All of our OKRs articles

The Silent Killer of Your Operating Practice: Fear

The Silent Killer of Your Operating Practice: Fear

Amanda Schwartz Ramirez, former PayPal strategy leader and now COO advisor for startups, shares the 5 biggest fears that can derail your company's strategic planning sessions (and tactical advice for how to sidestep them).
Set “Non-Goals” and Build a Product Strategy Stack — Lessons For Product Leaders

Set “Non-Goals” and Build a Product Strategy Stack — Lessons For Product Leaders

Ravi Mehta, former CPO at Tinder & Product Exec at TripAdvisor, shares his framework for crafting a crisp product strategy for startups — a 5-step system called the "Product Strategy Stack." He also makes the case for setting "non-goals" and using an alternative to OKRs.
Your Startup’s Management Training Probably Sucks — Here’s How to Make it Better

Your Startup’s Management Training Probably Sucks — Here’s How to Make it Better

Plenty of startups leave manager training on the backburner until they become a bigger company — or try to fit it into a 30-minute lunch-and-learn. Melissa and Johnathan Nightingale, founders of Raw Signal Group, unpack why this is a mistake and outline their top tips for management training.
“Get Off the Floor” and Other Career Advice from Microsoft, Looker, Reddit & Twitter

“Get Off the Floor” and Other Career Advice from Microsoft, Looker, Reddit & Twitter

Nick Caldwell's resume includes an enviable list of companies — Microsoft, Reddit, Looker and Twitter. He shares his biggest lessons from each for a crash course in finding success across different company cultures, scales & functions.
Focus on Your First 10 Systems, Not Just Your First 10 Hires — This Chief of Staff Shares His Playbook

Focus on Your First 10 Systems, Not Just Your First 10 Hires — This Chief of Staff Shares His Playbook

As Chief of Staff at HashiCorp, Kevin Fishner focuses on treating the company like a product. Here, he unpacks why the systems side of company building doesn’t get as much attention and digs into the nitty-gritty details of how they set and track progress toward goals.
The Founder's Field Guide for Navigating a Crisis — Advice from Recession-Era Leaders, Investors and CEOs Currently at the Helm

The Founder's Field Guide for Navigating a Crisis — Advice from Recession-Era Leaders, Investors and CEOs Currently at the Helm

We've tapped First Round partners, recession-era founders and our community of CEOs to put together the most comprehensive guide available about what it takes to lead a startup during this economic crisis. From extending your runway and reducing burn to supporting your team, this guide tackles the t
The Simple Tool That Revives Employee Motivation

The Simple Tool That Revives Employee Motivation

At Pinterest and LinkedIn, product leader Jack Chou learned firsthand how vital it is to zero in continuously on what keeps people motivated as a company scales. Now Head of Product at Affirm, here are the four components of workplace motivation that he leans on from the start.
Betterment Tested Three Performance Management Systems So You Don't Have To

Betterment Tested Three Performance Management Systems So You Don't Have To

As Founder and CEO of Betterment, Jon Stein realized startups can't just establish one way to measure employee performance — they have to continually iterate as they grow. Here's how to do it well.
I’m Sorry, But Those Are Vanity Metrics

I’m Sorry, But Those Are Vanity Metrics

After three decades of leading data teams at companies like LiveOps, Netscape and ReadyForce, Looker founder and CTO Lloyd Tabb's biggest learning isn’t what you would expect — or want to hear: You’re measuring the wrong metrics. We all are.