OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Focused Programs and Services
The OKR goal setting and business planning-for-achievement concept and structure outlined in John Doerr’s book ‘Measure What Matters’ then made famous by Google’s world changing results has become the preferred method for almost every leading organization and leader in the world for over the past several years – and for good reason.
Simply put OKR’s are the combination of a Company’s core and critical success factors. The – Objectives, and KR’s – the “how” actions that team members perform that lead to successful completion of the Objectives.
Critical to the success of your OKR methodology are two core tenants:
1. Your Objectives must be designed to truly inspire and provide a “this gets us out of bed in the morning” passion. They must be both inspirational and aspirational and they must be built on what a company or individual needs to succeed.
2. Your KR’s must be completely measurable and must be tied to an Objective’s true success. This is an absolute requirement.
Guiding and challenging your company to achieve and master both of these factors is where we come in.
Our BC and Alberta based firm continues to build a leading reputation for results in the business coaching world through coaching OKR’s as a core component of our client’s goal setting and planning methodology.
As we continue our work with companies ranging in size from multi-billion dollar international corporations, to medium sized businesses, to small single owner firms and start-ups we are proud to say that OKR’s are also the very framework we follow within our own firm, our own team members and our directors.
Starting with OKR’s is more than simply understanding the concept of them. More importantly it is being able to truly understand the “why” of OKR’s and exactly how they impact an organization – from not only the top down perspective, but also laterally through a company’s HR structure.
Our OKR workshops and customer coaching programs are designed to go deep into the leveraging of the core components that are critical to not only the transition into OKR’s, but also to create a vehicle for true company engagement that directly leads to massive growth, overcoming of roadblocks, and the highest levels of employee retention.
Specifically our clients develop OKR mastery in all of these key areas:
- Initial understanding, training, and adoption of company wide OKR’s as well as personal or individual ones.
- Establishing the framework necessary to create inter-departmental or intra-divisional OKR cohorts.
- Building cascading OKR’s that ensure continuity of key company Objectives that cascade down throughout the various levels of departments and people.
- How to properly choose,track and evaluate Key Results that are designed to ensure an objective is realized.
- How to implement OKR’s in all areas Human Resource Management right down to an individual’s personal OKR success plan
The increasing popularity, and successful corporate track record of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is commonly attributed to:
Simplicity and Clarity
We advise typically between just 2 and 5 OKRs per timeframe, per person, department, or organization – the focus is never in question. The OKR process has been much heralded for keeping the ‘main things’ the main things.
Perfect Mix of the Aspirational/Inspirational and the Numerical
No longer bound to the rigid components of the old S.M.A.R.T goals, OKRs encourage teams and individuals to set objectives that not only align with corporate growth, profits, and prosperity, but that also impact society, community, and fuel the drive to remain on path towards individual and corporate vision and purpose. As each objective is measured by 2 or 3 carefully selected and identified metrics (key results), the tracking and moving the needle of the most crucial numbers is also present.
Transparency
Embracing a true OKR framework calls for all OKRs, and progress towards achieving them, to be out in the open and entirely accessible and visible to all. Yes, that means that your OKRs as CEO or VP of Sales can be monitored and viewed by anyone in the department/organization – this is one of the foundational pillars of the OKR philosophy.
Cascading Alignment
Or ‘ascending’ alignment if you prefer. The corporate OKRs influence the department OKRs and the department OKRs influence the individuals’ OKRs. This aligned interconnected ‘bracing’ of priorities and focus truly assures all oars in the organization are rowing towards the same destination and that no rogue efforts are being pursued at the threat of much time and financial expense.
Demands Difficult, Creative, and Progressive Thinking by All
One thing you’ll notice right away when you decide to adopt the OKR process is that setting the OKRs is not easy – and it shouldn’t be. We’re talking about considering all the ideas, goals, wants, needs, and dreams of an organization or individual and harnessing and refining them down into 2 – 5 objectives that not only serve the corporate growth as much as possible, but get us excited to get after them. You can see how this type of thinking from all involved on a quarterly basis is much coveted by organizations.
The Death of Distractions
Arguably the most prominent praise we hear about OKRs from those we’ve worked with to implement the program is how it identifies, and crushes immediately, all activities and pursuits that do NOT contribute to a current OKR. Basically, if it’s not moving one of my OKRs forward, it’s not happening, etc.
How Organizations are Engaging Us to Help Develop and/or Lead their OKR Framework
All across our primary locations of Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, Calgary, Banff, and Canmore, there are various ways in which our clients engage us to assist with becoming an organization that uses OKRs, including but not limited to:
- An embedded component of their current leadership business coaching program
- A focused program to train the leaders and lead the OKR process throughout the organization
- A phased program of typically 3 month blocks, where the organization decides at each transition period to proceed to the next phase or not.
- A custom leadership retreat style workshop presenting the introduction of OKR based organization goal setting
- Custom – all these options begin with a discussion and consultation to help us understand what is most important to you, and as such – custom and/or hybrid launch points often occur
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and get more information about implementing or improving the use of OKRs in your organization.
“By clearing the line of sight to everyone’s objectives, OKRs expose redundant efforts and save time and money.”
– from, ‘Measure What Matters’, John Doerr