As we finally put 2020 into hindsight, the road ahead is uncertain. On the one hand, stock markets continue to thrive, and the economy feels poised to come roaring back, fueled by a population vaccinated and ready to work and play with others again. On the other hand, many worry which bull markets might stumble, and which bubbles might burst.

Beyond the legitimate handwringing, there’s one economy that will provide steady, consistent opportunities and growth in the coming decade: The Decarbonization Economy. Call this ClimateTech, Cleantech 2.0, or something new, but know this about the transition to an economy free…

The first steps are the hardest, and I find success in implementation is dramatically improved with a phased approach. First, plan and roll out your team-wide OKRs. Second, take the OKRs down a level in the organization. Finally, use OKRs at a personal level, and integrate them with performance reviews. I’ve seen companies do this all the way through within a year. However, even for agile start-ups, this can take longer.

Now that you have a methodology for ensuring your Objectives and Key Results are screened against and informed by your purpose, let’s look at a leaner methodology to implement OKRs.

Back to basics: why are we using OKRs again? We use any measure of output to ensure our work creates the value we seek. Objectives and key results attempt to define that measure of success. By defining what success looks like, for individuals and for the team, you are sharing a treasure map. …

Volumes have been written about measuring and managing objectives over the last century, and with good reason. If we can improve our processes and execution, so the theory goes, we will have better outcomes.

We’ve come a long way since the days of Taylorism in our effort to improve output by measuring performance. We’ve seen greater value in treating humans as creative, thoughtful people rather than cogs in a machine. Moving from W. …

As we’ve previously written, Obvious is bullish on what we call the Urban Upgrade. When we look forward to the near future we wish existed, three words always jump out for cities: clean, communal, and connected. Put simply, as cities scale at an unprecedented pace, we want them to be sustainable and livable for all citizens.

We’re putting our money where the future is going with industry defining companies across the Urban Upgrade. With Plant Prefab and Canvas, we’re focused on making sustainable building fast, affordable, and gorgeous. Keyo is reimagining a more digitally delightful relationship between landlords and tenants…

An article I recently co-wrote with Di-Ann Eisnor sparked some controversy.

The post, about cities of the near future, took as a given that urban dwellers would represent an ever-larger share of the global population in the coming decades. Not everyone agreed. Why, one critic asked, do we take it as a self-evident that everyone wants to migrate to cities?

That question got me thinking more about what might be called the frictionless life, one defined by higher quality of living with deeper community connections. …

by Andrew Beebe and Di-Ann Eisnor

It’s 2030, and North American cities are choking on poorly planned, uneven growth. The construction industry continues to be plagued by decreasing productivity, rising costs, and an aging labor force. The housing crisis endures; living in cars and on the street is not only tolerated morally, but tacitly approved. Traffic is even more debilitating, with single occupancy vehicles creeping along everywhere. Scooter and bike riders, attempting to skirt the traffic, are injured at unprecedented rates. Charging electric vehicles remains a challenge, proving to be a near immovable barrier to mass adoption of EVs.

The…

by Andrew Beebe and Joe Blair

There’s a revolution in the air. Literally, up in the sky. Winged devices and the necessary ecosystem around them are undergoing the biggest transformation since humanned flight began over 100 years ago.

Technologists have promised “flying cars” for decades but the aircraft industry has failed to deliver. This time is different. Instead of cars with fold out wings, there is a new species of aircraft evolving — one that is small, agile, fast, all-electric, and emission-free. …