Podcasts about okrs

Jessica Swank, Chief People Officer at Box, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about building an "org brain", preparing managers to lead teams of humans plus agents, avoiding agent sprawl and tech debt, and why every people leader needs to start experimenting with AI personally to stay ahead.----  Downloadable PDF with top takeaways: https://modernpeopleleader.kit.com/episode269Sponsor Links:

In this episode, Arthi Vijayaraghavan, IBM Product Leader, speaks with Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking and a globally respected product strategist and advisor. Radhika dives into her groundbreaking new framework on why traditional goals and OKRs fail, and how organizations can shift toward puzzle thinking — a mindset built on experimentation, learning, and continuous adaptation. She breaks down how objectives, hypotheses, and honest reflection can help teams solve the right problems, collaborate better, and build products that create meaningful, long-term change. Through real stories of companies reframing their strategy and unlocking growth, Radhika reveals how leaders can replace rigid targets with curiosity, clarity, and shared purpose. This conversation is a powerful reminder that in a world shaped by AI, uncertainty, and rapid shifts, true progress comes not from chasing numbers — but from solving the puzzles that matter. Chapters 00:00: Intro 1:57 : Motivations for the book 3:25 : Problems with OKRs 5:45 : Anchors created by the goals 8:37 : Rethinking the framework 12:54 : Puzzle setting and solving framework 13:14 : Puzzle setting for sales 27:47 : Performance evaluation and planning 34:31 : Strategic planning how can it be improved 45:41 : What's next

What if your company stopped chasing quarterly goals and spent an entire month training every employee on AI? That's exactly what AppsFlyer did, and it completely transformed how they approach innovation.In this episode, AppsFlyer down with Barak Witkovsky, Chief Product Officer of AppsFlyer, to discuss one of the boldest AI transformation experiments I've ever heard of. For four weeks, they paused regular business objectives and put all 1,300 employees through an AI builder course. Not on top of their work. AS their work.What We Cover:1. Why AppsFlyer stopped chasing OKRs to invest in AI education across the entire company2. How AppsFlyer's CEO and CPO learn about AI from their own employees (including marketers who know more than developers at other companies)3. How AppsFlyer evolved from a measurement platform into a modern marketing cloud with autonomous AI agents4. How do you get marketers to trust AI when they're deploying tens of millions in ad spend?5. Why AppsFlyer is betting on an open AI ecosystem with MCP and Agent Hub6. Are marketers becoming obsolete or are they about to become "bosses of agents"?7. Why executives are bullish on AI while directors and managers feel anxious (and what to do about it)Timestamps:00:00 AI Integration at AppsFlyer04:15 The ROI of AI Investments05:14 Evolution to a Modern Marketing Cloud16:30 Challenges of Omnichannel Measurement22:26 AI Agents in Marketing27:01 Becoming an AI-First Company31:29 The Role of AppsFlyer in the AI Ecosystem44:38 The Ultimate Growth Machine Vision47:18 Final Thoughts

In „Ask me anything about OKRs“ Episode 55 geht es um das Confidence Level und warum es keine Fortschrittsanzeige ist, sondern die Frage beantwortet, wie zuversichtlich ich bin, ein Key Result am Ende des Zyklus wirklich zu erreichen – und warum am Ende nur das Result zählt, nicht der Zwischenstand. Am Beispiel eines großen, ehemals staatlichen Unternehmens diskutieren wir, warum die Trennung zwischen Tagesgeschäft und Zukunftsprojekte nicht funktioniert. Darauf aufbauend diskutieren wir den Unterschied zwischen Strategie und Zielen und warum es keine sinnvollen OKRs ohne nachvollziehbare Strategie geben kann. Zum Schluss geht es um die Frage, was ein gutes Objective ist und warum Key Results immer messbare Ergebnisse statt Meilensteine oder To-do-Listen beschreiben.

Originally published on August 26, 2024This replay features the wonderful Surbhi Agarwal, 25+ year industry vet and former CMO at Applied Intuition. We talked about her path from engineering to product marketing to the CMO seat, what really changes when you leave companies like Intel and Google for a fast moving startup, and why she builds marketing around trust, clarity, and collaboration.Surbhi's story as an immigrant navigating visa setbacks, rebuilding her career across three countries, and eventually helping grow a business to 10M ARR is powerful. Her honesty about leadership, resilience, and finding your voice as a woman in B2B has stuck with me ever since.- Jane-----------In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra sits down with Surbhi Agarwal, 25+ year tech exec. Surbhi shares how she went from engineering and sales into product, then product marketing, and into the CMO role, and why she still thinks like a product marketer every single day.This episode covers:Surbhi's path from electrical engineer in India to CMO in Silicon ValleyWhat she learned moving from Intel and Google to a messy, fast paced startupWhy she believes product marketing is the strategic core of marketing, not a “support” functionHer “golden triangle” model connecting product marketing, demand generation, and brandHow she reorganized a 70 person global marketing team, broke down silos, and cut spend while improving performanceThe difference between running marketing in a hardware world where failure is not an option and in a software world where shipping at 80 percent is the normHow she uses OKRs, RACI, and skip level conversations to create clarity and psychological safetyThe early career visa setback that forced her to move back to India, then to London, Taiwan, and France, and how that built resilience and a deep customer mindsetHer “full glass of trust” philosophy and how she builds collaborative, high trust teams across cultures and time zonesWhy she tells younger women to stop assuming men and women are treated the same at work, and to find their voice and negotiate earlierSurbhi also shares the kind of honest advice we do not hear enough in leadership circles, including why waiting quietly to be rewarded rarely works, and how women can navigate ambition inside systems that are still far from equal.Key LinksGuest: Surbhi Agarwal, 25+ year Tech Executive/ CMO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/surbhiagarwal/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

During this episode, we discuss Radhika's OHLA framework, and how KPIs and OKRs have worn out their welcome in the professional world. We discuss the importance of puzzle setting and puzzle solving, as opposed to goal setting. What sets this apart is the freedom and autonomy it gives the team, a different type of control for the leader and nothing but opportunity for the business. Artwork by: Adam Powell Music by https://www.bensound.com License code: EOVRL7UXCBA7CRO4 Artist: : Benjamin Tissot

In dieser besonderen Live-Ausgabe von „Unboxing New Work“, aufgenommen auf dem OKR Open 2025, treffen Michael Trautmann („On The Way To New Work“) und OKR-Expertin Hannah Nagel (Unboxing New Work) aufeinander – und zwar vor Publikum. Heraus kommt ein lebendiges Gespräch über persönliche Entwicklung, modernes Führungsverständnis und die Frage, wie OKRs Unternehmen heute wirklich weiterbringen. Die beiden sprechen offen über Wachstum und Scheitern, über Führungsstärken, die man nicht im Lehrbuch findet, und darüber, was passiert, wenn man OKRs nicht nur einführt, sondern richtig lebt. Dazu gibt's praxisnahe Einblicke aus der Beratung, einen spannenden Blick auf KI als Reflexionspartner im OKR-Prozess und die Erkenntnis, warum Peer-Coaching und diverse Teams echte Gamechanger sind. Es ist ein persönliches Gespräch mit zwei klaren Meinungen, überraschenden Aha-Momenten und vielen Gedanken, die hängen bleiben. Eine Folge, die inspiriert und Lust macht, tiefer einzusteigen.

James Reggio (CTO @ Brex) shares the story of "Brex 3.0", an 18-month journey behind their operational evolution. We explore how they rewound their org from a Series E to a Series C mindset, and replaced siloed OKRs with seasonal "marquee initiatives." James deconstructs the “Brex Hacker House”, an AI-focused startup within a startup experiment aimed to disrupt their core business. This conversation is all about evolving operational rhythms, layers of management, product building, and culture change! ABOUT JAMES REGGIOJames Reggio is Brex's Chief Technology Officer. James is a forward thinking technology leader who currently oversees Brex's entire Engineering org. James joined Brex in 2020 as Principal Engineer and has played a vital role in building the company's mobile app and AI capabilities. Prior to Brex, James had an extensive career as a Software Engineer at leading companies such as Microsoft, Salesforce, AirBnB, Stripe and more. Additionally, James founded two companies: Altair Management and Banter, a social discovery platform for podcasts that was later acquired by Convoy in 2018. James received his B.A. of Science from The University of Texas Austin. SHOW NOTES:The birth of Brex 3.0: Using a layoff as a "moment to refound the company" (3:38)Moving from a Series E to a Series C operational mindset (5:28)The problem with a GM model: How siloed OKRs and roadmaps created "deadlock" (6:07)New rituals: Why the CEO became "chief editor of the roadmap" (8:16)The impact on morale: "Folks just knew how their work fit into the bigger picture" (11:16)The challenge of the new model: Who do you hold accountable when you "win and lose as a team"? (13:43)The lesson for reintroducing systems: "Less is more" (15:43)The "Startup within a Startup": Launching an internal team to disrupt Brex (16:49)“What if we were founding Brex again today?” The 4 constraints for the "Hacker House" experiment (17:58)Questions eng leaders should ask when running a similar experiment to Brex (21:02)Aha moment: "With agentic coating, code is so cheap" (22:35)Managing the two narratives: "compounding" the core biz vs. “innovating" with AI (26:01)A surprising dynamic: Why the AI team struggled to see their impact (while the core team didn't) (29:38)Building alongside your customer to iterate / experiment faster (36:06)The turnaround is over: Brex hits 50% YoY growth and cash-flow positive (38:45)Rapid fire questions (42:10) This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-HostJerry Li - Co-HostNoah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever struggled to get buy in from senior leadership? Never in your entire life, right?Well I've faced it. A lot. And I wanted to get in the mind of a super seasoned CMO to truly understand what makes them tick. What they care about. What they DON'T care about. Who better than Kelly Hopping, CMO at Demandbase. And y'all, this one is CHOCK FULL of amazing insights from her to better understand how to communicate what you're doing to senior leadership. This was the first episode I listened to twice, just to make sure I got everything down. We got into:- How to translate OKRs into what you do in experimentation / product (to help you actually get buy in)- What CMOs (and senior leadership) ACTUALLY cares about (and what you're messaging to them is irrelevant to them)- AMAZING career advice from her on how to pivot in your career appropriately- Why leadership challenges A/B testingGo follow Kelly on LinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyhopping/Go check out her podcast "NextGen CMO": https://www.demandbase.com/podcasts/nexgen-cmo/Also go follow Shiva Manjunath on LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-manjunath/⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter for more memes, clips, and awesome content!⁠⁠https://fromatob.beehiiv.com/

