Summary

<aside> 💡 Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are a collaborative goal-setting protocol for companies, teams, and individuals.

• An OBJECTIVE is WHAT is to be achieved, while KEY RESULTS benchmark and monitor HOW we get to the objective.
• OKRs surface primary goals, channel efforts and coordination, and link diverse operations, providing purpose and unity to the entire organization.
• Productivity is enhanced by well-defined, challenging goals.
• Clear and shared goals create alignment, clarity, and job satisfaction.
• Top-line objectives must be significant, linking to the larger purpose.
• The ideal number of quarterly OKRs ranges between three and five.
• OKRs are transparent, facilitating alignment and collaboration.
• The best practice includes a dual cadence of short-horizon OKRs supporting annual OKRs and longer-term strategies.
• For quality assurance, key results can be paired to measure both effect and counter-effect. </aside>

Notes

FOREWORD Larry Page Alphabet CEO and Google Cofounder (Location 100)

As much as I hate process, good ideas with great execution are how you make magic. And that’s where OKRs come in. (Location 102)

PART ONE OKRs in Action (Location 119)

1 Google, Meet OKRs (Location 121)

If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there. —Yogi Berra (Location 122)

Ideas are easy. Execution is everything. (Location 161)

OKRs. Short for Objectives and Key Results. It is a collaborative goal-setting protocol for companies, teams, and individuals. Now, OKRs are not a silver bullet. They cannot substitute for sound judgment, strong leadership, or a creative workplace culture. But if those fundamentals are in place, OKRs can guide you to the mountaintop. (Location 167)

My first PowerPoint slide defined OKRs: “A management methodology that helps to ensure that the company focuses efforts on the same important issues throughout the organization.” (Location 171)