OKR with a Mission: Radically grow your Association or Non profit with Juan Sanchez

Juan Sanchez, CIO at Inteleos, joins us to break down how OKRs are powering real change in the nonprofit sector. Inteleos, a global leader in medical certification, is using OKRs not just to track progress, but to redefine what impact looks like across borders. Juan shares how Inteleos shifted from traditional project thinking to outcome-driven impact, scaled their remote workforce across six countries, and kept strategy alive with a global-first mindset.

We explore the challenges of moving from outputs to outcomes, the radical shift to a learning-first culture, and why associations need to unbundle membership and think like product-led companies if they want to stay relevant. If you’ve ever wondered how a nonprofit can operate like a tech startup and scale its mission globally, this conversation is for you.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Intro:
• Juan Sanchez, CIO of Inteleos, on building global impact through OKRs.
• 02:10 – What is Inteleos?
• Inside the nonprofit certifying 120,000 sonographers and growing.
• 05:00 – Discovering OKRs:
• How Measure What Matters kicked off a new way of thinking.
• 08:30 – From Output to Outcome:
• Why shifting from traditional project thinking to outcomes was so challenging—and so necessary.
• 12:00 – Team Buy-In and the Power of Goals:
• How Inteleos uses individual goals separately from team OKRs.
• 17:00 – Aligning Global Teams with OKRs:
• Strategies for syncing teams across six countries with a common mission.
• 20:00 – Impact OKRs and Why They Matter:
• Measuring real-world change in healthcare on a seven-year horizon.
• 24:00 – Ditching Cascading for Alignment:
• How Inteleos uses cross-team OKRs to solve complex global challenges.
• 28:00 – The Learning Culture:
• From "The Interaction Field" to "Thinking in Systems," how reading and learning fuel innovation.
• 31:00 – Building for the Long Game:
• Why Inteleos is designed to transform—not just sustain—the medical certification space.
• 36:00 – The Cockroach Conundrum:
• Why some nonprofits stagnate and how to break free.
• 40:00 – Unbundling Memberships & Product Thinking:
• A call for associations to rethink their business models.
• 45:00 – Advice for Nonprofits:
• How to think beyond legacy models and drive real change.
• 48:00 – Closing Thoughts & What’s Next for Inteleos:
• Global expansion, new products, and bigger impact.

Guest Bio:

Juan Sanchez is the Chief Information Officer at Inteleos, a nonprofit based outside Washington, DC, that certifies medical professionals across six countries. With over 120,000 sonographers certified, Inteleos is redefining global standards in medical imaging. Juan is passionate about bringing a tech startup mindset to nonprofits, driving impact through OKRs, agile principles, and a relentless commitment to learning. He’s a vocal advocate for outcome-based thinking in the nonprofit sector and believes that real change happens when strategy is aligned with mission-driven action.

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