Gail Thomas

“At the beginning of measuring something that we have never measured before, it can feel scary. The numbers can feel daunting,” says Rose Kuo, an OKR Coach and Technical Project Manager at TED. When introducing OKRs to teams seeing them for the first time, Rose has gotten used to this reaction.
Fear of failure is only human, especially when asking employees to evaluate their performance against the “ideal state” that an OKR represents. Next, add a number — p...

“Part of the journey of this work is being willing to do the work… someone must be willing to take steps, to make some decisions. “ - Courtney Harge, Associate Director, Inbound Marketing, Fractured Atlas

In a world too often blind to systemic racism, Fractured Atlas walks the walk –– setting an early example of how to create an equitable workplace. As a national arts service organization for artists, it is not surprising that Fractured Atlas is wi...

For mission-based organizations, success is often defined by a lofty vision statement. But, in the “real world,” translating an ambitious mission into daily activities can feel so intimidating that it often goes no further than large words written on the wall or a website. Still, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a few first steps. OKRs are those steps.

Google’s use of OKRs is the most f...

As a first-time startup founder and CEO, Alex Frommeyer (Fro) is accustomed to change. But in mid-2019, executives noticed a growing problem that made no sense: tension between different departments at Beam Dental. Fro was scratching his head, “I kept asking myself ‘why can’t people get along? Why are these teams basically at war with each other?” In late summer, there were daily emotional interruptions from team leaders, complaining that they no longer knew what their priorities we...

When it comes to showing teams how to use Objective and Key Results (OKRs) Peter Kappus, knows how to rally the troops — in a low or no pressure way. “As with any kind of change you need to find a way to do this, so that you start getting benefits early, so that it feels pleasant and leaves you with more energy to continue, rather than frustration that you just want to stop.”

Before the OKR methodology can work its magic, it helps for team members to...

“How many times did you brush your teeth today?” Just as tracking systems like Fitbit inspire people to exercise more by “counting steps,” Beam Dental rewards customers who take especially good care of their teeth. Using a Bluetooth-enabled sonic toothbrush, the Ohio-based insurance provider leverages technology to tackle America’s systemic problem of poor dental hygiene, an issue that also ...

When facing a problem as urgent as the lack of high quality engineering learning in K-12 education, there isn’t time to wait for lengthy scientific studies.

I’m obsessed with Halloween and design. When I was a kid, I built a haunted (and grass-killing) maze on my parents’ front lawn. I’m a UX designer now, but for side projects I design large-scale, frightening attractions.
Here’s what I’ve realized: UX design and haunted attraction design have a ton in common—both require creativity, observation of human behavior, and problem solving to design a product tailored to a particular audience.

Turning the Mirror Around: 100Kin10 Reflects on Trends in STEM Education in this B2B newsletter and executive post.

Website for artificial intelligence software company based in Europe.

Exceptional customer service is something you never forget, something that I learned while growing up in a small town in Japan. Embedded in Japanese culture is the concept of “Okyaku-sama Ichiban” (“customer first”). Two of my fondest lessons in outstanding customer service are rooted in my childhood...

“With more than 16,000 current job openings in Texas related to computer science, high school students needed some exposure to these high-demand, high-wage careers before college.”

NYC Health wanted posters for a health campaign to encourage better dental care habits for children.

Bay Area Discovery Museum: Solving Old Problems in ...

Veria Living, a popular health and wellness website encouraged advertisers to sell their products directly on the site.