Radhika Dutt draws on 25 years of experience across industries, continents, and sizes of organizations to write, speak, and consult on innovation and change. Her experience has taught her that goal-setting systems often produce the opposite of what they promise: short-termism, performance theater, and cultures that prioritize looking good over doing good work. In this conversation, she offers an alternative.Mentioned on the ShowGet Radhika's free toolkit to help you switch to puzzle-solving in your business: https://www.radicalproduct.com/toolkit/#OHLToolkitConnect with Radhika Dutt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-duttLearn more about Radhika Dutt on her website: https://rdutt.com/Timestamps(00:00:00) - Welcoming Radhika Dutt to People Business (00:03:02) – What is the history of goal setting?(00:06:15) – Is the problem OKRs or SMART goals or goal setting in general?(00:22:02) – Why doesn't traditional goal-setting work?(00:24:42) – How do institutional incentives fit into your new framework?(00:29:16) – If goal setting doesn't work, what does? (00:34:12) – How frequently do leaders need to review and work on this new framework?(00:36:22) – What about goals for individuals? Does goal setting work for people's individual goals?(00:37:11) – How does puzzle-solving work in a service-related business?(00:40:09) – Do traditional metrics have any role in the puzzle-solving framework?(00:49:39) – How sustainable is using puzzle-solving over traditional goals?(00:53:51) – Using vision statements in the process of solving puzzles in business(00:55:08) – What are the drawbacks of using a puzzle-solving approach over traditional goal setting?(00:57:28) – Get Radhika's free toolkit to develop the puzzle-solving approach for your business

Brian Thompson chats with Rachel Bernier-Green, founder and CEO of the Economic Justice Consortium, a Chicago-based firm that helps mission-driven businesses sustain and amplify their impact through financial and operational excellence. A recovering public accountant turned social entrepreneur, Rachel has dedicated her career to closing the racial wealth gap and redefining what it means to lead with purpose and profit. In this episode, Rachel shares her journey from climbing the corporate ladder in public accounting, to running a social enterprise bakery that partnered with Whole Foods and Starbucks, and now guiding other entrepreneurs in building sustainable, values-driven businesses. She opens up about burnout, courage, and the lessons learned from failure, as well as how she helps clients reject hustle culture and build wealth for their communities. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses focus on impact and income. Rachel defines a mission-driven business as one that "has a focus other than profit maximization." Whether seeking to improve the environment, society, or treatment of employees, mission-driven businesses aim to make a positive net impact. "People think if they have a greater purpose, they also don't need to focus on profit," Rachel said. "If you lose that focus on profit, your mission ceases to exist." Turn loss into leadership. Rachel's first entrepreneurial endeavor came when she left a toxic corporate environment and turned to baking as a stress outlet. Her bakery partnered with regenerative farms and hired previously incarcerated individuals, creating jobs that reduced recidivism in her Chicago community. Nine years after starting her first company, a combination of a tragic ceiling collapse and the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately led to the business's closure. While it felt like a failure at the time, the experience led her to a bigger purpose — founding the Economic Justice Consortium to help other mission-driven businesses build sustainable success. "There are some things you can only learn by going through a business that ends," she said. "I do think that business needed to come to an end for me to do the work that I'm doing now, which will have a much more significant impact on the world." Track your Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). Economic Justice Consortium offers fractional CFO services and consulting services for operational systems and big-picture strategy. The firm also relies heavily on the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) strategic framework, which breaks down specific objectives based on the larger company mission and vision. "We actually utilize our task management tool to track those objectives," she said. "It incorporates a level of accountability. There's an internal dashboard that the entire team has access to in real time, and they can see whether we're on track or not on track with any of our OKRs." Rebuke hustle culture. Rachel recommended the book "Laziness Does Not Exist" by Chicago professor Devin Price, which challenges the culture of overwork and redefines productivity. The book explores how the American work culture is misaligned with data science on productivity and has transformed how Rachel approaches her work and her expectations for her team. "Hustle culture is very damaging on so many levels," she said. "The book challenged me so much I had to sit down and come back to it because I had always prided myself on my work ethic and putting in the hours." Resources + Links Xero accounting software "Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine" by Mike Michalowicz "The Great Game of Business, Expanded and Updated: The Only Sensible Way to Run a Company" by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham "Laziness Does Not Exist" by Devon Price Ph.D. Rachel Bernier-Green: LinkedIn Economic Justice Consortium: Website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, TikTok The Purpose Profit Shift Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS Feed Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast Follow Brian Thompson Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Forbes About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and Certified Financial Planner® who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Software development is undergoing rapid change as AI, DevOps, and data science reshape how teams build and scale products. In this interview, Particle41 CEO and technical co-founder Ben Johnson explains what modern software teams must do to stay competitive. He shares practical insights on boosting developer productivity with AI, building reliable systems through infrastructure-as-code, and adopting modern data architectures that move beyond simple dashboards. Ben also discusses how to lead remote teams effectively and apply OKRs in both work and personal life to stay aligned on what truly matters. If you're involved in building software or leading technical teams, this conversation offers clear, actionable strategies for thriving in the AI-driven era.Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/ben-johnson.Become a PathWise member today! Join at https://pathwise.io/join-now/

  Your audience buys your message only after they buy you. In today's era of cynicism and AI summaries, leaders need crisp structure, vivid evidence, and confident delivery to represent their organisation—and brand—brilliantly. How much does speaker credibility matter in 2025 presentations? It's everything: audiences project their judgment of you onto your entire organisation. If you're sharp, fluent and prepared, stakeholders assume your firm operates the same way; if you're sloppy or vague, they infer risk. As of 2025, investor updates in Tokyo, Sydney, and New York are consumed live, clipped for LinkedIn, and indexed by AI search—so your credibility compounds across channels. Leaders at firms from Toyota and Rakuten to Atlassian and BHP stress rehearsal and message discipline because buyers, partners, and regulators hear signals about reliability long before they see your product. Do now: Audit your last talk: would a first-time viewer conclude your organisation is trustworthy, capable, and disciplined? How do I present my organisation positively without sounding like propaganda? State benefits confidently, then anchor every claim in proof your audience recognises. Overstating capabilities triggers scepticism; neutral facts plus applied benefits overcome it. Reference entities, laws, or standards—e.g., ISO 9001, METI guidelines in Japan, GDPR in Europe—to show your claims live in the real world. Contrast SMEs vs. multinationals or Japan vs. US timelines to demonstrate nuance. Replace fuzzy adjectives ("world-class") with specific outcomes (e.g., "reduced defect rates 18% in FY2024 under ISO audits"). Audiences accept pride when it rides on verifiable evidence they can apply in their own context. Do now: Rework three bold claims into "benefit + evidence + application" sentences your buyers can use tomorrow. What opening grabs attention in the first 15 seconds? Start with a hook that slices through distraction: a killer stat, pithy quote, or compact story. In post-pandemic rooms and hybrid webinars, you're competing with phones and email. Use a "Time/Cost/Risk" opener: "In Q4 2024, procurement cycles in APAC shrank 21%—if your proposals still open with specs, you're already late." Or tell a 30-second story of defeat-to-triumph that spotlights your customer, not your logo. Then preview your message map ("three things you'll leave with"), so listeners know the journey and AI chapter markers index your sections. Do now: Script two alternative openers—a stat and a story—and A/B test them with colleagues before the real audience. What messages should I emphasise—and how often? Decide your one big message, say it early, reinforce it before Q&A, and repeat it in your final close. As of 2025, attention is nonlinear: people join midstream, catch a clip, or ask a question that derails flow. A tight message spine ("We help Japan-market entrants compress trust-building from 12 months to 12 weeks") beats a data dump. Use three proof pillars (customer result, operational metric, external validation) and echo your core line at strategic moments: minute 1, pre-Q&A, and final close. This rhythm works for startups pitching in Shibuya and for multinationals briefing in Frankfurt alike. Do now: Write your message in ≤12 words and place it in your opening, bridge to Q&A, and final close. What counts as convincing evidence in the era of cynicism and "fake news"? Offer vivid, memorable proof your audience can verify or try: numbers, named customers, and testable steps. Quote audited metrics ("FY2024 churn down 2.3% after onboarding redesign"), recognised frameworks (OKRs, ITIL), and respected third parties (Nikkei, OECD, Gartner). Translate facts into benefits ("cut QA cycle from 10 to 6 days") and immediately show how they can apply it ("here's our 3-step checklist"). Cross-compare markets—Japan's consensus cycles vs. US speed—to explain variance, not hide it. The goal: evidence that travels—accurate, sticky, and portable to their context. Do now: For every sweeping statement in your deck, add a proof line: metric, name, or external authority. How do I sound confident and enthusiastic without memorising a script? Use slide headlines as navigation, rehearse fluency, and speak with earned enthusiasm. You don't need to memorise paragraphs; you need mastery of transitions. Treat each slide as a question your headline answers, then talk to the point. Record three practice runs to strip filler ("um/ah"), smooth hesitations, and calibrate pace. Leaders with phenomenal stories often under-sell them—bring the energy you'd expect from a luxury marque unveiling or a resource-sector breakthrough. Enthusiasm signals belief; fluency signals competence; together they convert sceptics. Do now: Replace paragraph notes with 1-line headlines + 3 bullet prompts; rehearse until transitions are automatic. How should I close so people remember—and take action? Use a two-stage close: a pre-Q&A recap to cement the big idea, then a final close to shape the last impression. Before Q&A, restate your message and one action you want (trial, site visit, pilot). After Q&A, re-close with a memorable line that ties benefits to their context ("This quarter, let's turn your Japan market risk into repeatable revenue"). Offer a concrete next step for each segment—enterprise buyers, mid-market, and partners—so momentum doesn't leak after applause. Do now: Script two closes (pre-Q&A and final) and attach the precise call-to-action you want from each audience type. Conclusion Great company talks aren't complex—they're disciplined. Structure for attention, prove with evidence, deliver with fluency and real enthusiasm, and close twice. Whether you're a startup founder or a multinational executive, this cadence protects your brand and accelerates decisions across markets. FAQs What if my industry forbids customer names? Use anonymised metrics, third-party audits, and regulator thresholds to validate outcomes. Provide process evidence instead of logos. How long should this talk be? For 20 minutes, use 5–7 slides. Longer briefings expand examples, not messages. What changes for Japan vs. US? Japan values group risk reduction and stakeholder alignment; show consensus wins. US rooms reward speed and testable pilots. Next steps for leaders/executives Book a rehearsal with two "friendly sceptics" this week. Convert three claims into "benefit + evidence + application." Script the two closes and a one-line core message. Record and review a 5-minute demo talk; remove filler. Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.

