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299 John Doerr, Larry Page: Measure what matters

Learn the secrets of the goal-setting system that drove Google’s explosive growth and revolutionized businesses across the world.

Duration: 07 hours
56 minutes
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John Doerr, Larry Page: Measure what matters

Summary

  1. The OKR goal-setting system comprises Objectives (ambitious goals) and Key Results (specific, measurable outcomes) that help teams focus on what really matters.
  2. Effective OKRs should be ambitious, actionable, and measurable, and should align with the company's mission and values.
  3. OKRs should be transparent and shared across the organization, to encourage collaboration and accountability.
  4. Progress towards OKRs should be tracked regularly, using metrics and data to ensure that teams are making meaningful progress.
  5. The success of OKRs depends on a culture of trust, transparency, and continuous learning, where teams are encouraged to take risks, experiment, and learn from failures.

About

Title: Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs

Author: John Doerr, Larry Page (Foreword)

Publishing year: 2018

Publisher: Penguin Books

Length in hours: 7 hours and 56 minutes

5 main ideas

  1. "Ideas are easy. Execution is everything." - John Doerr
  2. "The goal of OKRs is not to score an A. The goal of OKRs is to help you prioritize and align on the things that are important." - Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo
  3. "The moment you make an OKR attainable, it's lost its power to inspire. The sweet spot for OKRs is to have them set to about 60-70% achievable." - John Doerr
  4. "OKRs are a vehicle for building a culture of openness, transparency, and collaboration." - Shona Brown, former SVP of Business Operations at Google
  5. "The most successful OKRs are those that are set with a sense of purpose, and achieved through an attitude of perseverance." - Larry Page, co-founder of Google
John Doerr, Larry Page: Measure what matters

5 funny quotes

  1. "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it, unless it's happiness. Then you should just smile." - Unknown
  2. "An OKR is like a bike helmet. If it's uncomfortable or uncool, you won't wear it." - Ryan Panchadsaram, former Deputy CTO of the United States
  3. "Happiness is a warm spreadsheet." - Tom Peters, management expert
  4. "An OKR is like a recipe for a dish. If the ingredients are bland or the measurements are off, you won't get the desired outcome." - Christina Wodtke, author and speaker
  5. "Without data, you're just another person with an opinion." - W. Edwards Deming, statistician and management expert

5 thought-provoking quotes​

  1. "Ideas are easy. Execution is everything." - John Doerr
  2. "The goal of OKRs is not to score an A. The goal of OKRs is to help you prioritize and align on the things that are important." - Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo
  3. "The moment you make an OKR attainable, it's lost its power to inspire. The sweet spot for OKRs is to have them set to about 60-70% achievable." - John Doerr
  4. "OKRs are a vehicle for building a culture of openness, transparency, and collaboration." - Shona Brown, former SVP of Business Operations at Google
  5. "The most successful OKRs are those that are set with a sense of purpose, and achieved through an attitude of perseverance." - Larry Page, co-founder of Google

5 dilemmas

  1. How do you balance ambitious goals with achievable outcomes, and avoid setting goals that are too easy or too hard?
  2. How do you ensure that OKRs align with the company's mission and values, and avoid setting goals that conflict with each other?
  3. How do you promote transparency and accountability while also protecting sensitive information and encouraging innovation?
  4. How do you measure progress towards non-quantifiable goals, such as employee satisfaction or social impact?
  5. How do you foster a culture of risk-taking and experimentation, while also maintaining high standards of performance and accountability?

5 examples

  1. Google's OKRs helped the company achieve unprecedented growth and innovation, from launching Gmail to developing self-driving cars.
  2. The Gates Foundation used OKRs to focus on eradicating polio and reducing maternal and child mortality rates.
  3. Intel's OKRs helped the company increase profits and market share, and set the stage for the development of the microprocessor.
  4. The City of Las Vegas used OKRs to reduce traffic fatalities by 50% in one year, by implementing targeted safety measures.
  5. Bono, lead singer of U2 and co-founder of the anti-poverty organization ONE, used OKRs to measure progress towards eradicating extreme poverty and preventable diseases.

Referenced books

  1. "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't" by Jim Collins
  2. "The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses" by Eric Ries
  3. "The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google" by Scott Galloway
  4. "The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail" by Clayton M. Christensen
  5. "Principles: Life and Work" by Ray Dalio

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"Without data, you're just another person with an opinion."

John Doerr, Larry Page: Measure what matters

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