her experience training over 2,000 OKR coaches across more than 300 organizations globally, Sara shares a human-centered approach to strategy that works for everyone—not just those with traditional business backgrounds or positions of power. Whether you're in the C-Suite, a chief of staff, a program manager, a product manager, a project lead, department director, or high-performing individual contributor (or beyond!), this episode will help you unlock your inner strategist and make your unique impact. Episode Highlights: Why being "strategic" isn't about being smart or having a specific job titleThe five key questions that identify strategic thinkersHow to recognize and empower strategic thinkers in your organizationWhy ideas alone aren't enough in today's business environmentIntroduction to Connected Strategic One-sheet and No-BS OKRsThe science behind goal-setting and motivation Episode Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Thinkydoer Shorts 00:39 Introduction to 'You Are A Strategist' 01:28 Dedication and Audience 01:53 Identifying Strategists 02:25 Challenges and Misconceptions 04:29 Defining Strategy and Strategists 10:17 The Role of Ideas in Strategy 12:18 Implementing Strategic Goals 19:39 The Connected Strategic One Sheet and No BS OKRs 26:57 Conclusion and Next Steps Notable Quotes: [00:05:00] "The job isn't to convince people that you're a smart person; it's to clarify situations so everyone can do the smart thing." (Referencing a quote by Rob Estreitinho of Salmon Labs) [00:07:00] "If you read books and research papers for fun and delight in spotting ways that wildly disparate information connects to create new ideas and approaches, that might be you." [00:09:00] "Good strategy makes the work better, but you don't see the strategy itself. The strategy is the scaffolding that the stuff you ultimately see rests on." [00:12:00] "If anyone is to have any hope of solving the major organizational, cultural, and existential problems we all face together today, insightful, curious, linky brains are an asset." [00:16:00] "In today's market and work world, every person can operate strategically, no matter how senior or tactical your role. Strategy is clear expectations." [00:24:00] "Strategy achievement, at its core, is human behavior change. Psychological research in the motivation sciences fields shows that human behavior change relies heavily on the creation of specific, actionable goals and a learning-focused approach." Key Takeaways: Strategy is about clarifying situations so everyone can do the smart thingStrategic thinking is independent of job title or roleGood strategy makes work better but often remains invisibleClear expectations and empirical measurements are crucial for successStrategy achievement is fundamentally about human behavior change Resources Mentioned: You Are A Strategist book: youareastrategist.comNo-BS OKRs Workbook (PDF download): https://findrc.co/4ggdAtzNewsletter signup: findrc.co/newsletter