"OKRs are really a feedback mechanism… it's a two-way street rather than a command-and-control mechanism.”Allan Kelly Top Five Tips For Working With Objectives and Key Results 1. Feedback mechanism: OKRs are a feedback mechanism rather than a order giving mechanism2. Involve as many people as possible in setting OKRs3. OKRs are not a to-do list, they describe a desired outcome4. Decide where Business as Usual fits in5. Ambition or predictable? TIME STAMP SUMMARY01:36 Setting OKRs based on proximity to the customer and understanding of the technology.10: 50  Success measured in tangible changes 12: 24  Balancing new products while maintaining existing products17:00 Clear communication manages expectationsWhere to find Allan?LinkedIn                           https://uk.linkedin.com/in/allankellynetWebsite                             https://www.allankelly.net/Book Link                         https://amzn.to/3EK08kOAllan Kelly BioWelcome to Allan Kelly's home on the internet. Home to Allan and his company, Software Strategy Ltd. Let him take up the story:Once upon a time I was a programmer, people I worked with thought I was quite a good one. I was part of a team building a hand-held PC, which was a big deal in 1991. I worked on electricity modelling, I wrote programs for railway timetables, software for banks and real-time data feeds for Reuters. I built secure e-mail systems and mobile phone network diagnostic tools.The code was not the problem, the problem was the way the team was set up, the problem was the way we were asked to work, or the way work reached us. To fix that problem I needed to become a manager… but I didn't want to be a foolish manager like all the ones I'd worked for before, so I got myself a management qualification. And while I was getting that qualification, I discovered that modern management thinking was very close to the then newly emerging field of “agile software development.” When I look back at my experiences so much of the good times matched the thing, we call agile.I still love software, I love coding, but I don't code any more. (Actually, I do code a little, for love.) I devote my time to helping make software better. In my mind when I'm teaching, advising, coaching, consulting I'm helping the person I used to be. When I see programmers at work I see my younger self. And I want them to do a great job, I want them to be able to do a better job than I ever did.Today I call myself an Agile Guide – I guide people and organizations to greater agility. I provide coaching and direct advice on agile working to leaders and teams creating digital products (software!). The companies I work with come from many fields as different as healthcare and surveying. However, they all depend on software to deliver for their customers. Without software they are nothing. Yesterday… I started coding in 1982 on a Sinclair ZX81. By 1986 I was earning money as a regular contributor to BBC Telesoftware – PDP, PDR, Eclipse, Fonts, Demon's Tomb, EMACS (no, not that emacs), Snapshot and Femcoms to name a few, mostly in 6502 assembler. In 1989 I was a system administrator with Nixdorf Computer. In 1991 I was a software tester at DIP in Guildford building the Sharp PC-3000. Even as an undergraduate I was hired by the University to help teach other undergraduates and occasionally post-graduates.

Seu produto não está entregando os resultados esperados, mesmo com novas funcionalidades? Neste Enzimas, Luiz Alvaro Wienc, Gerente de Portfólio e Governança de TI na Vivo, compartilha dicas práticas e insights valiosos para você identificar se é hora de ajustar o rumo do seu produto. Ficou curioso? Então, dê o play! Assuntos abordados: Diagnóstico de eficiência do produto; Métricas estagnadas e KPIs; Feedback do cliente; Backlog e OKRs; Jornada e experiência do cliente; Benchmarking e diferenciação; Experimentação; Visão estratégica de produto. Links importantes: Newsletter Dúvidas? Nos mande pelo Linkedin Contato: osagilistas@dtidigital.com.br Os Agilistas é uma iniciativa da dti digital, uma empresa WPPSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Interview That Sparked This EssayJoe Corkery and I worked together at Google years ago, and he has since gone on to build a venture-backed company tackling a real and systemic problem in healthcare communication. This essay is my attempt to synthesize that conversation. It is written for early and mid career PMs in Silicon Valley who want to get sharper at product judgment, market discovery, customer validation, and knowing the difference between encouragement and signal. If you feel like you have ever shipped something, presented it to customers, and then heard polite nodding instead of movement and urgency, this is for you.Joe's Unusual Career ArcJoe's background is not typical for a founder. He is a software engineer. And a physician. And someone who has led business development in the pharmaceutical industry. That multidisciplinary profile allowed him to see something that many insiders miss: healthcare is full of problems that everyone acknowledges, yet very few organizations are structurally capable of solving.When Joe joined Google Cloud in 2014, he helped start the healthcare and life sciences product org. Yet the timing was difficult. As he put it:“The world wasn't ready or Google wasn't ready to do healthcare.” So instead of building healthcare products right away, he spent two years working on security, compliance, and privacy. That detour will matter later, because it set the foundation for everything he is now doing at Jaide.Years later, he left Google to build a healthcare company focused initially on guided healthcare search, particularly for women's health. The idea resonated emotionally. Every customer interview validated the need. Investors said it was important. Healthcare organizations nodded enthusiastically.And yet, there was no traction.This created a familiar and emotionally challenging founder dilemma:* When everyone is encouraging you* But no one will pay you or adopt early* How do you know if you are early, unlucky, or wrong?This is the question at the heart of product strategy.False Positives: Why Encouragement Is Not FeedbackIf you have worked as a PM or founder for more than a few weeks, you have encountered positive feedback that turned out to be meaningless. People love your idea. Executives praise your clarity. Customers tell you they would definitely use it. Friends offer supportive high-fives.But then nothing moves.As Joe put it:“Everyone wanted to be supportive. But that makes it hard to know whether you're actually on the right path.” This is not because people are dishonest. It is because people are kind, polite, and socially conditioned to encourage enthusiasm. In Silicon Valley especially, we celebrate ambition. We praise risk-taking. We cheer for the founder-in-the-garage mythology. If someone tells you that your idea is flawed, they fear they are crushing your passion.So even when we explicitly ask for brutal honesty, people soften their answers.This is the false positive trap.And if you misread encouragement as traction, you can waste months or even years.The Small Framing Change That Changes EverythingJoe eventually realized that the problem was not the idea itself. The problem was how he was asking for feedback.When you present your idea as the idea, people naturally react supportively:* “That's really interesting.”* “I could see that being useful.”* “This is definitely needed.”But when you instead present two competing ideas and ask someone to help you choose, you change the psychology of the conversation entirely.Joe explained it this way:“When we said, ‘We are building this. What do you think?' people wanted to be encouraging. But when we asked, ‘We are choosing between these two products. Which one should we build?' it gave them permission to actually critique.” This shift is subtle, but powerful. Suddenly:* People contrast.* Their reasoning surfaces.* Their hesitation becomes visible.* Their priorities emerge with clarity.By asking someone to choose between two ideas, you activate their decision-making brain instead of their supportive brain.It is no different from usability testing. If you show someone a screen and ask what they think, they are polite. If you give them a task and ask them to complete it, their actual friction appears immediately.In product discovery, friction is truth.How This Applies to PMs, Not Just FoundersYou may be thinking: this is interesting for entrepreneurs, but I work inside a company. I have stakeholders, OKRs, a roadmap, and a backlog that already feels too full.This technique is actually more relevant for PMs inside companies than for founders.Inside organizations, political encouragement is even more pervasive:* Leaders say they want innovation, but are risk averse.* Cross-functional partners smile in meetings, but quietly maintain objections.* Engineers nod when you present the roadmap, but may not believe in it.* Customers say they like your idea, but do not prioritize adoption.One of the most powerful tools you can use as a PM is explicitly framing your product decisions as explicit choices, rather than proposals seeking validation. For example:Instead of saying:“We are planning to build a new onboarding flow. Here is the design. Thoughts?”Say:“We are deciding between optimizing retention or acquisition next quarter. If we choose retention, the main lever is onboarding friction. Here are two possible approaches. Which outcome matters more to the business right now?”In the second framing:* The business goal is visible.* The tradeoff is unavoidable.* The decision owner is clear.* The conversation becomes real.This is how PMs build credibility and influence: not through slides or persuasion, but through framing decisions clearly.Jaide's Pivot: From Health Search to AI TranslationThe result of Joe's reframed feedback approach was unambiguous.Across dozens of conversations with healthcare executives and hospital leaders, one pattern emerged consistently:Translation was the urgent, budget-backed, economically meaningful problem.As Joe put it, after talking to more than 40 healthcare decision-makers:“Every single person told us to build the translation product. Not mostly. Not many. Every single one.” This kind of clarity is rare in product strategy. When you get it, you do not ignore it. You move.Jaide Health shifted its core focus to solving a very real, very measurable, and very painful problem in healthcare: the language gap affecting millions of patients.More than 25 million patients in the United States do not speak English well enough to communicate with clinicians. This leads to measurable harm:* Longer hospital stays* Increased readmission rates* Higher medical error rates* Lower comprehension of discharge instructionsThe status quo for translation relies on human interpreters who are expensive, limited, slow to schedule, and often unavailable after hours or in rare languages. Many clinicians, due to lack of resources, simply use Google Translate privately on their phones. They know this is not secure or compliant, but they feel like they have no better option.So Jaide built a platform that integrates compliance, healthcare-specific terminology, workflow embedding, custom glossaries, discharge summaries, and real-time accessibility.This is not simply “healthcare plus GPT”. It is targeted, workflow-integrated, risk-aware operational excellence.Product managers should study this pattern closely.The winning strategy was not inventing a new problem. It was solving a painful problem that everyone already agreed mattered.The Core PM Lesson: Focus on Problems With Urgent Budgets Behind ThemA question I often ask PMs I coach:Who loses sleep if this problem is not solved?If the answer is:* “Not sure”* “Eventually the business will feel it”* “It would improve the experience”* “It could move a KPI if adoption increases”Then you do not have a real problem yet.Real product opportunities have:* A user who is blocked from achieving something meaningful* A measurable cost or consequence of inaction* An internal champion with authority to push change* An adjacent workflow that your product can attach to immediately* A budget owner who is willing to pay now, not laterHealthcare translation checks every box. That is why Joe now has institutional adoption and a business with meaningful traction behind it.Why PMs Struggle With This in PracticeIf the lesson seems obvious, why do so many PMs fall into the encouragement trap?The reason is emotional more than analytical.It is uncomfortable to confront the possibility that your idea, feature, roadmap, strategy, or deck is not compelling enough yet. It is easier to seek validation than truth.In my first startup, we kept our product in closed beta for months longer than we should have. We told ourselves we were refining the UX, improving onboarding, solidifying architecture. The real reason, which I only admitted years later, was that I was afraid the product was not good enough. I delayed reality to protect my ego.In product work, speed of invalidation is as important as speed of iteration.If something is not working, you need to know as quickly as possible. The faster you learn, the more shots you get. The best PMs do not fall in love with their solutions. They fall in love with the moments of clarity that allow them to change direction quickly.Actionable Advice for Early and Mid Career PMsBelow are specific behaviors and habits you can put into practice immediately.1. Always test product concepts as choices, not presentationsInstead of asking:“What do you think of this idea?”Ask:“We are deciding between these two approaches. Which one is more important for you right now and why?”This forces prioritization, not politeness.2. Never ship a feature without observing real usage inside the workflowA feature that exists but is not used does not exist.Sit next to users. Watch screen behavior. Listen to their muttering. Ask where they hesitate. And most importantly, observe what they do after they close your product.That is where the real friction lives.3. Always ask: What is the cost of not solving this?If there is no real cost of inaction, the feature will not drive adoption.Impact must be felt, not imagined.4. Look for users with strong emotional urgency, not polite agreementWhen someone says:“This would be helpful.”That is death.When someone says:“I need this and I need it now.”That is life.Find urgency. Design around urgency. Ignore politeness.5. Know the business model of your customer better than they doThis is where many PMs plateau.If you want to be taken seriously by executives, you must understand:* How your customer makes money* What costs they must manage* Which levers influence financial outcomesWhen PMs learn to speak in revenue, cost, and risk instead of features, priorities, and backlog, their influence changes instantly.The Broader Strategic Question: What Happens When Foundational Models Improve?During our conversation, I asked Joe whether the rapid improvement of GPT-like translation will eventually make specialized healthcare translation unnecessary.His answer was pragmatic:“Our goal is to ride the wave. The best technology alone does not win. The integrated solution that solves the real problem wins.” This is another crucial product lesson:* Foundational models are table stakes.* Differentiation comes from workflow integration, specialization, compliance, and trust.* Adoption is driven by reducing operational friction.In other words:In AI-first product strategy, the model is the engine. The workflow is the vehicle. The customer problem is the road.The Future of Product Work: Judgment Over OutputThe world is changing. Tools are accelerating. Capabilities are compounding. But the core skill of product leadership remains the same:Can you tell the difference between signal and noise, urgency and politeness, truth and encouragement?That is judgment.Product management will increasingly become less about writing PRDs or pushing execution and more about identifying the real problem worth solving, framing tradeoffs clearly, and navigating ambiguity with confidence and clarity.The PMs who will thrive in the coming decade are those who learn how to ask better questions.ClosingThis conversation with Joe reminded me that most of the time, product failure is not the result of a bad idea. It is the result of insufficient clarity. The clarity does not come from thinking harder. It comes from testing real choices, with real users, in real workflows, and asking questions that force truth rather than encouragement.If this resonates and you want help sharpening your product judgment, improving your influence with executives, developing clarity in your roadmap, or navigating career transitions, I work 1:1 with a small number of PMs, founders, and product executives.You can learn more at tomleungcoaching.com.OK. Enough pontificating. Let's ship greatness. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit firesidepm.substack.com

