• Dreams with Deadlines

  • By: Quantive
  • Podcast

Dreams with Deadlines

By: Quantive
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  • Summary

  • These are real stories of trials and victories in business. We'll talk about aligning teams and organizations around a common purpose, the ups-and-downs of goal management using Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), and everything in-between.
    Quantive
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Economics Management
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Episodes
  • On Scaling OKRs in a Fast-Growing Startup | Micaela Arizpe, Chief of Staff to the COO at Personio

    On Scaling OKRs in a Fast-Growing Startup | Micaela Arizpe, Chief of Staff to the COO at Personio
    Dec 19 2023
    In this episode of Dreams with Deadlines, Jenny Herald welcomes Micaela Arizpe, Chief of Staff at Personio, to discuss the intricate challenges and strategies of scaling Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in a rapidly growing startup environment.Key Things Discussed:Navigating Growth and Process Evolution: Micaela shares her experience joining Personio at a pivotal growth stage with around 700 employees. She details how existing structures and processes began to show signs of strain under rapid expansion, emphasizing the necessity for process evolution and revamping, especially in communication, alignment, and effectiveness.Strategic Implementation and Evolution of OKRs: Delving into the role of OKRs, Micaela discusses their significance in maintaining focus, fostering autonomy, encouraging innovation, and ensuring transparency and alignment within a growing organization. She reveals how Personio adapted its OKR processes, including transitioning from simple tools like Google Sheets to more sophisticated systems, and how executive sponsorship played a vital role in the successful scaling of the OKR program.Cultivating a Network of OKR Champions: An intriguing aspect of Personio's journey is the development of an OKR Champion network. Micaela highlights how empowering these champions as subject matter experts and strategic partners in various departments was crucial. She also discusses adapting the OKR processes to remote and hybrid environments, ensuring continuous alignment and collaboration across expanding teams.Show Notes[00:00:06] Challenges of Scaling in a Fast-Growing Startup: Micaela discusses the initial challenges faced by Personio as it scaled, particularly the strain on existing structures and processes. She emphasizes the importance of evolving these elements to maintain efficiency and effectiveness.[00:04:16] The Role and Evolution of OKRs. Jenny and Micaela delve into how OKRs were utilized and adapted at Personio. Micaela highlights their role in focusing efforts, fostering innovation, and ensuring transparency and alignment within the growing organization.[00:08:09] Adapting OKRs for Remote Work and Collaboration. Jenny and Micaela cover the transition of OKR processes to suit remote and hybrid work environments. Micaela discusses the challenges and innovations in maintaining alignment and collaboration across geographically dispersed teams.[00:13:37] Principles Behind the OKR Program. Micaela reflects on whether the underlying principles of Personio's OKR program changed with scaling. She reiterates the consistent focus on core principles like focus, ownership, stretch, innovation, alignment, and transparency.[00:17:14] Strategic Priorities and Departmental OKRs. Jenny and Micaela shift to how strategic priorities feed into departmental OKRs at Personio, and the importance of aligning these with operational and financial planning.[00:48:00] Quick-Fire Questions for Micaela Arizpe:What is your dream with a deadline? Micaela shares her personal goal of publishing a poetry book, which she achieved by presenting it as a gift to her loved ones.What advice would you give folks who are scaling their OKR program? Micaela emphasizes the importance of executive sponsorship and ensuring collective commitment and involvement in the OKR process.What would you say is the most impactful lesson learned, maybe even failure, if you want to share, insight you've gained from your experience in scaling OKRs at Personio? Micaela advises focusing on training a network of OKR experts rather than creating rigid rules. She highlights the importance of decentralizing expertise to avoid becoming a bottleneck in the process.Relevant links:Masters of Scale Podcast by Reid HoffmanBlitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies by Reid Hoffman (Author), Chris Yeh (Author), Bill Gates (Foreword)About the Guest:Through years of experience in Customer Success, strategy and business operations, Micaela has worked with C-level executives in B2B SaaS to define and operationalize strategies that drive customer value. In her current role she helped scale Personio’s OKR framework into a robust program suitable to their current size of 1800 employees and beyond.Follow Our Guest:LinkedIn | Website Follow Dreams With Deadlines:Host | Company Website | Blog | Instagram | Twitter
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    43 mins
  • On Tailoring Strategies for Every Industry | Kenneth Lewis, Co-Founder at OKR International

