TED2018
John Doerr: Why the secret to success is setting the right goals
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Our leaders and institutions are failing us, but it's not always because they're bad or unethical, says venture capitalist John Doerr -- often, it's simply because they're leading us toward the wrong objectives. In this practical talk, Doerr shows us how we can get back on track with "Objectives and Key Results," or OKRs -- a goal-setting system that's been employed by the likes of Google, Intel and Bono to set and execute on audacious goals. Learn more about how setting the right goals can mean the difference between success and failure -- and how we can use OKRs to hold our leaders and ourselves accountable.
John Doerr - Venture capitalist
John Doerr is an engineer, acclaimed venture capitalist and the chairman of Kleiner Perkins. Full bio
John Doerr is an engineer, acclaimed venture capitalist and the chairman of Kleiner Perkins. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
We're at a critical moment.
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Our leaders,
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some of our great institutions
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are failing us.
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Why?
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In some cases, it's because they're bad
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or unethical,
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but often, they've taken us
to the wrong objectives.
to the wrong objectives.
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And this is unacceptable.
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This has to stop.
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How are we going to correct these wrongs?
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How are we going
to choose the right course?
to choose the right course?
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It's not going to be easy.
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For years, I've worked with talented teams
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and they've chosen the right objectives
and the wrong objectives.
and the wrong objectives.
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Many have succeeded,
others of them have failed.
others of them have failed.
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And today I'm going to share with you
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what really makes a difference --
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that's what's crucial,
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how and why
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they set meaningful and audacious goals,
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the right goals for the right reasons.
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Let's go back to 1975.
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Yep, this is me.
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I've got a lot to learn,
I'm a computer engineer,
I'm a computer engineer,
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I've got long hair,
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but I'm working under Andy Grove,
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who's been called the greatest manager
of his or any other era.
of his or any other era.
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Andy was a superb leader
and also a teacher,
and also a teacher,
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and he said to me, "John,
it almost doesn't matter what you know.
it almost doesn't matter what you know.
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Execution is what matters the most."
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And so Andy invented a system
called "Objectives and Key Results."
called "Objectives and Key Results."
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It kind of rolls off
the tongue, doesn't it?
the tongue, doesn't it?
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And it's all about excellent execution.
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So here's a classic video from the 1970s
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of professor Andy Grove.
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(Video) Andy Grove: The two key phrases
of the management by objective systems
of the management by objective systems
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are the objectives and the key results,
and they match the two purposes.
and they match the two purposes.
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The objective is the direction.
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The key results have to be measured,
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but at the end you can look
and without any argument say,
and without any argument say,
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"Did I do that, or did I not do that?"
Yes. No. Simple.
Yes. No. Simple.
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John Doerr: That's Andy.
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Yes. No. Simple.
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Objectives and Key Results,
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or OKRs,
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are a simple goal-setting system
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and they work for organizations,
they work for teams,
they work for teams,
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they even work for individuals.
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The objectives are what
you want to have accomplished.
you want to have accomplished.
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The key results are how
I'm going to get that done.
I'm going to get that done.
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Objectives. Key results.
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What and how.
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But here's the truth:
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many of us are setting goals wrong,
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and most of us
are not setting goals at all.
are not setting goals at all.
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A lot of organizations
set objectives and meet them.
set objectives and meet them.
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They ship their sales,
they introduce their new products,
they introduce their new products,
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they make their numbers,
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but they lack a sense of purpose
to inspire their teams.
to inspire their teams.
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So how do you set
these goals the right way?
these goals the right way?
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First, you must answer
the question, "Why?"
the question, "Why?"
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Why?
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Because truly transformational teams
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combine their ambitions
to their passion and to their purpose,
to their passion and to their purpose,
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and they develop a clear
and compelling sense of why.
and compelling sense of why.
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I want to tell you a story.
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I work with a remarkable entrepreneur.
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Her name is Jini Kim.
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She runs a company called Nuna.
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Nuna is a health care data company.
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And when Nuna was founded,
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they used data to serve the health needs
of lots of workers at large companies.
of lots of workers at large companies.
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And then two years
into the company's life,
into the company's life,
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the federal government issued a proposal
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to build the first ever
cloud database for Medicaid.
cloud database for Medicaid.