We're excited to feature another visionary builder in product management: Tim Herbig, Product Coach and author of the newly released book “Real Progress: How to Connect the Dots of Product Strategy, OKRs and Discovery”.In this episode, Tim joins Matt and Moshe to share how his journey, from being handed a Product Owner role out of the blue, to leading teams and coaching organizations, shaped his mission to help product managers connect strategy, OKRs, and discovery into a framework for real impact.Tim draws on his years of experience across diverse industries and organizations to address a challenge he's seen again and again: teams invite him to solve one issue but quickly discover there are deeper, often interlinked problems between strategic planning, measuring progress, and enabling effective discovery. That's the gap he set out to fill with his book, a hands-on resource designed specifically for PMs and teams looking to go beyond process and frameworks, and start making progress that matters.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Tim:The story behind writing “Real Progress” and connecting the dots between strategy, OKRs, and discoveryWhy so many teams appear busy but are stuck making “alibi progress” instead of real impactThe Progress Wheel: a visual tool for mapping how strategic, measurable change drives product successHow to think critically about frameworks, challenging readers to adapt tools for their own context, rather than following them blindlyThe book's practical structure: workbook-like prompts and non-linear sections for self-assessment and targeted improvementKey building blocks of strategy and how they relate to various templates and organizational maturityLinking company strategy to product strategy, and the strategic thinking required for product leadersUsing OKRs to measure if your strategy is working, and spotting when OKRs reveal deeper strategic problemsRole of discovery in reducing strategic risk and building conviction, including how Tim's Evidence Strength Matrix helps teams evaluate signalsFirst steps for teams looking to connect their frameworks and drive improvementAnd much more!Thinking about making progress in your product work? Check out Tim's book at realprogressbook.com and connect with him on LinkedIn or herbig.co.You can find the podcast's page, and connect with Matt and Moshe on LinkedIn:Product for Product Podcast - http://linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcast  Matt Green - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproduct/ Moshe Mikanovsky - http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikanovsky Note: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From Zocdoc to Cascade, COO Anna Elwood breaks down the systems, rhythms, and AI tools that turn chaos into execution. In this episode of Between Two COOs, Michael sits down with Anna Elwood, COO of Cascade, the strategy-execution platform helping companies turn plans into results.Anna shares how she evolved from Broadway actor to operator, scaling companies like Zocdoc, Knotel, and Teachable before joining Cascade to build the muscle of strategy execution. She explains how to create an “operating rhythm” that keeps teams aligned across time zones, the tension between governance and red tape, and how Cascade helps leaders link vision to measurable execution.The conversation dives deep into AI's role in operations, the future of hybrid work, and what it takes to move from chaos to clarity in a global startup. Anna's storytelling — especially her account of leading through Superstorm Sandy — highlights what real-time operational leadership looks like when everything goes sideways. Timestamps00:00 – Intro & sponsor01:00 – The chaos of Superstorm Sandy02:00 – Anna's journey: from theater to tech06:00 – The making of a generalist10:00 – Joining Cascade and fixing retention11:00 – Creating a “working rhythm”14:00 – Governance vs. red tape17:00 – The 5 pillars of strategic maturity19:00 – Turning strategy into execution24:00 – How Cascade uses AI internally28:00 – OKRs, KPIs, and strategy frameworks33:00 – Who owns strategy?36:00 – Rebuilding a business overnight43:00 – Closing thoughts Between Two COO's - https://betweentwocoos.com Episode Website - https://betweentwocoos.com/anna-elwood-coo-cascadeAnna Elwood on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaelwoodMichael Koenig on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/michael-koenig514 

In this episode, we're joined by Jakob Lilholm, Co-founder & CEO at Formalize, the Danish-based compliance SaaS that went from a single-point whistleblowing tool to a multi-product GRC platform used by 8,000+ customers across ~80 countries. Jakob shares how his team timed EU regulatory tailwinds, built whistleblowing software, and then layered products on top, shifting from high-volume transactional sales to a focused, consultative motion for regulated industries. Fresh off announcing a €30M Series B, Jakob walks through the internal rewiring it took: carving out an innovation pod with its own OKRs, resisting flattering false positives from the existing base, and proving platform demand with new-logo sales first, going from ~€100k ARR on the platform to >50% of company revenue in a year.  Here are some of the key questions we address: When do you expand from a point solution to a platform? We discuss the timing model Formalize used (EU roadmap + S-curve “next wave” before the first peaks). What's the right ICP for a platform? Why did they end up narrowing their ICP and say “not yet” to others? How do you avoid false positives when you already have thousands of customers? Jakob explains why he decided to validate platform fit with new logos first. What org design supports a second act like this? How do you shift GTM, pricing, and messaging? What is the process moving from low ACV sales to higher-ACV, consultative deals without breaking the engine? Which metrics matter in the first year of a platform bet? How do you prove value creation, track conversion quality, and know when to re-inject the core team?

