In this live OKR Podcast conversation, Sam Wilson, CEO of 8x8, joins Deidre Paknad to discuss how leaders drive strategy execution in a fast-changing market. The conversation focuses on aligning teams to a clear North Star, translating strategy into OKRs, building an operating rhythm that minimizes status meetings, and using a system of record—augmented by AI-enabled summaries and insights—to keep execution coordinated and adaptive.
The Challenge
- Before WorkBoard, strategy lived in documents and meetings — but it wasn’t guiding day-to-day decisions.
- Too many priorities and no mechanism to say “no.” Without clarity on what not to do, teams were overloaded, creating confusion and diluted focus.
- Operational and cross-functional meetings wasted time on readouts without shared facts, and required big slide decks that weren’t absorbed.
- Nothing connected strategy to execution, leaving the organization fragmented and slowing down transformation.
The WorkBoardAI Solution
- “WorkBoardAI became the platform that connected our strategy directly to execution, giving every team clarity on priorities and enabling realalignment.”
- "We reclaimed hours of meeting time by putting the facts in WorkBoardAI. Instead of listening to readouts, we spend our time making decisions — and that’s been a massive productivity unlock.”
- Everyone—from frontline to executives—can see objectives, confidence levels, blockers, and priorities, enabling faster action, fewer surprises, and consistent alignment across teams.
Conclusion
Using WorkBoardAI patterns (meeting transcription/summary attachment to WorkBoard, scorecards as the source of truth, and AI summaries), 8x8 reduced time spent on status readouts, improved organizational alignment, and translated strategy into consistent execution. The company reported a milestone business outcome: after beginning a multi-year transformation, 8x8 “grew last quarter” following “nine quarters of small year-over-year declines,” crediting WorkBoard’s standardization as a meaningful contributor to enabling the transformation.
