Giant Talk: The world's first OKR podcast

  In this insightful episode of Giant Talk, Roger sits down with Sonia, an experienced HR professional and coach, to explore the critical challenge of organisational alignment. They dive deep into why strategic goals often get lost or diluted as they cascade through different levels of an organisation. Drawing from decades of experience at the board level, Sonia shares sharp insights into the disconnect between strategic goals and frontline execution. From her own journey leading blue-collar teams through transformation, to her mission to democratise coaching in business, this conversation uncovers the human side of alignment—trust, communication, confidence, and the critical role of first-line managers. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode, we sit down with our long-time friend Henrik-Jan Van Der Pol, Founder of Perdoo, to dig into the evolving world of OKRs. As the market shifts, with consultancies and software providers consolidating or shutting down, what's really going on? Henrik-Jan shares his insights on these changes, the lessons learned over the past 4–5 years, and what Microsoft's decision to retire Viva Goals means for the future of OKRs. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation. Enjoy the episode!   Visit Perdoo  

In this episode, we're joined by Sten, founder of Tability, an OKR platform designed to make accountability seamless and help teams achieve their goals faster. We chat about how accountability fits into the OKR framework and why this is so crucial. Sten explains that while teams often excel at setting goals during workshops, they frequently “drop the ball” when it comes to staying on track. Tability bridges this gap by making goals part of your weekly routine instead of something that gets revisited only at the end of the quarter. Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation: Why spreadsheets fail for OKRs: Goals on spreadsheets can easily lead to drift. Without regular check-ins, teams lose momentum. Building habits for weekly accountability: Sten emphasises the importance of reviewing progress to ensure you're moving in the right direction Speeding up execution: Delayed feedback can waste time and resources. By integrating OKRs into a team's rhythm, Tability empowers faster decision-making and execution. Enabling self-management: The ultimate goal of OKRs is to help teams self-manage effectively. This approach contrasts with traditional command-and-control models and unlocks bottom-up energy. Adapting to leadership changes: Sten shares how Tability often supports teams undergoing leadership shifts by providing clarity and empowering individuals The importance of setting clear expectations: Goals aren't a silver bullet—they require clarity, alignment, and regular follow-up to be effective. If your team has ever struggled to stay accountable to your goals or wants to achieve faster execution with fewer bottlenecks, this episode is sure to arm you with lots of insights.   Enjoy the episode!    

Welcome back to another episode of Giant Talk. In this episode, we sit down with Jonathan Elliot, a seasoned CEO with a career spanning commercial sales & marketing, strategy consulting, and leadership. Jonathan shares his expertise on implementing Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in large, complex organisations and the unique challenges that come with it. We discuss: The role of OKRs: How OKRs help organisations scale, transform, and navigate crises Building alignment: Creating a vision, clarifying roles, and ensuring teams stay aligned without disruption. Future-focused thinking: Why OKRs should be tied to forward-looking metrics, not past performance. Strategic Execution: Why success isn't just about hitting “green” metrics but executing the strategy effectively. Jonathan also highlights the universal value of OKRs for organisations of all sizes and the top benefits of implementing this framework effectively. If you're ready to align your teams and drive meaningful outcomes, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.   Enjoy the episode!  

In this episode, we expore the power of communication with James Milson, Head of Marketing at Hunter.AI. With extensive experience across tech start-ups and large SMBs, James shares his perspective on why communication serves as the bedrock of both success and failure within organisations. From enhancing collaboration to avoiding costly missteps, James highlights actionable strategies for leaders and teams to drive meaningful change.   Enjoy the episode!   Connect with James on LinkedIn

In this podcast episode we sit down with James Church, COO and Co-Founder of investment readiness agency Robot Mascot. We dive into (from a founders perspective) the good, the bad and the ugly of becoming investable. What are the top 3 things that make a Founder (and their business) investable? How important is it to investors to be confident that Founders are evolving their approach to defining and delivering results, as their business grows in size and scale? Listen to this exciting episode to find out more.   Links Connect with James on LinkedIn Find out more about Robot Mascot   