Before you build slides, get crystal clear on who you're speaking to and why you're speaking at all. From internal All-Hands to industry chambers and benkyōkai study groups in Japan, the purpose drives the structure, the tone, and the proof you choose.  What's the real purpose of a business presentation? Your presentation exists to create a specific outcome for a specific audience—choose the outcome first. Whether you need to inform, convince, persuade to action, or entertain enough to keep attention, the purpose becomes your design brief. In 2025's attention-scarce workplace—Tokyo to Sydney to New York—audiences bring "Era of Cynicism" energy, so clarity of intent is non-negotiable. Choose the one primary verb your talk must deliver (inform/convince/persuade/entertain) and align evidence, tone, and timing to that verb for executives, SMEs, and multinationals alike. Use decision criteria (see checklist below) before you touch PowerPoint or Keynote.  Do now: Write "The purpose of this talk is to ___ for ___ by ___." Tape it above your keyboard. How do I define my audience before I write a single slide? Profile the room first; the content follows. Map role seniority (board/C-suite vs. managers), cultural context (Japan vs. US/Europe norms), and decision horizon (today vs. next quarter). In Japan, executives prefer evidence chains and respect for hierarchy; in US tech startups, crisp bottom lines and next steps often win. For internal Town Halls, keep jargon minimal and tie metrics to team impact; for external industry forums, cite research, case studies, and trend lines from recognisable entities (Dale Carnegie, Toyota, Rakuten). Once you know the level, you can calibrate depth, vocabulary, and the "so what" that matters to them. Skip this step and you'll either drown them in detail or sound vague.  Do now: Write three bullets: "They care about…," "They already know…," "They must decide…". Inform, convince, persuade, or entertain—how do I choose? Pick one dominant mode and let the others support it. Inform for internal/industry updates rich in stats, expert opinion, and research (think "Top Five Trends 2025" with case studies). Limit the "data dump"—gold in the main talk, silver/bronze in Q&A. Convince/Impress when credibility is on the line; your delivery quality now represents the whole organisation. Persuade/Inspire when behaviour must change—leaders need this most. Entertain doesn't mean stand-up; it means energy, story beats, and occasional humour you've tested. Across APAC, Europe, and the US, the balance shifts by culture and sector (B2B vs. consumer), but the discipline—one primary purpose—does not.  Do now: Circle the mode that matches your outcome; design every section to serve it. How do I stop the "data dump" and choose the right evidence? Curate like a prosecutor: fewer exhibits, stronger case. Open with a bold answer, then prove it with 2–3 high-leverage data points (trend, benchmark, case). Anchor time ("post-pandemic," "as of 2025") and entities (Nikkei index moves, METI guidance, EU AI Act, industry frameworks) to help AI search and humans connect dots. Keep detailed tables for the appendix or Q&A; in the main flow, show only what advances your single purpose. This approach works for multinationals reporting quarterly KPIs and for SMEs pitching a new budget. Variant phrases (metrics, numbers, stats, proof, evidence) boost retrievability without breaking flow.  Do now: Delete one slide for every two you keep—then rehearse the proof path out loud. How do leaders actually inspire action in 2025? Pair delivery excellence with relevance—then make the ask unmistakable. Inspiration is practical when urgency, consequence, and agency meet. Churchill's seven-word charge—"Never, ever ever ever ever give up"—worked because context (1941 Europe), clarity, and cadence aligned; your 2025 equivalent might be "Ship it safely this sprint" or "Call every lapsed client this week." In Japan's post-2023 labour reforms, tie actions to work-style realities; in US/Europe, link to quarterly OKRs and risk controls. Leaders at firms like Toyota and Rakuten model the ask, specify the first step, and remove friction. Finish with a one-page action checklist and a deadline.  Do now: State the concrete next action, owner, and timebox—then say it again at the close. What's the right design order—openings first or last? Design the closes first (Close #1 and Close #2), build the body, then craft the opening last. The close is the destination; design it before you chart the route. Create two closes: the "time-rich" version and a "compressed" version in case you run short. Build the body to earn those closes with evidence and examples. Only then write your opening—short, audience-hooked, and purpose-aligned. This reverse-engineering avoids rambling intros and ensures your opener previews exactly what you'll deliver. It's a proven workflow for internal All-Hands, marketing spend reviews, and external keynotes alike.  Do now: Write Close #1 and Close #2 in full sentences before touching the first slide. How do I structure my content for AI-driven search engines (SGE, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Copilot)? Lead with answer-first headings, dense entities, and time anchors in each section. Use conversational query subheads ("How do I…?"), open with a bold one-to-two-sentence answer, then a tight paragraph with comparisons (Japan vs. US/Europe), sectors (B2B vs. consumer), and named organisations. End with a mini-summary or "Do now." Keep sections 120–150 words. Add synonyms (metrics/numbers/KPIs) and timeframe tags ("as of 2025"). This GEO pattern boosts retrievability while staying human. Use it for transcripts, blogs, and Do now: Convert your next talk into six answer-first sections using this exact template. Quick checklist (decision criteria) Audience level, culture, and decision horizon defined Single dominant purpose chosen Gold evidence only in-flow; silver/bronze parked for Q&A Two closes drafted; opening written last Clear call-to-action with owner + deadline Conclusion Choose your purpose, curate your proof, and architect your flow backwards from the close. Do that, and you'll inform, convince, and—when needed—inspire action, whether you're presenting in Tokyo, Sydney, or Seattle.    Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). A Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg delivers globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs. He is the author of best-sellers Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery, plus Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training; Japanese editions include ザ営業, プレゼンの達人, and 現代版「人を動かす」リーダー. He publishes daily insights and hosts multiple podcasts and YouTube shows for executives succeeding in Japan. 

Are you looking for a Third Growth Option ℠ ? We unpack why strategic planning fails, when leaders confuse the destination with the plan — and how a bold North Star fuels execution.Key Takeaways:AVOID thinking too small (seeing goals as “Finish Lines”)INSTEAD, think bigger: set goals as your “North Star”. SUMMIT VISION – from 3 lenses (marketing, ops, finance)TRANSFORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE from the peak“Attainable” goals provide short-term reward, but don't inspire much BHAG thinking (combined with well-sequenced quick wins) creates real momentum Commit to one system of executing the plan: EOS, OKRs, OGSM, our 1-2-3 Growth Process, etc.  THE ULTIMATE TRAP: the crime of low aimAlways growing.Benno Duenkelsbuehler CEO & Chief Sherpa of (re)ALIGN reALIGNforResults.com benno@realignforresults.com

AI is forcing organizations to rethink how they operate. In this insightful conversation, Dave West and Yuval Yeret discuss the emerging need for a new organizational “operating system” that integrates AI into strategy, structure, and execution. They highlight the role of product thinking, OKRs, and continuous improvement in turning AI from hype into real business value.

In this episode, the Operators dive deep into the realities of business planning and what happens when things inevitably go off track. They discuss the necessity of formalizing operations as you scale, using frameworks like EOS for quarterly planning and setting OKRs. The hosts share tough lessons on why forecasts are always wrong , the three main reasons plans fail (bad goals, poor execution, or market forces), and the critical growth levers for scaling: brand awareness, new products, and international expansion. They also cover the intense financial discipline required when taking on bank debt and managing covenants , the importance of managing shareholder expectations versus reality , and the best strategies for communicating bad news to your team—like "going ugly early" while always providing hope.Chapters:00:00:00 Introduction00:19:49 Breaking Down Our Quarterly Planning Process00:33:40 Top Down vs Bottoms Up Strategy00:49:09 A Tough Lesson in Tripping Bank Covenants01:03:53 How to Deliver Bad NewsPowered By:Fulfil.io.https://bit.ly/3pAp2vuThe Only Cloud ERP Designed to Efficiently Scale 8 and 9-Figure Brands. Northbeam.https://www.northbeam.io/Postscript.https://postscript.io/Richpanel.https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=9O&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdescSaras.https://saras-analytics.typeform.com/to/T8jpuAEb?utm_source=9operator_lp&utm_medium=find_out_moreSubscribe to The Marketing Operators Podcast here:https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingOperatorsSubscribe to The Finance Operators here:https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPSSign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here:https://9operators.com/

Nikolaus Thomale, Gründer von MYNE Homes, spricht über den Aufbau einer effektiven Feedback-Kultur. Er teilt, wie sie mit OKRs und Steering Boards arbeiten, warum All-Hands-Meetings monatlich stattfinden und wie sie eine sehr niedrige Mitarbeiterfluktuation erreichen. Was du lernst: Wie du Management-Meetings effektiv strukturierst Die richtige Balance im Feedback-Prozess Warum Transparenz entscheidend ist Den richtigen Mix aus Kontrolle und Entwicklung finden ALLES ZU UNICORN BAKERY: https://stan.store/fabiantausch   Mehr zu Nikolaus: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolausthomale/  MYNE Homes: https://www.myne-homes.com/de  Join our Founder Tactics Newsletter: 2x die Woche bekommst du die Taktiken der besten Gründer der Welt direkt ins Postfach:https://www.tactics.unicornbakery.de/

The author, Montather Rassoul, is a management consultant and the founder of consulting firms including MRC Firm LLC FZ and Montather Rassoul Management Consulting Firm. His work focuses on translating complex business challenges into clear, actionable systems.The book is divided into seven parts:Part 1: Foundations of Management Consulting This section establishes the consultant's mindset, focusing on structured, analytical, and client-centered thinking. It introduces the 6-Step Problem-Solving Process and fundamental concepts like the MECE Principle and the SCQA framework for framing problems.Part 2: Analyzing the Business Environment Here, the focus shifts to understanding the external landscape using tools such as SWOT analysis, PESTLE for external forces, and Porter's Five Forces for competitive dynamics.Part 3: Breaking Down Problems Inside the Business This part covers the diagnostic phase, using tools like KPI Trees, Root Cause Analysis, and Process Mapping to isolate internal points of failure or opportunity.Part 4: Crafting and Testing Solutions This section details how to generate, evaluate, and test potential solutions. It introduces structured brainstorming, decision frameworks like the Ansoff and BCG matrices, and hypothesis-driven testing through MVPs and pilot programs.Part 5: Strategy and Growth This part focuses on long-term strategic positioning, covering business model design, strategic roadmaps, and pricing strategies.Part 6: Implementation and Execution This section transitions from planning to action, covering how to turn recommendations into action plans, manage stakeholders, and track performance using KPIs and OKRs.Part 7: The Consultant's Toolkit The final section provides practical checklists, templates, and case studies to apply the book's concepts to everyday problems.Ultimately, the guide aims to provide a repeatable system for solving any business challenge by focusing on the "vital few" inputs that drive the majority of results.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/montather-rassoul-podcast--3264694/support.

Send us a textForget the hype cycle, this conversation gets into how AI actually lands inside a company: purpose first, people next, technology last. We sit down with returning guest Darren Thayre from Google to unpack how a 180,000 person organisation moved from siloed product areas to a shared AI language, and why a calm, purpose‑driven message aligned everyone faster than any dashboard or revenue goal could.We talk through the real mechanics of change: aligning OKRs across ads, YouTube, payments, cloud, and workspace around Gemini; replacing jargon with a common vocabulary that lets teams collaborate without translation; and setting a one‑way‑door commitment so the organisation stops hedging and starts learning. Darren shares insights from interviewing 150 Googlers; what worked, what didn't: treat AI as a decade‑long capability you embed, not a three‑year “program” you complete.If you're a leader wondering where to start, you'll get a playbook you can use tomorrow. Run a one‑day purpose workshop to set ethics and vision. Ask every department for three use cases in three weeks:1) An easy win2) A six‑month stretch3) A moonshotLet teams become CEOs of their own journey. Put an AI assistant in every brainstorm to check feasibility, legality, and past art in the moment. Keep incentives and measures honest, communicate in plain English, and resist over‑engineering your transformation. Subscribe for more practical conversations on culture, leadership, and the real work of making AI useful. If this episode helped you reframe your approach, share it with a colleague and leave a short revieaw. What's the first small bet your team will try?We would love you to follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplified-group/

