Hi Reader,

It's perfect timing for me to be laid out with the flu this week when the next two are nuts with travel and then the last few days of prep before the print launch of my book. Despite not firing on all cylinders, it's a big week here at No-BS HQ!

I'm so grateful for this Forbes feature that went live today:

👉🏼 Bias Thrives In Ambiguity—OKRs Can Change That, by Aparna Rae

Aparna Rae is a must-follow -- she's an outspoken advocate of data and results in DEI, and I've been a huge fan of her work for a long time. It's a really big milestone for me that she saw enough potential in my work to devote a column to it... and now that we've connected a bit more, I look forward to she and I making some good trouble together.

The angle of this story is different than most of what you hear about OKRs, and it tells the story of why I do this work.

Most organizations adopt OKRs looking to improve clarity, alignment, and focus to improve their overall performance. But when I started working with OKRs systematically, I noticed something unmistakable:

OKRs -- done well -- reduce bias and subjectivity, increase the visibility of the contribution of historically marginalized team members, and make inequities unmistakably visible. When goals and expectations are explicitly stated and empirically measurable rather than subjective, everyone can see exactly what's expected and work toward it. No mind-reading or "in crowd privilege" required. No gaslighting when the goal posts move, since we all can see exactly what's happening clear as day.

Too often, success criteria are unspoken or ambiguous, creating conditions where bias thrives and those with privilege or insider knowledge have an unfair advantage. No-BS OKRs create a common language and shared measurement framework that puts everyone in the organization on equal footing. Check out the full article to learn more about how strategic goal setting can be a powerful tool for creating more inclusive organizations where everyone can thrive!

Your shares on the article are also super welcome -- here are social links to make that easy!

[ LinkedIn | Threads | Bluesky | Instagram | Mastodon ]

Okay. That's the big news! I'd love to hear what you think -- if you've been here for any length of time, I can't imagine you're surprised by anything you read there, but I would love to hear your questions and responses.

P.S. I also published a quick Thinkydoers Short earlier this morning on the topic of Strategy During Chaos (here it is on Apple Podcasts and Spotify). I wanted to give folks a sneak peek at the information they can expect in my upcoming ​Strategy During Chaos workshop​ on May 7th (which is a warm-up for the ​Q2 No-BS Strategic Achievement Intenstive​ taking place on May 15/16th). If you haven't reserved your seat, the workshop is only $19 (and if price is a barrier to participation, please just hit reply and I'll give you a coupon code or "pay what you can" link), and there are two time slots to choose from: 9am and 4pm pacific, to make it more time zone friendly! I hope to see you there!
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