Hey, happy Monday!
I bet you too, as an entrepreneur or team leader, have been asking yourself this question at least once a month for the past 9 months.
That’s the question on everyone’s mind who, like us, wishes that their employees and colleagues would also behave like entrepreneurs even if they didn’t start the company they work for. That on any given day they care about keeping the bar high, about being proud of every single deliverable that is delivered, about making sure that 5 years from now this way of doing business is still relevant in the marketplace.
What if there was a serious, proven, verified method … precise and undeformable, laser-cut titanium, lockdown-proof, capable of working even here in Italy and not only in Silicon Valley, to focus the energies of all the people in the company, row in perfect synchrony and achieve extraordinary growth performance, would you implement it today?
I was sure of that.
Let’s set clear goals now
Objective 1: I will increase the quality of your work over the next 3 months in just 5 minutes
And I will measure the achievement of the goal by taking into consideration.
Key Result 1: The time you take to read this email should be less than 5 minutes
Key Result 2: You will have a clear idea of the 3 most important benefits of OKRs
Key Outcome 3: I will gain your commitment to deepening the adoption of OKRs.
Based on a true story
Like everything you read in this newsletter.
Last week I received three phone calls from three different people from the same company.
The marketing manager wanted to launch a new brand.
The sales manager wanted help growing his sales.
The accountant, on the other hand, has a problem with marginalia.
There would be nothing wrong with three different projects. But what happens when everyone is competing for an as-yet-undetermined budget, but more importantly, the client expects only one project that can strike a blow to the circle and a blow to the barrel?
It is not important to know who I am talking about, it is important that this company is not you.
Over time, we have statistically proven that successful projects arise from shared team needs and not from the personal victories of a few managers who hold sometimes large budgets hostage and glut consultants.
Is there a document in your company or team that describes priorities?
I am not talking about the revenue goals or some kpi that you need to keep track of, nor even the business plan to which your bonuses might be tied. I’m talking about the most up-to-date, shared document that shows what’s important to do now and what other subsequent options are available.
That is why in your team some want to go North, some want to go South, some want to go East, and some want to go West. No one has set the navigator.
Benefit #1: Focus and Alignment
Mind you, I could have said that no one owns the map. But OKRs are something much more powerful and dynamic. They are your high-precision satellite navigation system. It is a foolproof and automatic way to make sure everyone is moving in the same direction.
It may be necessary to recalculate the path for some teams, but the important thing is to have confidence that, all together, they are moving toward a shared long-term business goal.
The magic of any well-done OKRs project is being able to read the strategy into the goal architecture and know in real time one’s own position in the path and that of colleagues.
You will also find that you will be able to travel much lighter. With OKRs you will not only be clear about what to do but, much more importantly, you will have even clearer what not to do to achieve goals thus giving teams back what they need to excel: autonomy, impact e agility.
Benefit #2: Measuring and Stretching
Some companies are simply lucky or live in a market that pushes so hard that it is still possible to make decisions based on opinions. But sooner or later they reach a ceiling that seems impossible to break through despite their efforts.
With OKRs you will finally have evidence of the impact of decisions on numbers and everyone’s contribution to results.
OKRs provide an opportunity, by design, to stimulate the ambition of teams in safe-to-try environments critical to growth.
I am sure that even if tough it would be feasible to grit our teeth and make an extra 10%.
But to achieve 10 times more is to have the opportunity to work in a radically different way.
Benefit #3: Rhythm and Communication
Since one-third of the people are at home some leaders have lost contact with their teams, while others have increased the number of calls and the amount of micro management.
Implementing OKRs correctly is not just about writing well and sharing key objectives and outcomes, but being prepared to delegate and dialogue in short, structured meetings that have the main goal of removing obstacles from the path.
In organizations that have successfully introduced OKRs you can clearly hear the precise rhythm, like the beating of a drum, of the cadence with which teams review results, goals and strategy. And because you hear the music in the breaks, it is in those spaces that organizations push their limits.
You had already heard about it, hadn’t you?
Now you are ready to get started. OKRs are really simple. Plus November and December are a great time to think about the next cycle.
I provide you with a template that I have personally developed to drastically reduce the time it takes to write your first Objective and Key Results.
Visit this link then go to File -> Create a copy and get started right away.
If, as I think you will, you want to make a quantum leap, you will find that Excel or Spreadsheet is not the most efficient tool for sharing OKRs in your work group or even throughout your organization.
I heartily recommend that you try Gtmhub, the world’s leading platform for managing OKRs for teams that already have their data in Asana, Google Analytics, MailChimp and many others…
I would like to point out that it is not necessary that you buy the software, I don’t make any money from it, also because it costs only 1€ per person per month. However, it is only fair that you know that, at the moment, I am the only Italian partner that can accompany you on this path.
Whether you decide to use this or any other software, feel free to schedule a free appointment with me Whenever you feel the need. Visit this link Meeting with Antony and choose “Free OKRs Consulting.”
Good work!
Make yourself heard.