In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen is joined by James Baskin, Founder and CEO of ZeroStone AI, to explore how businesses can transition from AI experimentation to real-world impact. James, a three-time founder with multiple successful exits, shares his journey from engineering at the University of Toronto to building and selling telecom ventures alongside Globalive's Anthony Lacavera. He offers valuable insights into leadership, resilience, and overcoming imposter syndrome.Drawing from over 300 conversations with CEOs and AI leaders, James discusses why many companies are “AI-aware but not AI-ready.” He reveals how ZeroStone helps mid-market firms turn failed pilots into scalable, impactful AI systems. James also highlights the differences between generative and agentic AI, the dual transformation of technology and people, and the importance of fostering a culture of curiosity and continuous learning for long-term success. This episode offers practical advice for founders and executives navigating the AI revolution.A Quick Word from our Sponsor, FaskenAt Fasken, our clients don't wait for the future. They build it. As the first and largest dedicated emerging tech practice in Canada, our team is composed of founders, ex in-house counsel, developers and business advisors who have guided clients from startup, to scale-up, to exit. The trust of our clients has enabled us to consistently rank at the top of every major Canadian M&A, Capital Markets and Venture Capital league table. With deep industry knowledge and experience across all areas of emerging and high growth technology including ClimateTech, MedTech, Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, and AgTech we're your partners within the innovation ecosystem as you transform the landscape of what's possible.Tomorrow starts here. Own it with us.For more information, visit fasken.com/emergingtech and follow us on LinkedIn.The Founder's Journey & Imposter Syndrome (00:09:41)* “Scaling Your Everest”: the emotional toll of leadership* Facing imposter syndrome in boardrooms* Anthony Lacavera's hard advice: “You don't know what you're doing.”* How that painful truth became a turning pointFrom Go-To-Market to AI Strategy (00:16:00)* Consulting with Series A/B startups on GTM and sales* Transition to AI after dozens of founder conversations* Why most OKRs fail: objectives must tie directly to long-term strategy* Introducing a new framework rooted in “Seven Powers” by Hamilton HelmerBuilding ZeroStone AI (00:22:22)* Founding mission: help mid-market firms (>$50M revenue) unlock real AI value* Observing 300+ executive discussions on AI, awareness high, action low* Why cultural and digital transformations must happen together* Moving beyond “copilots” to autonomous, agentic AI systemsThe AI Leadership Gap (00:24:27)* Boards push for AI results, but internal teams lack clarity* “You need both a data transformation and a human capital transformation.”* The rise of self-selecting teams, who adapts, who opts out* Building cultures of learning, not fearWhy 95% of GenAI Pilots Fail (00:31:16)* Most projects don't touch core business processes* Generative AI ≠ Agentic AI: only the latter changes workflows* AI agents as “digital workers” vs. human productivity tools* How CEOs can start small, measure impact, and scale over three yearsOvercoming the Pilot Trap (00:36:30)* Scaling beyond sandboxes by fixing data architecture* The critical role of clean data lakes, enrichment, and governance* Why early-stage companies move faster than legacy enterprisesAbout James BaskinFounder & CEO of Zero Stone AIA three-time founder with successful exits, James is a seasoned expert in go-to-market strategy, OKRs, and sales leadership. Through ZeroStone AI, he is now guiding mid-market companies to unlock true, measurable value from agentic AI, moving beyond failed pilots to autonomous systems that transform businesses.Connect with James Baskin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbaskin/Visit the ZeroStone AI Website: https://www.zerostone.ai/Connect with Matt Cohen on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/matt-cohen1Visit the Ripple Ventures website: https://www.rippleventures.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

Mesmo investindo em transformação digital, o valor esperado não chega na velocidade que o mercado exige? Neste Enzimas, Joana Villela Costa, Head de Transformação e Ciclo de Vida de Produtos compartilhou seus aprendizados na Cielo. Ela detalha a estruturação de três frentes de atuação que resultaram em uma grande redução no tempo de lançamento de produtos e no aumento das entregas, conectando áreas que antes trabalhavam de forma isolada. Ficou curioso? Então, dê o play! Assuntos abordados: Desafios da gestão de produtos em empresas tradicionais; Impacto de sistemas legados no time to market; Conexão entre produto, tecnologia e áreas de negócio; Planejamento integrado com foco no cliente final; Tradução de planejamento estratégico em OKRs; Governança e padronização de fluxos de desenvolvimento. Links importantes: Newsletter Dúvidas? Nos mande pelo Linkedin Contato: osagilistas@dtidigital.com.br Os Agilistas é uma iniciativa da dti digital, uma empresa WPPSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strategy doesn't fail for lack of ideas—it fails at the handoff to execution. We bring in OKR expert and Wave Nine founder Philip Schett to show how to close that gap with clear goals, shared rituals, and a culture that trades micromanagement for ownership. Philip's journey from Germany to Silicon Valley reframed his thinking: great companies don't win because they dream better; they win because they execute better. That mindset shift powers the conversation as we dig into OKRs done right—less about perfect wording, more about changing team behavior, building trust through transparency, and making alignment a weekly practice.We unpack the patterns behind “set and forget” goals, and why town halls and slide decks rarely produce real alignment. Philip introduces three simple rituals that compound: Monday calibrate to focus on outcomes for the week, Friday celebrate to make progress visible and energizing, and quarterly resets to protect priorities without hiding behind annual vagueness. We explore accountability with a human tone—say what you'll do, do what you said—using one-on-ones for tough conversations and public forums for recognition. You'll hear how co-creating OKRs prevents dehumanizing top-down mandates, why OKR champions are key to scaling across functions, and how nonprofits can turn passion into measurable impact with the same playbook.If you've ever watched goals vanish by week three, wrestled with cross-functional friction, or confused motion with progress, this episode offers a practical operating system: verify understanding instead of assuming it, make work visible to accelerate trust, and anchor execution in rhythms your team can keep. Subscribe, share this with a leader who needs clearer focus, and leave a review telling us which ritual you'll start this week.Get in Touch with Phillip Schett:https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-schett/#OKRs #LeadershipExecution #BuildTrust #TeamAlignment #MondayCalibrate #LeadershipPodcast #ExecutionCultureI'd love to hear from you! Send a text message.Be the Best Leader You Know Perform with Power, Lead with Impact, Inspire GrowthTo sharpen your skills and increase your confidence, check out the Confident Leader Course: https://www.intentionaleaders.com/confident-leader

Nick, Alex, and Zach reluctantly accept a Teams call from corporate to participate in quarterly reviews of various Packers position and coaching groups. Who met OKRs? Who needs to upskill? Don't table it. Don't circle back. Just click play and get the ball rolling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

90% of OKRs fail. But not because the framework is broken — it's because most leaders use it wrong. In this episode of the Leadership Launchpad Legacy Edition, we sat down with Philipp Schett — former Strategy Lead at Meta and Founder of Wave Nine, — to uncover the real reasons Objective Key Results (OKRs) don't deliver results and what conscious leaders do differently to make them work.

In this episode of "The Brand Called You," host Ashutosh Garg sits down with Radhika Dutt—author of Radical Product Thinking and the upcoming Escaping the Performance Trap. Radhika discusses her journey from MIT to successful founder, her experience across industries and continents, and how these shape her approach to innovation and leadership.Discover why traditional goal-setting frameworks like OKRs and KPIs often fail, and learn about Radhika's innovative OHL method (Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings) that sparks curiosity, learning, and real organizational change. Perfect for leaders and changemakers eager to drive creativity and real results!

In this dynamic episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, hosts Luke Carignan and Bo Brabo chat with Maxine Carrington, Chief People Officer, and Matt Kurth, Deputy Chief People Officer at Northwell Health. Fresh from the ASHHRA Executive Summit in Savannah, they explore how Northwell—a powerhouse with 104,000 employees, 28 hospitals, and recent mergers like Nuvance Health—navigates massive changes while fostering a bold, people-first culture.Maxine and Matt discuss leadership transitions (including CEO Michael Dowling's retirement), Epic's largest-ever EMR rollout, UKG implementation, and digital transformation. They emphasize Northwell's mission as a "movement" to raise health standards, driven by curiosity, humility, and innovation. From HR overhauls to psychological safety via book clubs on Amy Edmondson's "The Fearless Organization," they share strategies for employee engagement and whole-family well-being.Key takeaways for healthcare HR leaders:Bold Leadership & Succession: Manage executive retirements with advisory roles and knowledge transfer for seamless transitions.Cultural Innovation: Embrace "just a little unsatisfied" mindset to drive progress; learn from failures and external partners.Employee Experience Elevation: Use AI, data nudges, and family-inclusive benefits to support whole-person health and proactive care.HR Transformation: Shift priority-setting to customers; align OKRs with operations for impactful solutions.Community Impact: Extend wellness education to households; incentivize healthy actions to catch issues early.Discover how Northwell turns challenges into opportunities, inspiring HR pros to demand innovation and accountability. A must-listen for those in healthcare leadership, employee well-being, and organizational culture.From Our Sponsors...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZNStreamline HR Compliance with oneBADGEhealthcareSimplify screening, credentialing, and compliance for healthcare HR. oneBADGEhealthcare from ISB Global offers a tailored solution to keep your workforce compliant and efficient. Built for healthcare leaders, it's your all-in-one compliance tool.Get Started here - https://isbglobalservices.com/onebadgeunitedstates/ashhra/ Support the show

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Radhika Dutt—MIT-trained engineer, entrepreneur, and author of Radical Product Thinking, to rethink how high-growth companies set direction and measure progress. Radhika explains why traditional goal systems (KPIs/OKRs) often incentivize “performance theater,” tracing their lineage from Drucker's MBOs to Andy Grove to today's playbooks—and why they're mismatched to modern, creative work. She introduces OHLs (Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings) and a “puzzle setting/puzzle solving” culture that pushes teams to interrogate bad numbers, not hide them. Along the way she names common “product diseases” (HERO syndrome, obsessive sales disorder, pivotitis, strategic swelling, Narcissus complex) and shows how a clear, testable vision prevents whiplash pivots. A standout case study: at Signal Ocean, reframing the challenge for tech-averse users helped double sales in 2024 and again in 2025 while reducing churn from 26% to 4%. Leaders also get a practical script for better reviews (“How well is it working? What did we learn? What will we try next?”) and a reminder to build experimentation muscles before a crisis. The result is a rigorous, human approach to strategy that replaces vanity metrics with compounding learning.TakeawaysOKRs often reward optics over insight, encouraging “performance theater.”Use a concrete vision that states the problem, audience, status quo, desired end state, and product's role.Shift from “hit the target” to puzzle setting so teams feel invited to solve the right problems.Run on OHLs: Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings to measure deeply and learn publicly.Watch for “product diseases” like HERO syndrome, obsessive sales disorder, pivotitis, strategic swelling, and the Narcissus complex.Pivot with gravitas by stating what was wrong, what you learned, and what you'll try next.Case study: at Signal Ocean, reframing for tech-averse users unlocked adoption, doubled sales year over year, and reduced churn.OKRs trace back to MBOs, which fit repetitive work but struggle with today's creative, uncertain problems.Leaders should act like detectives, not judges to create psychological safety for honest learning.Introduce OHLs inside your current cadence before replacing existing processes.Spread market insight beyond the founder so teams can challenge assumptions and stay aligned.Start with the segment that has the most urgent need, then expand intentionally.Chapters00:00 Intro & Why Targets Mislead01:27 Radhika's Path and Early Lessons03:41 Hitting Numbers vs. Reality on the Ground05:31 “Product Diseases” That Derail Strategy07:51 Writing a Vision You Can Execute09:49 The Wine Startup Example and Narcissus Complex13:07 Pivotitis and How to Pivot with Gravitas16:34 Translating Vision into Actionable Experiments17:44 Why Goals Alone Don't Work20:03 A Short History of OKRs and Their Limits24:43 From Targets to Puzzles: Reframing Stalled Sales26:50 OHLs: Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings29:14 Running Better Reviews: Three Questions35:31 Case Study: Signal Ocean's Tech-Averse Users39:55 Outcomes: Doubling Sales and Reducing Churn41:58 Intel's Lesson: Experimentation Beats Goal Mechanics47:58 Detectives, Not Judges: Building a Learning Culture50:06 How to Start Tomorrow with OHLs59:37 Don't Do Founder Mode; Spread Insight01:03:18 Closing Notes & ResourcesRadhika Dutt's Social Media Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/Radhika Dutt's Websites:https://www.radicalproduct.com/https://rdutt.com/Resources and Links:https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