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Now, you'll remember
that Medicaid is that program
that Medicaid is that program
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that serves 70 million Americans,
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our poor, our children
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and people with disabilities.
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Nuna at the time was just 15 people
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and this database
had to be built in one year,
had to be built in one year,
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and they had a whole set of commitments
that they had to honor,
that they had to honor,
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and frankly, they weren't going to make
very much money on the project.
very much money on the project.
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This was a bet-your-company moment,
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and Jini seized it.
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She jumped at the opportunity.
She did not flinch.
She did not flinch.
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Why?
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Well, it's a personal why.
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Jini's younger brother Kimong has autism.
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And when he was seven,
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he had his first grand mal seizure
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at Disneyland.
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He fell to the ground.
He stopped breathing.
He stopped breathing.
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Jini's parents are Korean immigrants.
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They came to the country
with limited resources
with limited resources
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speaking little English,
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so it was up to Jini
to enroll her family in Medicaid.
to enroll her family in Medicaid.
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She was nine years old.
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That moment defined her mission,
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and that mission became her company,
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and that company bid on, won
and delivered on that contract.
and delivered on that contract.
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Here's Jini to tell you why.
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(Video) Jini Kim: Medicaid
saved my family from bankruptcy,
saved my family from bankruptcy,
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and today it provides for Kimong's health
and for millions of others.
and for millions of others.
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Nuna is my love letter to Medicaid.
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Every row of data is a life
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whose story deserves
to be told with dignity.
to be told with dignity.
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JD: And Jini's story tells us
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that a compelling sense of why
can be the launchpad for our objectives.
can be the launchpad for our objectives.
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Remember, that's what
we want to have accomplished.
we want to have accomplished.
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And objectives are significant,
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they're action-oriented,
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they are inspiring,
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and they're a kind of vaccine
against fuzzy thinking.
against fuzzy thinking.
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You think a rockstar
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would be an unlikely user
of Objectives and Key Results,
of Objectives and Key Results,
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but for years, Bono has used OKRs
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to wage a global war
against poverty and disease,
against poverty and disease,
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and his ONE organization
has focused on two really gorgeous,
has focused on two really gorgeous,
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audacious objectives.
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The first is debt relief
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for the poorest countries in the world.
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The next is universal access
to anti-HIV drugs.
to anti-HIV drugs.
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Now, why are these good objectives?
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Let's go back to our checklist.
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Significant? Check. Concrete? Yes.
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Action-oriented? Yes.
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Inspirational?
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Well, let's just listen to Bono.
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(Video) Bono: So you're passionate?
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How passionate?
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What actions does your passion
lead you to do?
lead you to do?
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If the heart doesn't find
a perfect rhyme with the head,
a perfect rhyme with the head,
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then your passion means nothing.
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The OKR framework cultivates the madness,
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the chemistry contained inside it.
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It gives us an environment for risk,
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for trust,
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where failing is not a fireable offense.
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And when you have that sort
of structure and environment
of structure and environment
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and the right people,
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magic is around the corner.
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JD: I love that.
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OKRs cultivate the madness,
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and magic is right around the corner.
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This is perfect.
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So with Jini we've covered the whys,
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with Bono the whats of goal-setting.
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Let's turn our attention to the hows.
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Remember, the hows are the key results.
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That's how we meet our objectives.
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And good results
are specific and time-bound.
are specific and time-bound.
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They're aggressive but realistic.
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They're measurable,
and they're verifiable.
and they're verifiable.
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Those are good key results.
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In 1999, I introduced OKRs
to Google's cofounders,
to Google's cofounders,
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Larry and Sergey.
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Here they are,
24 years old in their garage.
24 years old in their garage.
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And Sergey enthusiastically
said he'd adopt them.
said he'd adopt them.
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Well, not quite.
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What he really said was,
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"We don't have any other way
to manage this company,
to manage this company,
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so we'll give it a go."
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(Laughter)
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And I took that as a kind of endorsement.
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But every quarter since then,
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every Googler has written down
her objectives and her key results.
her objectives and her key results.
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They've graded them,
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and they've published them
for everyone to see.
for everyone to see.
