Measure What Matters by John Doerr: Summary & Notes
by John Doerr
In One Sentence
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) focus organizations on ambitious goals with measurable outcomes—a system used by Google, Intel, and the Gates Foundation to achieve extraordinary results.
Key Takeaways
- OKRs: Objectives (what you want to achieve) + Key Results (how you know you've achieved it)
- Set ambitious "stretch" goals—50% completion of a stretch goal beats 100% of a mediocre one
- Transparency: everyone's OKRs should be visible to everyone else
- Quarterly cycles create urgency and enable rapid iteration
- OKRs should be separate from compensation to encourage risk-taking
- CFRs (Conversations, Feedback, Recognition) complement OKRs for people management
Summary
The OKR (Objectives & Key Results) bible. Worth reading in full for those responsible for implementing OKRs at their company.
Rating is a bit lower because of the filler chapters (often stories from companies). Feels like the most actionable points (and most useful) are in the resources at the end.
Who Should Read This Book
- Executives and managers implementing goal-setting systems
- Startup founders looking for proven planning frameworks
- Anyone who has struggled with goal achievement
- HR leaders designing performance management systems
FAQ
What are OKRs?
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a goal-setting framework. Objectives are memorable, qualitative descriptions of what you want to achieve. Key Results are measurable, time-bound milestones that indicate you've achieved the objective. Example: Objective—Launch an amazing product. Key Results—Get 10,000 users, 4.5+ star rating, 50% week-1 retention.
Click to expand comprehensive chapter-by-chapter breakdown (~15-20 min read)