In this episode Roger sits down with a Chief Elephant Spotter (curious, listen to find out what this entails). James Pels is founder of Proven EA, a consultancy specialising in providing business transformation, agile coaching and digital transformation services to a wide range of industries in the public and private sectors. Roger and James dive into how to not waste time on things that you shouldn't be doing and discuss some common issues faced in workplaces that are a result of this.  No matter how well teams are working, if they're not working on the right things then time is wasted... Enjoy the episode!   Connect with James on LinkedIn Find out more about Proven EA        

Welcome back to Giant Talk!   In this episode Roger has an interesting conversation with Luke Fisher, CEO of Mo. Luke shares his journey from a fintech company undergoing cultural transformation to founding Mo, a platform designed to help managers and leaders sustainably invest in organisational culture. We dive into the significance of high-performing teams, the critical role of bottom-up change, and how small, marginal changes can drive transformational impact.  Whether you're looking to build a high-performance culture or engage your employees more effectively, this episode is packed with actionable insights and expert advice.    Link to Mo - https://mo.work/ Connect with Luke - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lsfisher/

Welcome to another exciting episode of Giant Talk. In this episode Roger is joined by Nick Corrigan, a Flight Lieutenant in the British Royal Air Force. Like any military organisation, command and control is necessary, especially in battle.  When the stakes are this high, how can the time and space be made for testing new ideas, and challenging the status quo? So how does an organisation like the UK's Royal Air Force learn, adapt and grow when hierarchy and orders are commonplace?  Nic joins us to share how time is consciously made for reflection and analysis so that the RAF can always be certain it's improving and evolving its capacity and capabilities. Nic brings with him a critical perspective on this given his unit is responsible for human performance. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode, we reconnect with ECO Surv, a valued client from just over a year ago. ECO Surv offer compliance and workflow management solutions in the energy efficiency, retro fit and renewables sector. Dive into the conversation with Nate, Co-Founder and CEO, and Bex, People and Culture Manager, as they share their journey with OKRs. Discover how, amid their rapid scaling, ECO Surv found OKRs to be a game-changer for prioritisation and aligning their team with a shared vision. Nate and Bex reflect on the transformative impact of using OKRs over the past 12 months – unveiling what strategies have proven effective and how they've adapted on this exciting journey. Enjoy the insightful discussion!

Welcome to another episode of Giant Talk. In this episode Roger chats to chats to Joanna, Head of Academy and Expert Consultant at There Be Giants. This episode shines a spotlight on the important, yet often overlooked, topic of psychological safety in the workplace. Jo brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her work at There Be Giants and explores the essence of psychological safety - a climate where team members feel included, secured and free to express contrasting ideas. She argues that instilling psychological safety requires persistent effort and patience from both leaders and team members, with trust playing a crucial role. Enjoy the episode!  

We're clearly big fan of OKRs, but we're not so blindly fanatical that we don't accept they are only part of the picture when it comes to strategy execution.  OKRs signpost and help to chart progress at a high level but don't do a great job at defining and tracking the details; they need to interface with the next level, and that's often project management. At TBG we've had a lot of involvement with project management over the years, both in a “traditional” waterfall sense and also agile, and have seen how either tribe (as that's how it appears sometimes) seems to hold the other in disdain.  Because of this, Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez's HBR paper on how Waterfall and Agile should learn how to work together better caught our eye.   Join us as we explore the challenges of managing modern projects and how Antonio believes a “hybrid” combination of waterfall and agile is now needed. Antonio is the author of the HBR Project Management Handbook, he also writes for the WSJ and is one of the founders of https://www.strategyimplementationinstitute.org/   Antonio is currently conducting research into hybrid project management so if you are interested in contributing, you can do this via https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NXK2TCF You can find his website at http://antonionietorodriguez.com/ He has a LinkedIn newsletter at https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/lead-projects-successfully-6820596029113565184/ And a selection of free courses on LinkedIn learning at https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/antonio-nieto-rodriguez   Enjoy the episode!

