Book Review: Measure What Matters

For decades, John Doerr has been the leading evangelist for using objectives and key results (OKRs) to manage world-changing organizations. John has helped spread OKRs from Intel, where he learned the technique from the legendary Andy Grove, to organizations like Google and the Gates Foundation, to present-day startups like Zume (where robots and algorithms help deliver hot pizzas to your door in less than 5 minutes from your order). Now John has codified this system in his new book, Measure What Matters, which lays out how any leader can use OKRs to increase focus, boost performance, and improve employee engagement and retention.

Measure What Matters is really three different books that offer three different ways to learn. The first book is a classic management text, which lays out, in detail, a comprehensive system of management, the research that backs up its efficacy, and a broad set of tools and examples to let the reader implement its ideas. This book provides practical nuts-and-bolts lessons for managers and leaders.

The second book is a collection of first-person experiences from real-world leaders and organizations about how they've used OKRs to achieve great results. You'll hear the inside scoop on how OKRs helped create Google Chrome and make YouTube a force in online video, along with nine other stories. Each of these different voices, offers different perspectives and inspiration, and you can choose among them to find your inspiration.

Finally, the third book is a love letter to some of the great legends of Silicon Valley, whose timeless lessons should be better known to today's founders and CEOs. In this book, John reminisces about his days at Intel, working with towering figures like Andy Grove and Bill Davidow, when they launched a desperate and company-changing effort to beat Motorola in the microchip business, and talks about the incredible impact that the great Bill Campbell had on organizations like Apple, Intuit, and Google.

Of course, it's hard for me to be completely impartial. Many of the ideas in Measure What Matters reinforce the concepts in my own books, The Startup of You, The Alliance, and the upcoming Blitzscaling. I was particularly pleased to learn that providing challenging jobs and growth opportunities for employees was one of the three core goals that Andy Grove set for Intel, along with market leadership in all its product categories and double the industry's normal profit margins. OKRs and alliances between managers and employees go hand-in-hand, allowing employees to understand how their work benefits the company, and helps them grow and achieve their career goals.

Whether you're a seasoned CEO or a first-time entrepreneur, you'll find valuable lessons, tools, and inspiration in the pages of Measure What Matters. I'm glad John invested the time to share these ideas with the world.