Old-school business models suggest that your role as an executive gets more abstract as you rise in the ranks. Your middle managers buffer you from the operational day-to-day, freeing you to focus on the big picture. Maybe that worked in a slower-paced era. But in my experience, OKRs can’t be effective unless the people at the top are unconditionally committed—like a religious calling. And proselytizing is hard and thankless work. Your people may not like you very much through the adoption curve, which can take up to a year. But it’s worth it.
