September 1, 2025 “Measure What Matters” by John Doerr is a compelling guide to the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework that has had great successes in organizations such as Intel, Google, Amazon and many other startups.
An Objective is simply “WHAT” is to be achieved – they are, by definition, significant, concrete, action-oriented and inspirational. Key Results benchmark and monitor HOW we get to the objective.
The four OKR Superpowers, as per John Doer, are
*️⃣Focus and Commit to Priorities – High-performance organizations know what work is important and what is not – hence, leaders have to make hard choices and provide the necessary focus.
*️⃣Align and Connect for Teamwork – With the transparency in OKR, everyone’s goals from the CEO down are openly shared – individuals link their objectives to the company’s overall objectives, identify cross dependencies and coordinate with other teams.
*️⃣Track for Accountability – OKRs are driven by data – hence requires periodic check-ins, objective grading, and assessment
*️⃣Stretch for Amazing – OKRs motivate us to excel by doing more than we thought possible – unleashing our creative and ambitious selves
Inspired by Andy Grove, Doerr comes up with a practical approach to implementing OKRs. The book provides templates, implementation advice and comes up with a lot of examples from organizations he has worked earlier. Doerr emphasizes the importance of regular check-ins and the ability to adjust OKRs mid-cycle when circumstances change.
This is a valuable book for leaders struggling with priorities, alignments, or measuring progress towards ambitious goals.