OKR teams rarely find themselves based in the same location, so forming and working together brings all the challenges of hybrid working in today's contemporary organisations. This is why we was particularly interested in having a chat with Alexandra Samuel, after reading her HBR article “3 Project Management Strategies for a Hybrid Workplace”.  In our 30-minute+ conversation, we discuss all aspects of hybrid team forming and ongoing management, with Alex sharing insights and advice from her 25+ years of experience of working within and researching this aspect of work.  Alexandra has also contributed to the WSJ, and she is co-author of “Remote Inc. – How to thrive at work wherever you are”  You can connect with Alex at https://www.alexandrasamuel.com/  Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast.   In this episode, Roger chats to Jacob Morgan author, futurist, & keynote Speaker on leadership, employee experience, & the future of work. In this discussion, Jacob talks about the topic of leading with vulnerability. How do you as a leader share a vulnerable side, share any gaps you have and open up about what you've learned to close any gaps. How can you as a leader feel safe enough to share this side? Fascinating conversation with an expert in this field.     Enjoy the episode!  You can purchase Jacob's book leading with vulnerability here. 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast.   In this episode, Roger chats to Ryan Lowdermilk, Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, an OKR Champion and OKR Coach for the Microsoft Tech team for the America's. Ryan chats to Roger about the use of OKRs at Microsoft, how OKRs can break through the hierarchy and why OKRs should be a light lift.     Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast.   In this episode, Roger catches up with Tracey Boylin, CEO of Organisational Genetics. Organisational Genetics was born out of the real life experiences of the founders to address the challenge of nurturing a more open reporting culture in the NHS and other organisations.  Tracey chats to Roger about her work in Ukraine in preventing corruption and fraud, all whilst in the middle of a war.    Enjoy the episode!   

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's longest running OKR podcast.   In this episode, Roger chats with Behnam Tabrizi, of Stanford University. Behnam - a 3X award-winning scholar and educator - has been teaching “Leading Organisational Transformation” at Stanford University's Department of Management Science & Engineering and executive programs for over 25 years. An expert in organisational and leadership transformation, he has helped thousands of CEOs and leaders plan, mobilise and implement innovative transformational initiatives.  Behnam has written ten books, most recently Going on Offense: A Leader's Playbook for Perpetual Innovation. Going on Offense is a powerful resource for anyone looking to transform their organisation and their people into a perpetual innovator. Based on a comprehensive seven-year study from Stanford University, Going on Offense provides an insider view into the drivers of success and challenges in 26 organisations.  Behnam chats to Roger about the fear some leaders have around AI, and how they can leverage AI to gain competitive advantage. Enjoy the episode!    Links Going on Offense: A Leader's Playbook for Perpetual Innovation - Pre-order Companies that replace people with AI will get left behind

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast.   In this episode, Roger catches up with Patrick Jocelyn, Chief Executive Officer at Omniplex Learning, a client of TBG. Omniplex Learning is the complete learning and development solution. Award-winning authoring tools, market-leading learning management systems, bespoke digital learning creation and systems and skills training – all in one place. Patrick talks to Roger about their OKR journey and what impact they've had on the business.    Enjoy the episode! 

There are countless things we love today that began as a single idea that developed into something spectacular after partnering with another.   A key question, therefore, needs to be: how can we work smarter, not harder, whilst adapting to ongoing changes and improving organisational performance? We teamed up with HR Fusion to conduct some of our own research and dig into existing research, to investigate how essential cross-functional working is in promoting collaboration and if it might be the key to transformational performance for individuals, teams and organisations in our constantly evolving world.   Roger chats to Rachel Bennett from HR Fusion to dig into the findings..   Enjoy the episode...   Download our paper 

Join us to spend a fascinating hour digging into the often-misunderstood concept of “alignment” with Jonathon Hensley – CEO, board member of multiple silicon valley businesses and author of the book called, yes, you guessed it: “Alignment.” Jonathon has long been curious about why some businesses manage to align really well, and others don't.  What is it the good ones are doing that the others are not?  This is exactly where we start, and then go on to look at the different types of alignment, some practical tips leaders can start doing right now and even the biological drivers we all have which make us want to connect and align. If anything, the key takeaway from our conversation is that alignment is far more than just writing your goals as OKRs.  Managing the change and cultivating the right culture is essential to build great alignment. You can find Jonathon's book in your chosen bookstore – just search for “Alignment Jonathon Hensley”   Enjoy!

