OKR is not a silver bullet

When setting organizational goals, the first framework that comes to mind is OKR. I researched the OKR framework and spoke with founders, managers, and employees across multiple companies about their experiences. Here is what I discovered:

• In early-stage startups, few continue to use the OKR framework over time.

• Some managers become obsessed with OKRs, treating them as strict rules to follow. They spend excessive resources on them instead of focusing on execution. Moreover, some managers attempt to use OKR results for performance evaluations, which can undermine the framework's purpose of fostering ambitious goal-setting.

• Many employees complain that management tries to fit every task into OKRs, diluting their effectiveness and overwhelming the team.

I believe the purpose of OKR is to set and track goals to facilitate their achievement. However, the key is setting 'good' goals and executing them effectively; OKRs are just one of many frameworks available.

Thomas Edison once said, “Vision without execution is hallucination.”. Execution is everything in a startup. So, I would focus on goal setting and execution rather speding more time on the OKR.