    On Tailoring Strategies for Every Industry | Kenneth Lewis, Co-Founder at OKR International
    Dec 12 2023
    In this follow-up episode of Dreams With Deadlines, host Jenny Herald sits down once again with Kenneth Lewis, Co-Founder of OKR International. Building on their previous discussion about performance management and OKRs, they delve into new territories, shedding light on the nuanced application of OKRs in diverse industries.Key Things Discussed:Failure as a Stepping Stone: Kenneth shares compelling stories from companies that initially struggled with OKR adoption but eventually found success. He emphasizes the importance of learning from failure and approaching OKRs with a change management mindset.OKRs in Non-Tech Environments: The conversation pivots to the challenges and unique approaches required when implementing OKRs in non-tech industries. Kenneth discusses the need for context-specific strategies, balancing innovation with traditional business models, and the aspiration of non-tech companies to adopt progressive practices.Sustainable Use of OKRs: Addressing the potential for OKRs to become just another management fad, Kenneth argues for a more holistic approach. He advocates for integrating OKRs with organizational rituals, focusing on purpose, and recognizing the importance of conversations and feedback alongside goal setting.Show Notes[00:00:06] The Path of Failure to Success in OKR Adoption. Kenneth Lewis shares real-world stories about companies initially struggling with OKR adoption, reflecting on their failures and learning to eventually succeed in incorporating OKRs into their operational rhythm.[00:04:16] Implementing OKRs in Non-Tech Environments. Jenny and Kenneth shift to the challenges and nuances of implementing OKRs in non-tech industries. Kenneth highlights the differences in approach required for knowledge worker-based and labor-intensive non-tech companies.[00:08:09] The Endurance of OKRs and Avoiding the Hype Cycle. Kenneth addresses how OKRs can be sustained beyond the initial hype. Kenneth emphasizes the importance of understanding the intent and principles of OKRs, rather than rigidly sticking to frameworks[00:13:37] OKRs and Organizational Culture. Kenneth and Jenny delve into how OKRs can shape and influence organizational culture. They discuss the importance of adapting OKRs to align with the company's mission, work processes, and performance goals.[00:17:14] Customizing OKRs for Maximum Effectiveness. Jenny and Kenneth explore the customization of OKRs to fit different organizations. Kenneth stresses the need to consider various factors like company size, industry, and culture to effectively implement OKRs.[00:22:07] The Future of OKRs in Business. Jenny and Kenneth discuss the future of OKRs in business. Kenneth shares insights on the potential longevity of OKRs, how they can evolve, and the importance of adapting them to an organization's unique needs and aspirations.n making sense of changes and setting ambitious experiments to close gaps.Relevant links:Masters of Scale Podcast by Reid HoffmanHigh Output Management by Andy GroveMeasure What Matters by John Doerr“Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard” by Chip and Dan HeathConscious Business by Fred KofmanAbout the Guest:Kenneth's purpose is to be that eternal flame that ignites passion and performance in others. He is the founder of Atlas Learning, an investor and advisor at Purposetrade, Grassroute, and Docmode, and a consultant with multiple firms. He's also the Co-founder of OKR International, the world’s largest OKR training, coaching and consulting company.Follow Our Guest:LinkedIn | Atlas Learning | Purposetrade | Grassroute | Docmode | OKR International Follow Dreams With Deadlines:Host | Company Website | Blog | Instagram | Twitter
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    57 mins
  • On Transforming Performance | Kenneth Lewis, Co-Founder at OKR International