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's longest running OKR podcast. Join us for a series of special episodes in conversation with long-standing organisational performance expert, Brett Knowles.   In this episode, we take a deeper dive into AI and the five major components of being able to use AI.     Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast.   In this episode, Roger chats to Sara Jacklin, an expert facilitator with a specialism in design sprints. Sara has worked with many clients using design sprints as a sophisticated problem-solving process. Sara chats to Roger about how best to use design sprints and using them in an agile way.    Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. Join us for a series of special episodes in conversation with long-standing organisational performance expert, Brett Knowles.   In this third episode, we discuss the concept of AI and in particular Chatgpt , how can you integrate this into your OKR processes?    Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. Join us for a series of special episodes in conversation with long-standing organisational performance expert, Brett Knowles.   Throughout these we will be looking at some of the emerging challenges facing organisations today as we all try to adapt to the new normal of rapidly accelerating change and ever-increasing volatility.   In this second episode, we discuss the matter - Should OKRs should be linked to reward & recognition? Does this help or hinder OKR success...?     Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. Join us for the first of a series of special episodes in conversation with long-standing organisational performance expert, Brett Knowles. Throughout these we will be looking at some of the emerging challenges facing organisations today as we all try to adapt to the new normal of rapidly accelerating change and ever increasing volatility.  In this first episode, we look at how the organisational "OS" needs to evolve to adapt to these new challenges.  Yes, OKRs are part of the picture, but there's more to it than that...   Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. In this episode, we are joined by Tom Rausch, Director of Consulting at Barrett values centre. Tom chats to Roger about his work at Barrett transforming businesses, and the changing trends they've seen when it comes to values and culture.      Enjoy the episode!   

Welcome back to Giant Talk. In this episode, Roger welcomes Ian Turner, Talent Director at Talk Talk, a telecommunications organisation providing pay television and Internet access services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom. Ian chats to Roger about the Talk Talk OKR journey and the benefits they have seen from using them.      Enjoy the episode! 

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. In this episode host Roger Longden chats to Bernie Smith, a KPI guru! Roger and Bernie dig into the topic ‘OKR vs KPIs', and dispel some common myths. How and when should you use OKRs & KPIs? Listen to this insightful conversation to find out.    Enjoy the episode!   

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. After being at the forefront of the OKR space for some time, Roger Longden, Founder and Chairman of TBG joins us to share his learnings and thoughts on OKR, and the change he has seen in the OKR world. He also gives an update about his new role as Chairman of TBG.     Enjoy the episode! Links The OKR Coach Handbook by Roger Longden.  

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. In the second episode of series 9 we are joined by Kyle Byrd, partner at Adventure Fund and former Product Manager at Atlassian. Kyle is a big advocate of OKRs and shares his experience of using them with Roger.   Enjoy the episode! Links Join the Blueprint Community - decisions.community  

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. Kicking off this new season, and back with Roger Longden as host, we welcome Ahmed Elnahas, IT Manager at NN Group. Ahmed has been working with OKRs for some time and has an interesting take on how he uses them and how OKRs can work with agile.    Enjoy the episode! Links Join our OKR Professionals Slack community here - http://bit.ly/3FBQ7Ug

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. In this episode, we are joined by Chris Abbass, CEO and Founder of Talentful - a global talent recruitment company for tech companies.   In this episode, we talk about the importance of a sense of purpose in the workplace.   Enjoy the episode!

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. In this episode we are joined by Mike Goitein, an Enterprise OKR, Agile, and Product coach at KeyBank, a top-20 US bank. Mike, who has a background in IT consulting, now supports KeyBank's ongoing Agile transformation. In this episode we talk about creativity and strategy vs analysis and planning. Enjoy the episode!   Links Josh Seiden book “Outcomes Over Outputs” Josh Seiden & Jeff Gothelf's book “Lean UX” Simon Sinek YouTube video – “Noah” The Core Business Mindset That's Killing Your OKRs

Welcome back to Giant Talk. In this episode we talk to Glo Gordon, CEO of MATRIXX Software, a global leader in 5G monetization solutions for the telecom industry.  Glo talks to us about the power of leadership, and leading an organisation through its transformation phase, even during a difficult time during the pandemic.    Enjoy the episode!

