Tips For Your First Leap Into Objectives & Key Results

Tips For Your First Leap Into Objectives & Key Results


In this week’s episode of the OKRs Q&A 
Podcast with Sriraj Mallick, CEO of Infopro Learning, Inc & Unlock: OKR, Sriraj outlined the unique journey he had taken with OKRs. His first encounter with the OKR methodology was serendipity; he had been invited to an OKR meetup via his phone and decided to attend and learn more. After this meeting, Sriraj decided immediately that he needed InfoPro Learning to take on OKRs.

When chatting with Sriraj, he said the most important step he took was not delaying or waiting for the “right moment” to adopt OKRs, but adopting the program immediately (not just dipping one foot in the water or merely testing it out). The program was immediately transformative in getting the team aligned for the future. But it was also a long term project: It took several quarters, iterations, and learnings for the team to become experts at the OKR methodology and completely leverage the benefits of OKRs.

What can we learn from Sriraj’s story for our own OKR program?


Commit to running an OKR Program

Have it in your mind that the end goal of implementing OKR is a successful, long term OKR program that is fully adopted by the company. Anything less is setting up the program for potential failure. 

Yes, you may begin at first with Leadership or the Executive Team, but the goal should be complete alignment across the organization. In Sriraj’s story, he was set to make OKR happen across InfoPro Learning and kept to the methodology as a long term strategy to see it be successful. 

A mistake we often see is companies merely starting with a proof of concept to validate the methodology, but not having the buy-in or resources to ensure program success or not giving the program enough time to see results. Commit to adopting OKRs and you will see greater success in your program.

 
Buy-in Is Essential

One aspect that made OKR adoption successful at Infopro Learning was that they had buy-in from the top. Sriraj was dead set on making OKRs work and as CEO, he was able to drive this initiative throughout the company. 

This point isn’t to be understated: support from the top is often critical to a successful OKR program. “Who owns a program” is a question we often ask our clients: we see programs occasionally come from HR, from Operations or from other areas of the organization. This is fine, but we highly encourage that every program has clear buy-in from Leadership. 

Even if a program starts at a Department or Business Unit level, there must be a long-term plan for the program to become a company-wide initiative. You should also be sure that Leadership is involved in setting the direction of the OKR program and the North Stars to ensure alignment. OKR is ultimately about focusing on the largest priorities that can create transformational growth for the organization and these OKRs need to be created with Leadership.

 

Champions Make Or Break An OKR Program

Every OKR Program also needs a Champion (or a few Champions depending on the size of your organization). An OKR Champion is the chosen executive who runs the OKR program within your organization. They are someone who deeply believes in the OKR program and helps to spread knowledge and information throughout the company, while also inspiring and motivating others throughout the OKR implementation. 

In the case of Infopro Learning, a major point of success was that their primary OKR Champion was their CEO. Sriraj was able to inspire and motivate the company toward OKRs, while also holding the authority to help drive adoption. His role was crucial to the success of the OKR Program within Infopro Learning as he was not only a large OKR evangelist, but he had the authority to enforce true organizational culture change.

 
Training Is A Critical Element

Before getting alignment from OKRs, it is critical to get alignment with OKRs. Teamwork makes the dream work and it is crucial that everyone within an organization is on the same page when it comes to the OKR program

One mistake we often see is not enough forethought at the beginning of the OKR program around long-term training and education. Very frequently, we see programs launched with only about an hour of internal training around OKRs along with reccomended reading materials. This is a good start, but does not ensure long-term success as it does not include information on program management, how crucial communication is within the program and each individual’s role in the program as a whole. There is also a concern with how frequently there are new trainings scheduled for new hires and to help consolidate learnings, create new insights etc.

Here at Atruity, we recommend each OKR Program begin with creating a structured framework around training and education (both to launch the program and to help with ongoing program management). It is critical that everyone understands OKR in the same way as part of building long-term alignment. 

Atruity offers Fast Track Programs to help set up any OKR Program with a track proven framework to begin their OKR journey on the right foot. We can also provide OKR Certifications so that every individual that works with Atruity has not only been trained, but is also certified to successfully create and manage their OKRs. Training, along with our Center of Excellence, ensures a standardized and consistent library of resources for the entire company through the entire lifecycle of an OKR program.

 
Software Is Fantastic For Visibility 

We would be remiss if we did not mention OKR software. While this is often the last step once a program has been successfully implemented, it can be a great framework to help provide greater transparency around company OKRs. OKR software provides the ability to let the entire company see and envision progress and helps ensure OKRs are at the forefront of people’s minds. 

If you are at the position where your organization is ready to take a deeper look into software, we recommend taking a look at Unlock: OKR as one of Atruity’s recommended OKR software partners.

If you are looking for external help with your OKR program, book a meeting with a member of our team and receive help today.

By Jeffrey Sweeney

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