Die beste Strategie bringt nichts, wenn eure Mitarbeitenden sie nicht verstehen.OKRs sind das Werkzeug, um Strategie in Handlung zu übersetzen. Sie schaffen Fokus, Alignment und messbare Ergebnisse. Aber zwischen einem perfekt formulierten OKR-Set auf dem Papier und echter Wirkung im Alltag liegt oft eine Welt. Eine mitunter ziemlich große Welt.Das Problem: Die OKR-Mechanik ist das eine. Die Menschen mitzunehmen, das andere.Genau darüber sprechen Mathias Gorf und ich in Folge 4 der Change Management Rockstars. Mathias bringt die OKR-Fachexpertise und das methodische Framework. Ich bringe die Stakeholder-Perspektive und das Change Management, um die Organisation wirklich ins Boot zu holen.Wann braucht Ihr Unternehmen einen OKR Pitstop?1. OKR-Einführung mit begrenztem Budget – kompakter, fundierter Kickstart 2. Stockende OKR-Initiative – neue Ausrichtung trotz guter Vorbereitung 3. Nächster Reifegrad – OKRs mit strategischer Steuerung verknüpfen.Wer mehr erfahren möchte, kann unter info@pitstop-consulting.de unser Whitepaper anfordern.

In this episode of the Tech World Human Skills podcast, Ben Pearce speaks with Radhika Dutt, a product leader and author of 'Radical Product Thinking.' They discuss the limitations of traditional goal setting and the negative impact of performance metrics on collaboration and motivation. Radhika introduces a new approach. Show Links Ben Pearce LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpthoughts/ Tech World Human Skills Home - https://www.techworldhumanskills.com Radhika Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/ OHL Toolkit - https://www.radicalproduct.com/toolkit/#OHLToolkit Takeaways Goals create a burden and hinder curiosity. Traditional goal setting is outdated and ineffective. Puzzle setting and solving can drive better results. Performance metrics can lead to 'performance theater.' A clear vision is essential for effective goal setting. OHLs (Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings) provide a framework for problem-solving. Collaboration is eroded by competitive goal setting. Feedback should focus on learning and adaptation. Real-world examples demonstrate the effectiveness of puzzle solving. Accountability should be based on problem-solving, not just metrics. Keywords goals, productivity, radical product thinking, performance management, puzzle solving, business results, vision, OKRs, objectives, hypotheses, learnings

Performance entfaltet Kraft, wenn Business und IT Verantwortung teilen – nicht in Silos arbeiten. Jonna Diener steuert mit ihrem Team die agile Transformation bei Signal Iduna, verknüpft strategische Leitplanken mit Wertorientierung im Alltag und ordnet Initiativen konsequent nach Nutzen, Risiko und Dringlichkeit. Zwischen gewachsenen Strukturen, politischer Klugheit und vier Prioritätenringen entstehen Quartalsziele, Transparenz und neue Wege für Co-Leadership. Wer Transformation im Werkzeugkasten und Herzschlag sucht, spürt hier, wie beides möglich wird. Du erfährst... …wie Jonna Diener Performance in Unternehmen etabliert …welche Rolle agile Steuerung bei Signal Iduna spielt …wie OKRs Business und IT verbinden …wie Signal Iduna Transparenz und Effizienz steigert …welche Zukunft KI bei Signal Iduna hat __________________________ ||||| PERSONEN |||||

Join host ⁠Gerisha Nadaraju⁠ & special guest host, ⁠Dr Kevin Sakamoto⁠, for Season 4 of Product Ops Podcast where they explore how to make product ops value visible. For episode 3, we have an engaging conversation with Hugo Froes, Head of Product Operations at OLX (and a previous Season 1 pod guest!). Dive into Hugo's journey from graphic design to product operations, learn about the challenges and triumphs of leading a global product ops team, and discover his practical strategies for implementing successful OKR programs. From leveraging design thinking to navigating the nuanced role of product ops, this episode is packed with valuable insights for individual contributors and leaders alike. Whether you're in product operations, engineering, or product management, tune in for actionable advice on driving efficiency, enabling teams, and orchestrating change.Remember to subscribe to our substack for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! ⁠https://productopspod.substack.com/⁠You can also subscribe to Hugo's podcast where he explores product ops related topics on a monthly basis! https://thoughtsunravelled.substack.com/⁠#productops⁠⁠ #productoperations⁠⁠ #OKRS

“How do you turn overwhelming data into clear, actionable product decisions?” In this episode, we speak with Jordan Nolff, VP of Growth at Productboard, about the evolving role of AI and customer insights in modern product management. With a background that spans consulting, leading product growth at SurveyMonkey, and now scaling Productboard, Jordan brings a unique perspective on how PMs can transform information overload into strategic clarity. He shares how Productboard has evolved from a roadmapping tool into a comprehensive platform that centralizes customer feedback, competitor intelligence, personas, OKRs, and more—all designed to help product teams make better decisions and communicate them effectively. The conversation also explores how AI can augment this work, helping PMs reduce context switching, improve handoffs, and democratize knowledge across organizations. For product managers looking to navigate the hype around AI while still keeping customers at the center, this episode offers ways to get the ball rolling. For show notes and more resources, visit: pragmaticinstitute.com/resources/podcasts Pragmatic Institute is the global leader in Product, Data, and Design training and certification programs for working professionals. Learn more at pragmaticinstitute.com.

How can aligning your marketing strategy with business goals transform your impact and career trajectory?In this episode of The Hard Corps Marketing Show, I sat down with Jennifer Mancusi, CEO and co-founder of Growgetter. Jennifer is a marketing leader, strategic thinker, and passionate advocate for measuring what matters. She brings her real world experience helping businesses cut through vanity metrics and focus on marketing strategies that truly drive growth.Jennifer breaks down why defending the wrong metrics can get CMOs fired and how marketers can shift their focus to data that aligns with revenue. She discusses the critical importance of internal communication, aligning with sales, and using frameworks like OKRs to drive cross-functional success. Jennifer also dives into the evolving role of brand-building in demand generation, and why continuous learning is a must for modern marketers.In this episode, we cover:Why many CMOs fail by focusing on the wrong metricsHow to align marketing with sales and business development using OKRsThe difference between brand-building and demand captureWhy internal communication is key to marketing's credibility and effectivenessIf you're ready to ditch vanity metrics and become a marketing leader who drives real business impact, this episode is full of actionable insights you won't want to miss!

Join us in this episode as we explore the world of complex problem-solving across industries with Hunter S. Gaylor, an executive partner, financial expert, and author. Hunter is a highly accomplished business leader with a diverse range of expertise spanning mobile banking, corporate strategy, private aviation, and international relations. He holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Harvard University, is the Founder of Spencer Pruitt, and is the author of Planes Plants and Politics: A Mental Framework To Help Overcome Challenges in Any Industry. Click play to find out: The one thing that kills more strategies more than anything else. The importance of being able to accurately articulate what you're doing and why you're doing it. The driving force behind discipline and action. Why identifying the motivating factors behind specific goals. Discover the strategies behind Hunter S. Gaylor's guidance that drives worldwide business success – join the conversation now! You can follow along with Hunter on X @HunterGaylor and LinkedIn. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9

Unser heutiger Gast ist in einem Familienunternehmen groß geworden und führt es heute in zweiter Generation gemeinsam mit seinem Bruder. Er hat an der Zeppelin Universität studiert, gründete schon früh eigene Unternehmen und sammelte internationale Erfahrungen als Freelancer und Berater, unter anderem in den USA, China und den Niederlanden. Seit 2021 ist er zurück in Deutschland und prägt als Co-Geschäftsführer die Zukunft eines Unternehmens, das sein Vater 1987 gegründet hat: mit über 300 Mitarbeitenden, sieben Standorten und einem klaren Bekenntnis zu Digitalisierung, OKRs und langfristiger Verantwortung. Er denkt unternehmerisch, führt werteorientiert und er sieht Nachfolge nicht als Erbhof, sondern als Entwicklungsaufgabe. Offen spricht er über Fehler, Brüderdynamik und die Frage, wie man Vertrauen in einer Organisation nicht nur fordert, sondern lebt. Diese Folge ist eine Sonderausgabe, eine Kollaborationsfolge mit unserem Generationenformat „Zoomer meets Boomer“, das ich gemeinsam mit meinem Sohn Oskar Trautmann hoste. Seit mehr als acht Jahren beschäftigen wir uns in diesem Podcast mit der Frage, wie Arbeit den Menschen stärkt, statt ihn zu schwächen. In über 500 Gesprächen mit mehr als 600 Persönlichkeiten haben wir darüber gesprochen, was sich verändert hat und was sich noch verändern muss. Heute fragen wir: Was kann Corporate Germany von Familienunternehmen lernen, wenn es um Vertrauen, Verantwortung und generationsübergreifende Führung geht? Wie gelingt eine faire, erfolgreiche Nachfolge, auch dann, wenn Geschwister gemeinsam führen? Und was brauchen Unternehmen, um mit Gen Alpha bis Boomer im Team zukunftsfähig zu bleiben? Fest steht: Für die Lösung unserer aktuellen Herausforderungen brauchen wir neue Impulse. Deshalb suchen wir weiter nach Methoden, Vorbildern, Erfahrungen, Tools und Ideen, die uns dem Kern von New Work näher bringen. Darüber hinaus beschäftigt uns von Anfang an die Frage, ob wirklich alle Menschen das finden und leben können, was sie im Innersten wirklich, wirklich wollen. Ihr seid bei On the Way to New Work – heute mit Patrick Layer. [Hier](https://linktr.ee/onthewaytonewwork) findet ihr alle Links zum Podcast und unseren aktuellen Werbepartnern

Send us a textFrom 20 to 250: What Happens When Self-Storage Management Grows Too Fast? Peter Smyth returns to the Self Storage Podcast to share his explosive journey, from managing 20 facilities to nearly 250 in just one year. He outlines the challenges of hypergrowth, from client churn and employee scalability to building systems that can handle everything from rural RV lots to urban mega-facilities. Peter and Scott talk hiring for skill versus experience, the role of AI and custom-built software in operational efficiency, and why white-label management is becoming the go-to for storage owners who want control without compromise.  WHAT TO LISTEN FOR1:10 From 20 to 250: The Rocketship Year5:53 Hiring for Talent, Not Just Experience10:24 Scaling Services for Every Size Operator14:10 KPIs, OKRs, and the Software Shift21:07 Managing a Startup and a Young Family Leave a positive rating for this podcast with one click GUEST: Peter Smyth, White Label StorageWebsite | Email | LinkedIn CONNECT WITH USWebsite | You Tube | Facebook | X | LinkedIn | Instagram Follow so you never miss a NEW episode! Leave us an honest rating and review on Apple or Spotify.

