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Sushi, OKRs, and the power of being exceptional
What the world’s best sushi chefs can teach us about setting goals and leading teams.
Sushi is very simple.
It’s a bit of rice and a bit of fish.¹ And from the outside, it seems like one piece should be about the same quality as the next. After all, it’s just two ingredients. How much variation could there be?
But ask any sushi lover and they’ll tell you there’s a world of difference between grocery store sushi from a plastic box and Jiro-level craftsmanship. There’s a reason one is $10 and the other is $300. Exceptional sushi is much, much better.
OKRs are simple too.
They also have two ingredients.²
And from the outside, it seems like one set of OKRs should be about the same quality as the next. It’s a simple framework, right? How much difference could there be?
Answer: a huge difference! Great OKRs aren’t just a little better than mediocre ones. They’re astonishingly better. Great OKRs imbue teams with purpose, direction, and momentum. They give a team something they can rally around, something they can strive towards, and something they can take pride in when they’re done.
