In this first episode of a four-part miniseries on execution, we dive deep into what makes goals actually work.

Executive coach and OKR expert Audrey Camp joins Lucas to unpack how leaders can transition from ambition to alignment. They explore what distinguishes a SMART goal from a “SART” one, why meaning matters more than measurability, and how goal ownership can unlock true progress.

Audrey draws on experience from advising growth-stage companies across Europe and her past work at Cognite, to share hard-won lessons on goal-setting, communication, and leadership development.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why many startup leaders are "untested" and how that impacts goal execution
What makes a goal actually effective—and why measurability alone isn’t enough
The real power of OKRs and why they fail more often than they succeed
How to create shared ownership and meaningful alignment in your organization
The importance of stretch goals and how to calibrate ambition with reality

📌 just to be fully transparent: Shifter and Audrey Camp have a commercial partnership around a paid OKR program. I, Lucas Weldeghebriel, am both the editor-in-chief and CEO of Shifter, and I’m also one of the course facilitators. This episode is editorially produced, but we want to disclose this collaboration to ensure full transparency.

👉 Sign up for the OKR program here

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Episode 437 - josh Ruiz