Driving clarity, alignment and high-performance.
I was talking to a client recently to discuss team performance. They’re a tech start-up and a good stable team without any major problems. The CEO thinks they can achieve more and there is a perception that whilst performance is ok, it can be better. Her perception is based on general work observations like the office being empty come 6 pm. Delving deeper, the company doesn’t have a mission statement and doesn’t really live its values. Whilst there was a collective agreement on their values, in fact, the team devised them together, there weren’t any initiatives aimed at embedding the mission or values. New starters couldn’t repeat the mission or values, and neither was referred to in performance reviews.
The leadership team set goals focused on tasks and delivery rather than objectives. Reflecting on this, OKRs seemed to be an obvious choice but I suggested that we refined the values and built a mission statement first. The mission statement really needs to capture the essence of why everyone was turning up to work (albeit virtually!) and then the subsequent OKRs would set the agenda and tone for the following 12 months and their attempts to make the mission statement happen.
OKRs are perfect for mission-based organisations. In fact, whilst ‘thinking in results’ can be tricky at first, thinking in missions isn’t. Think: What is the mission for the next quarter, and how will teams work together to achieve it?
Clear.
Aspirational.
Focused.
Measurable.
The key results are how you measure success. These are also mini-missions, like: Deliver Customer Case Studies (to support a new product launch – the Objective). Alignment and clarity are by-products of a great OKR process but are only possible when OKRs are public (at least internally). Contrary to popular belief you don’t need 100% adoption to make them work as long as they’re not conflicting with other targets. By publishing your team's OKRs across the organisation, you’re making it clear what you’re working on, what you’re not working on and therefore providing clarity. Usually, the completion of OKRs is not a one-team activity, the planning and collaboration needed is where the alignment starts.
No one needs more meetings. OKRs work best when updates, measurements and course corrections are made regularly. Weekly allows for this, quarterly doesn’t as it’s too late to make changes or provide extra support. Instead of the Monday morning meetings where everyone provides their team's updates, concentrate on the OKRs, and the mission. This way you’re all on the same page already, everyone needs to focus because it probably affects them and meetings tend to be more ‘straight to the point’. If anything is off-mission, there needs to be a discussion on why it’s happening at all.
In summary, OKRs work great with mission-driven companies. Instead of diluting the mission with endless tasks, projects and to-do’s set mini-missions that will inspire on a quarterly basis, all linked to achieving the main company goal.
Tony Payne consults with clients via Talent Expert on a range of People & Talent focused areas including OKRs, Talent Acquisition, Employer Branding, Progression Frameworks, Technology Selection, Leadership Recruitment & Rewards & Recognition.
Visit www.progession.expert for info. #okrs #performance #strategy #talentacquisition #hiring #recruitment
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