The Tao Te Ching starts with this line, which I adore:
> The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao
“The Tao” here means “the rules / way to live your life”. Essentially, the point is that if you try to write down a set of complete rules for how to act - either in life generally or at work, well, that ain’t it.
This is always my problem with OKRs. They’ll always inevitably lead you away from what you actually should / need to do in a given moment if you were in tune with your wisdom. Instead of trying to codify what leaders do, we should practice staying present to what’s actually going on and practice wisdom - for whatever that means in the current context.
The Tao Te Ching makes for a great management book. I especially love chapter 17:
Great rulers are hardly known by their subjects,
Then come those the people draw near and praise,
Then those the people hold in fear,
Then those the people revile.
When one lacks trust, one finds no trust.
Reluctantly, without boasting;
Perform actions, accomplish deeds;
The people will say it happened naturally.
> The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao
“The Tao” here means “the rules / way to live your life”. Essentially, the point is that if you try to write down a set of complete rules for how to act - either in life generally or at work, well, that ain’t it.
This is always my problem with OKRs. They’ll always inevitably lead you away from what you actually should / need to do in a given moment if you were in tune with your wisdom. Instead of trying to codify what leaders do, we should practice staying present to what’s actually going on and practice wisdom - for whatever that means in the current context.