“If you have more than three priorities, you have none.” James C. Collins
In Radical Focus, Christina Wodtke tells a story many of us can relate to: we follow a fictional startup on the edge of failure, caught in a familiar type of chaos. Instead of drowning readers in theory, Christina Wodtke’s shows us how Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) can transform not just strategy, but also company culture.
The book doesn’t read like a manual. It’s light, flexible, and avoids being overly prescriptive. That’s part of its charm: instead of rigid rules, Wodtke offers principles you can adapt to a startup, a large organisation, or even your personal life.
At its heart, the message is clear: OKRs aren’t just about setting goals. They’re about creating a culture of accountability and empowerment.
The best part? You can start applying OKRs right away, even as an individual or within your own team. They can be implemented bottom-up - in fact, that’s encouraged - as long as they contribute to and align with broader company objectives.
What to expect in this article
- A quick overview of Radical Focus and why it still matters.
- Who should read it
- The book’s key ideas: Objectives, Key Results, health metrics, weekly check-ins, and the napkin canvas.
- Common pitfalls to avoid when applying OKRs.
- Practical tips for applying OKRs in product teams today.
Who is this book for?
We often hear it at work: “I’m juggling too many projects.” We’ve been there too, pulled in different directions, switching between tasks, drowning in cognitive load. It’s exhausting and inefficient.
The Radical Focus book gives a tool to hit pause and ask: Which project truly moves the needle? It’s not just about saying no; it’s about saying yes to the right thing.
This book is primarily for anyone in a company who constantly feels pulled in different directions, juggles too many projects without clear visibility of the impact, or is looking to improve their productivity and focus. It is a valuable tool for those who want to pause and identify initiatives that truly move things forward.
Beyond managers, this framework is relevant for anyone who aspires to raise the bar, whether they are a team member, an entrepreneur, or even applies it to personal goals. For me, it became a way to challenge leadership: if the value of a project cannot be clearly articulated, it might belong in the fridge for now.
Key ideas from the book
The book isn't overwhelming with theory, but rather gives a few powerful practices that, if taken seriously, can reshape how teams work. These are the ones that stood out most:
1. Objectives & key results
An objective is a bold, qualitative statement of what you want to achieve. It should be aspirational, time-bound, and inspiring.
Key results are 3 measurable outcomes that define success. You know you have achieved your goal if you achieved your key results. They should be specific, trackable, and set a 50/50 level of achievability.
Why 50/50?
- Too easy → not motivating.
- Too hard → demoralizing.
- Just right → pushes the team to innovate, focus on impact and achieve more they though would even be possible, not busywork.
Example of objective:
“Get healthier and feel more energetic by the end of the quarter.”
Good KR:
“Run 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes.” → It’s specific, measurable, directly supports the objective, easy to track and you have leverage on it. See how companies have successfully implemented similar OKR strategies in dualoop's case studies.
Bad KR:
“Try to exercise more.” → Vague, no metric, can’t track progress.
2. Health metrics
OKRs are ambitious by design, which creates a risk: you can optimise for results while damaging what really matters. Health metrics prevent this.
Example: If your objective is to increase profit, a health metric could be customer satisfaction. If that metric turns red, it’s a signal to act before you damage trust.
These metrics protect values and sometimes even inspire the next objective.
3. Weekly check-ins
This is where OKRs shine. Each week:
- Review last week’s priorities.
- Set 3–4 key priorities for this week.
- Reassess confidence levels on your KRs.
This cadence keeps goals top-of-mind and helps you adapt fast.
4. Forecast & pipeline
What’s coming next? Break your roadmap into a pipeline and brainstorm multiple solutions for each key result. I recommend using the opportunity solution tree framework by Teresa Torres for this.
Don’t settle for one idea, aim for at least five. Then score them by:
- Impact
- Effort
- Confidence/evidence
This helps you make better go/no-go decisions and avoid wasting time on low-value work.
The napkin OKR canvas
One of the book’s most memorable ideas: your OKRs should fit on a napkin.
This isn't just a strange idea, it's a strong rule to make sure things are clear and focused. Using this simple, visual method was key to the success of one of our consultants’ team, in turning big goals into real plans.
Don’t worry, it’s simple! Here’s how to fold that napkin into four sections:
For more ready-to-use templates and frameworks, check out dualoop's template library.
Key factors for success
OKRs are effective for setting goals, but their success depends on proper implementation. Similar to other goal-setting methods that lack regular follow-up or adequate support, they are likely to fail without a structured approach to achieving them.
The difference between OKRs and frameworks like SMART goals or KPIs lies in cadence. OKRs create a rhythm (usually quarterly) where teams review, reflect, and reset.
As Jeff Weiner said, “When you’re tired of saying it, they’re starting to hear it.” Consistent repetition is vital to make goals stick and drive action. To keep those goals clearly visible and to make sure they can be adapted, especially in fast-paced environments, Radical Focus suggests weekly check-ins.
Although a regular OKR cycle is a good starting point, its impact is limited without supporting factors. To transform OKRs from abstract ideas into effective strategies, ensure:
- clear accountability,
- grant teams the freedom to act,
- facilitate collaboration across departments,
- and conduct regular updates and discussions.
If your goal is broader company-level adoption of OKRs, start small: Empower a single, cross-functional team with all necessary skills to deliver end-to-end value autonomously, enabling fast decisions and full ownership of outcomes. Their success will become your strongest argument, paving the way for other teams to adopt them as they witness the positive impact.
Common pitfalls to avoid
OKRs aren’t a tool for control, instead, they should be used to direct people toward outcomes and trust them to figure out the “how”.
- You don’t need OKRs for every individual. Two levels (company and teams) are usually enough.
- Don’t overload teams with too many objectives. If you can’t remember them without a memo, you have too many.
- Don’t treat OKRs as isolated goals. They only create real value when clearly connected to the company’s overarching objectives and ladder up to the broader strategy. Every objective should answer: How does this move the company forward?
One thing to remember
OKRs aren’t just goals, they’re a communication tool. They help you explain why certain solutions are prioritised over others, align your team, and move toward outcomes, not just outputs.
To learn how to implement these strategies effectively in your organisation, explore dualoop's comprehensive approach to strategic planning and execution.
