Why Your OKRs Aren’t Working, and What to Do Instead

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Radhika Dutt—MIT-trained engineer, entrepreneur, and author of Radical Product Thinking, to rethink how high-growth companies set direction and measure progress. Radhika explains why traditional goal systems (KPIs/OKRs) often incentivize “performance theater,” tracing their lineage from Drucker’s MBOs to Andy Grove to today’s playbooks—and why they’re mismatched to modern, creative work. She introduces OHLs (Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings) and a “puzzle setting/puzzle solving” culture that pushes teams to interrogate bad numbers, not hide them. Along the way she names common “product diseases” (HERO syndrome, obsessive sales disorder, pivotitis, strategic swelling, Narcissus complex) and shows how a clear, testable vision prevents whiplash pivots. A standout case study: at Signal Ocean, reframing the challenge for tech-averse users helped double sales in 2024 and again in 2025 while reducing churn from 26% to 4%. Leaders also get a practical script for better reviews (“How well is it working? What did we learn? What will we try next?”) and a reminder to build experimentation muscles before a crisis. The result is a rigorous, human approach to strategy that replaces vanity metrics with compounding learning. Takeaways OKRs often reward optics over insight, encouraging “performance theater.” Use a concrete vision that states the problem, audience, status quo, desired end state, and product’s role. Shift from “hit the target” to puzzle setting so teams feel invited to solve the right problems. Run on OHLs: Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings to measure deeply and learn publicly. Watch for “product diseases” like HERO syndrome, obsessive sales disorder, pivotitis, strategic swelling, and the Narcissus complex. Pivot with gravitas by stating what was wrong, what you learned, and what you’ll try next. Case study: at Signal Ocean, reframing for tech-averse users unlocked adoption, doubled sales year over year, and reduced churn. OKRs trace back to MBOs, which fit repetitive work but struggle with today’s creative, uncertain problems. Leaders should act like detectives, not judges to create psychological safety for honest learning. Introduce OHLs inside your current cadence before replacing existing processes. Spread market insight beyond the founder so teams can challenge assumptions and stay aligned. Start with the segment that has the most urgent need, then expand intentionally. Chapters 00:00 Intro & Why Targets Mislead 01:27 Radhika’s Path and Early Lessons 03:41 Hitting Numbers vs. Reality on the Ground 05:31 “Product Diseases” That Derail Strategy 07:51 Writing a Vision You Can Execute 09:49 The Wine Startup Example and Narcissus Complex 13:07 Pivotitis and How to Pivot with Gravitas 16:34 Translating Vision into Actionable Experiments 17:44 Why Goals Alone Don’t Work 20:03 A Short History of OKRs and Their Limits 24:43 From Targets to Puzzles: Reframing Stalled Sales 26:50 OHLs: Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings 29:14 Running Better Reviews: Three Questions 35:31 Case Study: Signal Ocean’s Tech-Averse Users 39:55 Outcomes: Doubling Sales and Reducing Churn 41:58 Intel’s Lesson: Experimentation Beats Goal Mechanics 47:58 Detectives, Not Judges: Building a Learning Culture 50:06 How to Start Tomorrow with OHLs 59:37 Don’t Do Founder Mode; Spread Insight 01:03:18 Closing Notes & Resources Radhika Dutt’s Social Media Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-dutt/ Radhika Dutt’s Websites: https://www.radicalproduct.com/ https://rdutt.com/ Resources and Links: https://www.hireclout.com https://www.podcast.hireclout.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright