Sophia Kristjansson, CEO, Lexicon Lens, co-author "Lives Lost and Leadership Found"

Today we’re joined by Sophia Kristjansson, Founder and CEO of Lexicon Lens, a boutique consulting firm that helps leaders close the persistent gap between strategy and execution—so plans don’t just look good on paper, they actually turn into results.

Sophia's Website

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiakristjansson/

With more than 25 years of experience guiding organizations through growth, change, and transformation, Sophia works closely with leadership teams to restore clarity, align people and process, and build traction when momentum starts to stall. She also teaches graduate courses in business strategy and organizational transformation at the University of Denver

She’s a contributing author to Lives Lost and Leadership Found, edited by Ian Ziskin—who joined us a few episodes back.

1. Why Strategy Fails at the Finish Line
2. Sophia, many organizations have smart strategies—but struggle with execution. From your experience, where do things most often break down between intention and action?
3. Closing the Strategy–Execution Gap
4. At Lexicon Lens, your work centers on alignment, collaboration, and leadership development. What are the first signs you look for that tell you a team is losing traction—and how do you help them regain momentum? Sophia shares these six signs:
5. Misaligned success signals – Leaders focus on the wrong metrics, missing what truly indicates performance or risk.
6. Organizational silos – Limited cross-functional visibility creates blind spots that hide emerging problems.
7. Communication mistaken for clarity – Sending emails or memos is assumed to solve issues, without ensuring understanding or follow-through.
8. Execution problems misdiagnosed – Symptoms are addressed instead of root causes, leading to recurring issues.
9. Outdated mental models – Leaders rely on old assumptions and ways of thinking without realizing they no longer fit current realities.
10. Human risk ignored – The people impact (capacity, morale, alignment, burnout) is not surfaced or discussed openly.
11. These six signals indicate leaders may not be seeing the real problem. Bringing leaders together to surface these blind spots enables shared understanding, innovation, and collaboration—often prompting the realization that the issue isn’t execution alone, but perception and alignment.
12. Turning Ideas into Action in Complex Environments
13. Leaders today are navigating constant change, competing priorities, and growing complexity. What practical frameworks or habits help leaders move from analysis paralysis to decisive action?
14. Lessons from “Lives Lost and Leadership Found”
15. You contributed to Lives Lost and Leadership Found, a book that explores how personal loss and reflection can deepen leadership capacity. How did that experience shape—or reinforce—your perspective on leadership, resilience, and execution?
16. Teaching the Next Generation of Leaders
17. You teach graduate students in business strategy and organizational transformation. What do you see emerging leaders getting right—and where do they most need to develop skills to lead effectively in today’s organizations?

For leaders listening right now who feel stuck between a clear vision and uneven execution—what’s one small, meaningful step they can take this week to move forward?