    On Transforming Performance | Kenneth Lewis, Co-Founder at OKR International
    Dec 5 2023
    In this episode of "Dreams With Deadlines," host Jenny Herald welcomes Kenneth Lewis, co-founder of OKR International, to explore the dynamic world of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in business. With over two decades of experience and a rich history of working with renowned companies like Colgate, Swift, and Bosch, Kenneth delves deep into the practicalities and philosophies of OKRs.Key Things Discussed:The Journey to OKRs: Kenneth shares his personal and professional journey, revealing how a background in sales, teaching, and organizational development led him to the world of OKRs. His story highlights the transformational potential of OKRs in aligning strategy with execution, focusing on goals, and fostering organizational transparency.Integrating OKRs with Performance Management: The conversation delves into the nuances of combining OKRs with performance management systems. Kenneth outlines various approaches, such as the hybrid system where OKRs feed into performance assessments and the impact of this integration on employee engagement and organizational control.Real-World Applications and Challenges: Drawing from his extensive experience, Kenneth offers vivid examples from companies like Colgate-Palmolive and discusses the practical challenges and solutions in implementing OKRs. He emphasizes the importance of adapting OKRs to the organization's culture and goals, rather than strictly adhering to predefined frameworks.Show Notes[00:00:06] Introduction to Kenneth Lewis and OKR International. Jenny Herald introduces Kenneth Lewis, highlighting his extensive experience in business and his role as the co-founder of OKR International, the first OKR consulting company in India and Asia.[00:04:16] Kenneth Lewis's Origin Story and Discovery of OKRs. Kenneth shares his journey from being a sales professional and teacher to discovering OKRs, emphasizing his experiences in sales, teaching, and organizational culture that led him to this methodology.[00:08:09] Fundamentals and Misconceptions of OKRs. Kenneth discusses the basic principles of OKRs, addressing common misunderstandings and returning to the core ideas behind the methodology, as initially envisioned by Andy Grove and John Doerr.[00:13:37] OKRs in Relation to Budgets and Investments. Kenneth explains how OKRs interact with company budgets and investment strategies, using Colgate-Palmolive as a case study to illustrate how businesses can balance budget constraints with aspirational OKRs.[00:48:00] Quick-Fire Questions for Kenneth Lewis:Dream with a Deadline: Kenneth aspires to positively impact a million lives during his career and another million post-retirement. Additionally, he has a goal for one of his invested companies to reach $5 million in revenue by 2026.When things start to go sideways in OKR implementations, what advice do you give to turn things around? He emphasizes viewing challenges as learning opportunities and advises not to be too hard on oneself, but to learn from experiences and move forward.What do you believe is the role of the C-level, or the CEO even, in the OKR program? Kenneth believes that C-level executives should have a mix of conviction and hope in the OKR program, actively participate in it, and understand that OKRs are a means to a broader organizational goal, not the end in themselves.What is the single most impactful lesson or insight you've gained from your experience with OKRs and performance management within an organization? He finds that OKRs are fundamentally simple and effective for setting and achieving goals. Their simplicity and holistic approach make them a powerful tool for organizational development.Book That Shaped His Thinking: "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand has significantly influenced him, teaching him about human potential, the importance of reason, and aiming beyond perceived limitations.Relevant links:"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand"The Fountainhead” by Ayn RandAbout the Guest:Kenneth's purpose is to be that eternal flame that ignites passion and performance in others. He is the founder of Atlas Learning, an investor and advisor at Purposetrade, Grassroute, and Docmode, and a consultant with multiple firms. He's also the Co-founder of OKR International, the world’s largest OKR training, coaching and consulting company.Follow Our Guest:LinkedIn | Atlas Learning | Purposetrade | Grassroute | Docmode | OKR InternationalFollow Dreams With Deadlines:Host | Company Website | Blog | Instagram | Twitter
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    1 hr and 7 mins

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