Episode 85
85: Be the Guide: Turning Problems into Possibilities with Sarah Tilkens
When GE Healthcare told Sarah Tilkens she was “too good where she was,” she turned rejection into redirection—and launched The KPI Lab. In this episode, she shares how her journey from corporate ops leader to executive coach is reshaping how businesses approach problem solving, people leadership, and continuous improvement.
Sarah brings sharp strategy and a heart-first mindset to every challenge—from leading Kaizen events to coaching executives and mapping out better standards for success.
🔍 What You’ll Learn:
- Why your problem-solving process needs to start with defining success
- How to shift from being the “hero” to being the “guide” for your team
- The power of experimentation (and what biology taught Sarah about business)
- Why most business failures stem from a lack of clear standards
- The difference between solving problems for your team vs. with your team
- A smarter way to build problem-solvers using “what” questions instead of “why”
- How to market like a guide by understanding what your customers are really searching for
💬 Key Quotes:
- “I was just so sure of what I wanted to do—and I was unwilling to just be anymore.”
- “We hadn’t defined what good looks like. That’s why the system was chaotic.”
- “When you’re building problem solvers, you don’t ask why, you ask what.”
- “If the goal is to get healthy, but we all measure it differently, we’re not on the same page.”
- “Experiments give us permission to get it wrong—safely—and learn from it.”
- “Your customers are searching for the problem. Your brand needs to be the guide.”
Transcript
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