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And these are not used
for bonuses or for promotions.
for bonuses or for promotions.
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They're set aside.
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They're used for a higher purpose,
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and that's to get collective commitment
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to truly stretch goals.
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In 2008, a Googler, Sundar Pichai,
took on an objective
took on an objective
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which was to build
the next generation client platform
the next generation client platform
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for the future of web applications --
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in other words, build the best browser.
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He was very thoughtful
about how he chose his key results.
about how he chose his key results.
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How do you measure the best browser?
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It could be ad clicks or engagement.
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No. He said: numbers of users,
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because users are going to decide
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if Chrome is a great browser or not.
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So he had this one
three-year-long objective:
three-year-long objective:
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build the best browser.
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And then every year
he stuck to the same key results,
he stuck to the same key results,
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numbers of users, but he upped the ante.
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In the first year,
his goal was 20 million users
his goal was 20 million users
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and he missed it.
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He got less than 10.
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Second year, he raised
the bar to 50 million.
the bar to 50 million.
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He got to 37 million users.
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Somewhat better.
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In the third year,
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he upped the ante once more
to a hundred million.
to a hundred million.
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He launched an aggressive
marketing campaign,
marketing campaign,
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broader distribution,
improved the technology, and kaboom!
improved the technology, and kaboom!
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He got 111 million users.
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Here's why I like this story,
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not so much for the happy ending,
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but it shows someone
carefully choosing the right objective
carefully choosing the right objective
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and then sticking to it
year after year after year.
year after year after year.
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It's a perfect story for a nerd like me.
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Now, I think of OKRs
as transparent vessels
as transparent vessels
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that are made from the whats
and hows of our ambitions.
and hows of our ambitions.
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What really matters is the why
that we pour into those vessels.
that we pour into those vessels.
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That's why we do our work.
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OKRs are not a silver bullet.
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They're not going to be
a substitute for a strong culture
a substitute for a strong culture
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or for stronger leadership,
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but when those fundamentals are in place,
they can take you to the mountaintop.
they can take you to the mountaintop.
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I want you to think
about your life for a moment.
about your life for a moment.
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Do you have the right metrics?
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Take time to write down your values,
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your objectives and your key results.
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Do it today.
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If you'd like some feedback on them,
you can send them to me.
you can send them to me.
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I'm john@whatmatters.com.
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If we think of the world-changing goals
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of an Intel, of a Nuna, of Bono,
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of Google,
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they're remarkable:
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ubiquitous computing,
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affordable health care,
high-quality for everyone,
high-quality for everyone,
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ending global poverty,
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access to all the world's information.
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Here's the deal:
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every one of those goals
is powered today by OKRs.
is powered today by OKRs.
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Now, I've been called
the Johnny Appleseed of OKRs
the Johnny Appleseed of OKRs
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for spreading the good gospel
according to Andy Grove,
according to Andy Grove,
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but I want you
to join me in this movement.
to join me in this movement.
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Let's fight for what it is
that really matters,
that really matters,
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because we can take OKRs
beyond our businesses.
beyond our businesses.
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We can take them to our families,
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to our schools,
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even to our governments.
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We can hold those governments accountable.
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We can transform those informations.
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We can get back on the right track
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if we can and do measure
what really matters.
what really matters.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
John Doerr - Venture capitalistJohn Doerr is an engineer, acclaimed venture capitalist and the chairman of Kleiner Perkins.
Why you should listen
For 37 years, John has served entrepreneurs with ingenuity and optimism, helping them build disruptive companies and bold teams. In 2018, he authored the New York Times bestseller, Measure What Matters, a handbook for setting and achieving audacious goals. Through his book and platform, WhatMatters.com, he shares valuable lessons from some of the most fearless innovators of our time.
John was an original investor and board member at Google and Amazon, helping to create more than half a million jobs and the world’s second and third most valuable companies. He’s passionate about encouraging leaders to reimagine the future, from transforming healthcare to advancing applications of machine learning. Outside of Kleiner Perkins, John works with social entrepreneurs for change in public education, the climate crisis, and global poverty. John serves on the board of the Obama Foundation and ONE.org.
John Doerr | Speaker | TED.com