Week 28, 2018
OKR: The Book, The Critique, and the How-To
Each week, I share three ideas on how to make work better. And this week, the theme is Objectives & Key Results (OKR) — the goal-setting method that propelled companies like Intel, Google, and Facebook to where they are today. Let’s dig in.
1. The Book
Last month, investor and venture capitalist John Doerr published his book “Measure What Matters — How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs.” Billed as the must-read for anyone interested in OKR.
For more, see Doerr’s Measure What Matters website.
2. The Critique
Doerr’s book isn’t without its flaws. And it didn’t take long before business consultant and OKR coach Felipe Castro published a respectful yet hard-hitting critique. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone wanting to understand OKR.
For a nuanced review, see Castro’s Measure What Really Matters.
3. The How-To
Criticizing the man who popularized OKR can’t be easy. He has, in my opinion, written the best OKR how-to guides currently available. My recommendation for anyone wanting to successfully adopt OKR.
For instructions, see Castro’s How to Measure What Really Matters.
OKR can provide the foundation atop which results-driven cultures are built. But for that to happen, we must focus on outcomes rather than outputs. That is, we need to measure results achieved rather than tasks completed.