What does it take to drive product innovation across cultures, languages, and business units? Heather Samarin and Vidya Dinamani sit down with Chris Pasley, former VP of Product at 17Live, as he shares lessons from scaling product at a global live-streaming platform. From managing incentives in a “whale economy” to aligning cross-country OKRs, Chris shares stories of stakeholder wrangling, cultural empathy, and staying true to the customer. He also offers a practical framework for defining MVPs and driving impact through problem-cause-solution thinking.

In this episode of Crazy Wisdom, host Stewart Alsop speaks with Robin Hanson, economist and originator of the idea of futarchy, about how conditional betting markets might transform governance by tying decisions to measurable outcomes. Their conversation moves through examples of organizational incentives in business and government, the balance between elegant theories and messy implementation details, the role of AI in robust institutions, and the tension between complexity and simplicity in legal and political systems. Hanson highlights historical experiments with futarchy, reflects on polarization and collective behavior in times of peace versus crisis, and underscores how ossified bureaucracies mirror software rot. To learn more about his work, you can find Robin Hanson online simply by searching his name or his blog overcomingbias.com, where his interviews—including one with Jeffrey Wernick on early applications of futarchy—are available.Check out this GPT we trained on the conversationTimestamps00:05 Hanson explains futarchy as conditional betting markets that tie governance to measurable outcome metrics, contrasting elegant ideas with messy implementation details.00:10 He describes early experiments, including Jeffrey Wernick's company in the 1980s, and more recent trials in crypto and an India-based agency.00:15 The conversation shifts to how companies use stock prices as feedback, comparing public firms tied to speculators with private equity and long-term incentives.00:20 Alsop connects futarchy to corporate governance and history, while Hanson explains how futarchy can act as a veto system against executive self-interest.00:25 They discuss conditional political markets in elections, AI participation in institutions, and why proof of human is unnecessary for robust systems.00:30 Hanson reflects on simplicity versus complexity in democracy and legal systems, noting how futarchy faces similar design trade-offs.00:35 He introduces veto markets and outcome metrics, adding nuance to how futarchy could constrain executives while allowing discretion.00:40 The focus turns to implementation in organizations, outcome-based OKRs, and trade-offs between openness, liquidity, and transparency.00:45 They explore DAOs, crypto governance, and the need for focus, then compare news-driven attention with deeper institutional design.00:50 Hanson contrasts novelty with timelessness in academia and policy, explaining how futarchy could break the pattern of weak governance.00:55 The discussion closes on bureaucratic inertia, software rot, and how government ossifies compared to adaptive private organizations.Key InsightsFutarchy proposes that governance can be improved by tying decisions directly to measurable outcome metrics, using conditional betting markets to reveal which policies are expected to achieve agreed goals. This turns speculation into structured decision advice, offering a way to make institutions more competent and accountable.Early experiments with futarchy existed decades ago, including Jeffrey Wernick's 1980s company that made hiring and product decisions using prediction markets, as well as more recent trials in crypto-based DAOs and a quiet adoption by a government agency in India. These examples show that the idea, while radical, is not just theoretical.A central problem in governance is the tension between elegant ideas and messy implementation. Hanson emphasizes that while the core concept of futarchy is simple, real-world use requires addressing veto powers, executive discretion, and complex outcome metrics. The evolution of institutions involves finding workable compromises without losing the simplicity of the original vision.The conversation highlights how existing governance in corporations mirrors these challenges. Public firms rely heavily on speculators and short-term stock incentives, while private equity benefits from long-term executive stakes. Futarchy could offer companies a new tool, giving executives market-based feedback on major decisions before they act.Institutions must be robust not just to human diversity but also to AI participation. Hanson argues that markets, unlike one-person-one-vote systems, can accommodate AI traders without needing proof of human identity. Designing systems to be indifferent to whether participants are human or machine strengthens long-term resilience.Complexity versus simplicity emerges as a theme, with Hanson noting that democracy and legal systems began with simple structures but accreted layers of rules that now demand lawyers to navigate. Futarchy faces the same trade-off: it starts simple, but real implementation requires added detail, and the balance between elegance and robustness becomes crucial.Finally, the episode situates futarchy within broader social trends. Hanson connects rising polarization and inequality to times of peace and prosperity, contrasting this with the unifying effect of external threats. He also critiques bureaucratic inertia and “software rot” in government, arguing that without innovation in governance, even advanced societies risk ossification.

Success isn't just about hustle—it's about surviving the chaos of growth.Jason Long knows this better than most. After building a 30-person agency, he lost it all in the 2008 crash, nearly died in a horrific car accident, and spent years rebuilding both his businesses and himself.In this episode, Jason and I get real about what scaling actually takes—the mistakes most entrepreneurs make, and the systems that separate struggling founders from professional CEOs.Here's what you'll hear:Why 80-hour work weeks are a badge of failure, not successThe accident that forced Jason to rebuild his brain—and his businessesHow private equity taught him the power of financial literacyThe frameworks he blends (EOS, OKRs, forecasting) to actually scale companiesThe mindset shift that frees entrepreneurs from burnoutThis one's raw, practical, and packed with lessons you can apply today.

Join host Tiana Zhao as she explores the transformative power of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in the world of marketing and distribution actuarial work. This episode of the SOA Marketing and Distribution podcast dives deep into: The fundamentals of OKR methodology and its adoption by tech giants How OKRs can enhance clarity, focus, and measurable outcomes for actuaries A practical example of implementing OKRs in an insurance company setting Strategies for marketing and distribution actuaries to leverage OKRs effectively

What if the very system we rely on to motivate teams and measure success is actually holding us back? Many leaders find their teams can hit targets but still feel stuck, which points to a fundamental flaw in how we approach performance management.Traditional goal-setting methodologies like OKRs and KPIs, while well-intentioned, often create unintended consequences that work against the very outcomes they're designed to achieve. The incentive structure encourages showing good numbers while sweeping problems under the rug, giving leaders the illusion of progress rather than real visibility.Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Why-Your-Goal-Setting-Fails-Escaping-the-Performance-Trap-with-Radhika-Dutt

In this episode of Leading Human, host Chad interviews Radhika Dutt, author of 'Radical Product Thinking' and the forthcoming book 'Escaping the Performance Trap.' Dutt challenges the conventional wisdom of goal-setting in performance management, arguing that tools like OKRs and KPIs often backfire. Instead, she introduces an alternative framework focused on detailed vision statements, puzzle setting, and puzzle solving, which encourages continuous learning and adaptation. The conversation explores the history of goal-setting, its limitations in complex environments, and practical steps for implementing Dutt's approach. Author of Radical Product Thinking, a speaker and entrepreneur, Radhika Dutt has participated in 5 acquisitions, 2 of which were companies she founded. She's an advisor on Product Thinking to the Monetary Authority of Singapore. She's also an MIT grad with SB and M.Eng in EECS, and speaks nine languages.01:12 Challenging Traditional Management03:38 The History and Problems with Goal Setting07:25 Alternative Approaches to Alignment14:56 Implementing Puzzle Setting and Solving20:30 Overcoming Resistance to Change26:23 Lightning Round and ConclusionRadhika's LinkedIn profileRadhika's WebsiteRadical Product Thinking (website for the methodology and Radhika's first book)Speaker reelLinks to the OHL framework/ toolkitWant a communication and wellbeing workshop that actually sticks? Whether you're building trust or leveling up team accountability, we've got you. Book a call to ask questions and learn more about improving how your team communicates here.

Do you ever feel like you're great at setting goals but struggle to actually reach them?     You're not alone—many people have big dreams but lack a clear path to make them happen.     On today's show, I'm going to share a simple yet powerful system used by top-performing companies like Google and Microsoft—and go over how you can apply it to your own life for real, measurable results.     Whether you want to lose weight, improve relationships, or launch a new business, I'll show you how to use this system to stay focused, take action, and reach your goals faster.     Tune in to today's Cabral Concept 3468 to learn how to use the OKR system to achieve any goal. Enjoy the show—and as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!   - - - For Everything Mentioned In Today's Show: StephenCabral.com/3468 - - - Get a FREE Copy of Dr. Cabral's Book: The Rain Barrel Effect - - - Join the Community & Get Your Questions Answered: CabralSupportGroup.com - - - Dr. Cabral's Most Popular At-Home Lab Tests: > Complete Minerals & Metals Test (Test for mineral imbalances & heavy metal toxicity) - - - > Complete Candida, Metabolic & Vitamins Test (Test for 75 biomarkers including yeast & bacterial gut overgrowth, as well as vitamin levels) - - - > Complete Stress, Mood & Metabolism Test (Discover your complete thyroid, adrenal, hormone, vitamin D & insulin levels) - - - > Complete Food Sensitivity Test (Find out your hidden food sensitivities) - - - > Complete Omega-3 & Inflammation Test (Discover your levels of inflammation related to your omega-6 to omega-3 levels) - - - Get Your Question Answered On An Upcoming HouseCall: StephenCabral.com/askcabral - - - Would You Take 30 Seconds To Rate & Review The Cabral Concept? The best way to help me spread our mission of true natural health is to pass on the good word, and I read and appreciate every review!