87. Taking OKRs Beyond Business with Jeff Gothelf

How can a goal-setting framework used by some of the world’s biggest companies help you achieve your personal goals?

This week, I talk with author Jeff Gothelf, a product management expert who helps companies make better products. You may know Jeff as the co-author of the book “Lean UX”, but Jeff has written several books about how to set meaningful goals via the OKR framework.

Today Jeff joins the show to talk about how we can use the OKRs framework (Objectives and Key Results) to improve our personal lives too.

Jeff explains how OKRs for personal use are different from those used at work. We talk about how to write a good goal and a measurable key result, and how to know if we’re making progress.

Whether you want to do better work or improve your personal life, using the OKR framework can help you set better goals and achieve them outside of the office. And you won’t have to have a check-in with your boss!

Topics:
• 05:26 – Jeff’s story
• 09:24 – What are OKRs?
• 13:11 – When OKRs break down
• 15:46 – Business vs Personal OKRs
• 21:45 – How do we know what to measure?
• 26:32 – Make sure the key result makes sense as a measure for achieving your objective
• 32:23 – Keep from falling for the sunk cost fallacy
• 40:21 – Don’t overlook the handy spreadsheet
• 43:32 – Considerations for solopreneurs and freelancers
• 48:21 – Find one goal to track and give it a shot.

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn
• Who Does What by How Much

Jeff Gothelf
Product Management Expert Practitioner and Thought Leader

About Jeff

Jeff is a product management expert practitioner and thought leader. He helps organizations build better products and executives build the cultures that build better products. He is the co-author of the award-winning book Lean UX (now in it’s 3rd edition) and the Harvard Business Review Press book Sense & Respond. His most recent book, Forever Employable, was published in June 2020.

Starting off as a software designer then product manager and finally entrepreneur, Jeff now works as a keynote speaker, trainer, coach, and board advisor helping companies bridge the gaps between business agility, digital transformation, product management and human-centred design.

Jeff is currently working on Who Does What By How Much?, his 5th book and 3rd with co-author Josh Seiden. This new book is the how-to guide for implementing Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in every organization.

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn

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