A lifelong love of learning can manifest itself in many ways throughout our careers. For Sarah Koehn, the Leadership Development Program Manager at PitchBook, her passion for learning first led her into the classroom before she landed at PitchBook.
“I’ve always loved learning,” Koehn says, “During college, I tutored at local schools in Seattle. After graduation, I completed my master’s and began teaching high school English. However, in my fourth year of teaching, I was burning out; I still loved learning, but I knew I needed to find a different way to engage my passion and my skill set.”
That burnout is what ultimately led Koehn to go back to school to earn a certificate in instructional design. After receiving her certificate and resigning from her last teaching position, she spent the summer applying for entry-level positions before accepting a role as a training program assistant in the non-profit space. From there, she never looked back.
“My first role in learning and development was operational. I quickly learned how to run a training program and support both internal and external vendors. This experience was critical in helping me better define my strengths in a learning and development environment,” she explains.
Koehn now manages learning and development at PitchBook where she continually engages with that love of learning that’s been with her since childhood.
Here, she shares details about her current role, how she managed to shift careers, and her approach to setting boundaries at work.
What led to your job at PitchBook? What attracted you to the company, and how did you know it would be a good fit?
During the pandemic, my former team restructured and I decided that I wanted to be at a company that was actively investing in talent development. When I met the PitchBook team, I was impressed by the abundance of passion and experience. Every employee I met shared examples of how the PitchBook learning team (PitchBook’s talent development team) had impacted their employee experience, from onboarding through retention. I was excited by the opportunity to join a company that values development so strongly! I was also drawn to the role itself, as it combined my favorite aspects of this field: learning experience design, facilitation, and program management.
What are you responsible for in your current role? What is the most rewarding part about it?
I manage the learning journey and development of our first line leaders. I also partner with other departments and teams on learning solutions for their employees, facilitate a variety of learning experiences that develop individuals and teams, and lead projects that are implemented enterprise-wide. Right now, I’m excited about leading the design and implementation of our leader competencies. Lots of work has been done and there’s still more to do!
What was your biggest challenge when transitioning from your previous role in education to your current role? How did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges I faced when transitioning from secondary education was translating my experiences into the corporate world. As a high school teacher, I was designing instruction and assessing learning every day. However, the content was different. To break into the corporate world, I had to emphasize my skills and the outcomes to show the relevancy of my professional experience.
Do you find that any of the skills or experiences from your previous career have helped in your current role? If so, how did you parlay those skills?
Many of my skills from secondary education translate to my current role—instructional design, facilitation, and learning measurement. However, I think the most valuable skill is my emotional intelligence. In teaching, I was interacting with a variety of personalities, communication styles, and learning styles. I had to adapt my approach to fit each person, may that be my boss, parents, or one of my students. Situational awareness and adaptability are skills I still use every day.
What advice do you have for others who are thinking about pivoting their careers the way you did?
You can do it! If you can, find a generalist role that will give you exposure and experience to the various parts of the new career you’re trying to transition to. This helped me to better understand how I wanted to grow in this field.
How do you balance being a working parent? How have you been able to successfully set boundaries between your work and home life?
I don’t have a boundary between my work and home life—and maybe that’s controversial to say. I imagine the different parts of my life in buckets: current work, professional growth, marriage, children, friends, family, personal health, etc. When I dedicate time to a bucket, I’m pouring water in. I’m always assessing each bucket, and I “add water” according to my priorities and life’s needs. Some weeks, my work bucket needs a lot and I’m happy to give that time because my work is important to me. Alternatively, this year I decided to refocus on my health bucket and returned to my local yoga studio after pausing in 2020. There’s never a complete division of work and home life for me—my children are young and can’t open a cheese stick (yet!). So, I use many (if not all) of PitchBook’s programs to ensure that I’m working how I need to and I am present for my family and friends.
How does PitchBook encourage its employees to prioritize self-care? How have you been personally impacted by this flexible work culture?
I’m incredibly thankful for PitchBook’s flexible work culture. I use many of their programs like core work hours to pick up my kids by 4 p.m. I then spend the next three hours with my family, and catch up on any missed Slacks or emails after bedtime. I use our hybrid work schedule to save myself commute time or work from home on days my kids have appointments. I use our “Work from Anywhere” days when my husband travels for work. This allows me more flexibility to be a solo parent; I know that’s not glamorous, but it’s incredibly practical and helps me and my family.
How would you describe your leadership style? What has your experience been like as a woman in leadership?
I strive for my leadership style to be personable, cooperative, and dedicated. I hold myself to high standards and I want to create an environment where others are motivated and supported to achieve awesome outcomes together.
You’re organizing a dinner party with your biggest role models. Who’s invited, what will you talk about, and what’s on the menu?
I want to laugh! I would invite some of the funniest women (past and present) I can think of: Maya Rudolph, Lucille Ball, Ilana Glazer, and Casey Wilson. We’d watch and riff on TV shows together while eating burgers and fries.