Welcome back to Giant Talk, the world's first OKR podcast. Today I am delighted to be joined by Tim Calderhead, a consultant here at There Be Giants. Tim has a background in leading  transformational change and he is also a star in our YouTube video series - check our channel out if you're yet to do so!   Today we are going to talk about how you can get the best possible chance of success when delivering OKRs into your organisation.    Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk by Sten Pittet, Co-founder and CEO at Tability, an OKR software that helps you move away from spreadsheets for focus and accountability.   Today we are going to talk about misalignment and why this might not be a bad thing.   Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we chat to Rico Surridge, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Which? The UK's consumer champion, raising awareness of consumer rights and offering independent advice.  Today we are going to talk about Rico's OKR journey and his key learnings along the way.    Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by Keith Nichol, Planning Director and Co-founder at Flourish Direct Marketing, a specialist CRM agency. Having been a business owner for over 18 years, Keith has a wealth of knowledge around strategic planning which we'll dig into today.   Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by by Margaux Joly, Change Manager at And Digital. Margaux joins us to talk about the benefits of OKR coach training and how this can impact not only your organisation or the organisation you work in, but you as an individual.  Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by Mark Homza, Co-founder and CEO at Funday, a performance marketing agency.  Having been an entrepreneur for over 15 years, Mark is going to talk to us about innovation and why it's important to always be looking ahead.   Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by our own consultant Joanna Thirkettle. Today Jo is going to talk to us about feedback and coaching. We'll talk through the differences and why feedback and coaching can benefit your business. We'll also discuss how feedback can drive forward your OKRs. Enjoy the episode! Mentioned in the episode: There Be Giants OKR Coach Academy - Now CMI Recognised! The Chimp Paradox Betterup research  

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by Sarah Shultz, Strategy & Communications Lead at OfficeTogether. Today Sarah is going to talk to us about her experience using OKRs from the good, the not so good and the bad. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by Andy Binns, co-founder of Change Logic and corporate innovation guru. Today Andy is going to talk to us about innovation in the corporate world and how OKRs can be used to fuel innovation.    You can purchase the Corporate Explore here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corporate-Explorer-Corporations-Entrepreneurs-Innovation/dp/1119838320    Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by Mark Flint, CEO and Co-founder of The Escape Game a world-class experiential entertainment company with 23 retail locations across the U.S, employing nearly 900 team members. Today Mark is going to talk to us about an agile approach to goal-setting, having had to pivot his business during the pandemic.    Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by Ann Walton, Vice President, People & Operations at Voices.com, the online marketplace that connects businesses with professional voice talent. Today Ann is going to talk to us about how you can organically and intentionally create a healthy culture. Ann shares some do's and don'ts when it comes to creating a healthy culture.    The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Giant Talk we're delighted to be joined by Dr Harley Phoenix. Harley is Learning & Development Manager at Benchmarx and has a PhD in behavioural science. Harley talks to us about behaviours in leadership and how you can use behaviours to create a collaborative culture.   Enjoy the episode!

In this episode we're delighted to be joined by Felix Beccar, Chief of Staff at MURAL, the remote-first company behind the popular visual collaboration platform. Today Felix talks to us about how MURAL uses OKRs in their strategic planning process and the reality of the challenges you can face when adopting OKRs. Enjoy the episode!

Today we're delighted to be joined by Andrea Lagan, Chief Operating Officer at Betterworks, an enterprise Performance Management & OKR Software. Today we're going to talk about a timely topic: Culture! How important is company culture and what are the benefits of getting it right. Enjoy the episode!

Today we're delighted to be joined by David Ciccarelli, CEO & Founder of Voices, one of the biggest online marketplaces for voice-overs. Today we're going to talk about the importance of strategic alignment and the process Voices goes through in their strategic planning process. Enjoy the episode!

Today we're delighted to be joined by two guests, Sarah Parr and Ian Adams. Sarah is an executive coach with a background in coaching and consulting, Sarah also has over 10 years of experience in the social housing sector. Ian is Business Assurance and Performance Director at Magenta Living, the largest housing provider in Wirral, owning and managing around 12,500 properties. Ian is also the OKR lead for Magenta Living. Today we're going to talk about the challenges faced in the UK social housing sector and why OKRs are a great fit in helping tackle those challenges.  Enjoy the episode!

Today, we're delighted to be joined by Neel Doshi. Neel is a co-author of worldwide best selling book Primed to Perform, and also co-founder of Vega Factor, building high performing cultures through the science of total motivation. If you want people to be engaged in their work, you have to make their work engaging. Neel chats to Roger about what motivation means, how motivation drives performance and how organisations can manage motivation.  Enjoy the episode!   Read Primed to Perform