The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s 81. The Intentional Organization
Oct 9, 2025
Join Mathias Meyer, an executive coach and startup founder, and Sara Hicks, a product leader from top tech firms, as they delve into the nuances of creating an intentional organization. They explore the transition from startup to scale-up, discussing the vital need for regular product shipping and the real costs of delays. They emphasized reshaping meeting culture for better outcomes and the careful balance of leadership dynamics. Plus, they share insights on hiring for growth while maintaining cultural fit and the pitfalls of misusing OKRs.
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Avoid Perverse Metric Incentives
- Measuring narrow intermediate metrics creates perverse behaviors across teams.
- Paying only on final outcomes (like closed revenue) aligns incentives across functions.
Terminate Useless Standing Meetings
- Regularly review standing meetings and kill those that no longer add value.
- Make 'Do we still need this meeting?' a recurring agenda item.
Reset Meetings With A Company Retro
- Run a two-week retro for all recurring meetings instead of mass-cancelling them.
- Ask if the meeting should be killed, changed, or moved async.
