What Measure What Matters (Doerr) Missed — And Why It Matters More Than Ever

John Doerr’s Measure What Matters gave us a structured, measurable way to focus on what counts. OKRs brought discipline and clarity to the chaos of leadership. For that, it earns its place on the shelf of every modern executive.

But after years of building, leading, and fixing organizations, I’ve learned a hard truth:

You can set clear objectives. You can measure results. You can even encourage conversation and feedback.

And still — things fall apart.

Not because the goals were wrong.

Not because the people were unmotivated.

But because one critical layer was invisible the entire time:

Behavior.

Doerr introduced CFRs — Conversations, Feedback, and Recognition — as a way to humanize OKRs. But conversations are filtered. Feedback is subjective. Recognition is inconsistent. None of them tell you what’s actually happening underneath.

And here’s the dangerous assumption I see too often:

“Set the right goals, and behavior will follow. Culture will form.”

In practice? That’s backwards.

Behavior comes first. Behavior is culture. And behavior is what drives outcomes — or undermines them.

Until we start measuring and understanding behavior as it actually unfolds — not just what’s said in meetings — we’ll keep managing in the dark.

This isn’t a critique of OKRs. It’s a respectful extension.

A reminder that between every objective and every result is a behavioral reality — one that most leaders never see until it’s too late.

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Up next in the series: Why Culture Isn’t What You Think It Is — And Why Most Culture Metrics Miss the Point