PhotoCredit: Measure
Someone once asked me what my life purpose was. It’s an important question. One of those small questions that haunt you. That stick with you. My instant reply was “supporting founders and visionaries to make their dreams a reality.” It sounded corny the minute I said it. It still sounds corny.
Maybe the truth is just corny. This is why I write this blog. It’s why I desperately try to be available to anyone who needs guidance. It’s why I love the work I do on boards of companies with big visions. It’s why I love OKR’s.
Maybe that seems like an awkward segue but OKR’s will power your dreams into reality. Objectives and Key Results. A brilliant tool that can be used for business or personal goals. They are simple, whittling something elusive into tangible actions and measurable outcomes. Best of all, they drive radical honesty about the real work that needs to be done to achieve your ambitious ruminations.
Coz, let’s face it, sometimes you have to try on the skinny jeans to know you are not quite at your goal weight yet. Sometimes you have to look the numbers straight in the eye and face that you are many zero’s away from your revenue goals. OKR’s are the reality check we all need when life gets in the way (the theme of this year). When the busy-work gets in the way (it always will). When we get in our way (you know you do).
There is a lot written on this topic. I am including some resources I love at the end of this. I don’t intend to cover ground which has already been traversed. My goal in writing today is to get you familiar with the concept and curious about giving it a go. I will also do a follow up next week on some things I and others learned as we started our OKR journey.
My best advice is twofold. First, read the book Measure What Matters by John Doerr. It will change your life, seriously.
Second, sit down and just have a go at drafting and see what comes through for you. Give it a whirl. The format is so simple. Start with an Objective. If you are greedy you can have more than one but NEVER more than five. These are things you think you can achieve in the next 18 months plus. One great example is “Win The SuperBowl” and another is JFK’s declaration to “Land A Man On The Moon”. You don’t have to be that ambitious but, heck, why not! I like to put a date on these, so I have a target. This isn’t critical.
Next comes Key Results. These are the things you expect will happen as you progress. Ask yourself, how you will know when you are on track towards that goal. These must be measurable. We defer to SMART goals here but, simply put, make sure you have a number in each Key Result. And make sure that number feels like a stretch goal, something you aspire to and are 70-80% sure you can hit it but that it’s not a sure thing. So “grow my daily active users by 30%” is a great example.
The final step, for bonus points as you get familiar with this, is to detail what initiatives you think will get you the Key Result. These are things you can test. OKR’s are regularly reviewed, so as one initiative isn’t working to “move the needle” you can try other initiatives. So this might be “go on a Keto diet” or “run 3 times a week” if your goal is a personal fitness/skinny jeans one.
It really is that simple.
Objective: Get my blog drafted Sunday night
Key Result: Write 600 words by 7pm
Initiatives:
Ask Mark to walk Winston
Pour a glass of wine and start writing
Put a power-ballad jam on Spotify
Write about something I love
NAILED IT.
Have a play. See how it goes. Maybe work on something you want to get done by the end of the year. Maybe start planning your world domination. You are doing great. You have almost survived 2020. You’ve got this!
Resources:
Start Here: https://www.perdoo.com/the-ultimate-okr-guide/
Great Team Exercise/Planning Tool: https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/okrs
The Starter Kit: https://felipecastro.com/resource/The-Beginners-Guide-to-OKR.pdf
LONG Video on how google does OKR’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJB83EZtAjc