You Are a Strategist.
Use No-BS OKRs to Get Big Things Done. A practical guide for practitioners who need strategy frameworks that work—not frameworks that impress.
Most strategy fails at execution, not planning.
Teams invest serious time and money in strategic planning. Then three months later, nothing has changed. The plan made sense. The priorities were clear. But the strategy lives in decks and drives while the organization drifts back to business as usual.
This book is about what to do instead.
A framework, a method, and a practice.
The Connected Strategic Stack
A single-page view of your strategy—objectives, success criteria, and the thread between daily work and organizational direction. Not a template. A thinking tool.
No-BS OKRs
OKRs stripped of the performative layer. How to write objectives your team can actually use to make decisions, and key results that measure what matters—not what's easy to count.
Clear Expectations
The daily practice that makes strategy stick. How to build a team habit of creating, communicating, and following through on clear expectations—top-down, bottom-up, and side-to-side.
What you'll learn
- How to build a connected strategic stack—from organizational direction to daily decisions
- Why most OKR implementations fail, and how to build one that works
- The difference between performative strategy and strategy that changes behavior
- How to create clear expectations that your team will actually follow through on
- A repeatable practice for strategy execution—not a one-time exercise
Written for practitioners at every level.
Individual contributors
You want to connect your work to something bigger—and you want a framework for thinking strategically, regardless of your title.
Managers and team leads
You're responsible for translating organizational direction into team priorities—and you need a method that doesn't create busywork.
Directors and VPs
You're bridging the gap between executive strategy and operational execution—and tired of frameworks that don't survive first contact with reality.
Executives and founders
You set direction for your organization—and you want a system your team will actually use to execute on that direction.
"I've been in strategy roles for 15 years. This is the book I wish I'd had when I started."
Reviews
"Anyone who has ever found themselves trying to guide a recalcitrant organization toward significant change will recognize that what Lobkovich's 'No BS OKR' system promises is seriously challenging. Fortunately, each of the major steps in her process is clear, actionable, and adaptable to a wide variety of organizations."
"A helpful guide to pursuing business goals [...] genuinely practical counsel in step-by-step form."
"You Are a Strategist is one of those books that the moment you start reading you feel like was written just for you."
"Experience and insight on creating strategic alignment... What's most valuable is the experience shared on how to assess progress and adjust the approach for the outcome you need."
"This is a must-read for any team leader, manager, or executive."
Ready to get started?
Available now
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What's next
Ready to implement?
Take what you've learned in the book and bring Sara in to facilitate the work with your leadership team. The book is the thinking—the engagement is the doing.
Learn about Strategic Planning FacilitationLoved the book?
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Talk to SaraMore on OKRs and strategy
Measure What Matters
John Doerr's foundational text on OKRs. The starting point most teams read first—and the framework Sara's method builds on and extends.
View on AmazonRadical Focus
Christina Wodtke's practical guide to OKR implementation. A narrative-driven complement that pairs well with the structured approach in You Are a Strategist.
View on AmazonSara Lobkovich
Sara Lobkovich is an OKR coach and strategic facilitator who works with leadership teams to build strategy their organizations will actually use. She holds board certification in health and wellness coaching (NBC-HWC) and advanced training in conflict facilitation (TKI)—because strategy achievement is, at its core, human behavior change.
Before starting her practice, Sara spent 16+ years in executive leadership across technology, marketing, advertising, and operations. She has worked alongside 4,000+ practitioners across 300+ organizations.
More about SaraReady to unblock your inner strategist?
The practical guide for practitioners who need OKRs that work—not OKRs that impress.
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