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

In Chapter 4, Doerr discusses the importance of focusing on, and committing to, only a few OKRs at a time. Discipline and prioritization are critical.

Doerr gives a few examples of how companies can decide on organization-wide OKRs. For instance, Google drew from its mission statement and core values to set overarching objectives. Other companies may take inspiration from frontline workers. Regardless, Doerr reminds managers to set their own goals as well, rather than to simply make their goals the same as the company’s objectives.

Doerr discusses a technique for constructing key results: He recommends creating pairs of key results that balance each other out. This piece of advice is inspired by cautionary tales like that of the Ford Pinto, where a singular focus on one key result (in that case, cost reduction) led to disastrous consequences. The Pinto was notoriously unsafe, causing numerous accidents and deaths; Ford devaluing safety by a singular focus on cost reduction had severe repercussions. Doerr therefore advises pairing key results pairs such as revenue growth and customer satisfaction to prevent similar imbalances and unintended consequences.