I’ve never been one to shy away from an acronym in the name of organisational excellence. I love to get RACI about CTAs. My goals are always SMART. And I’ll never, ever call someone a SWOT for implementing OKRs.
In today’s world, it’s crucial for organisations to have a clear direction, focus, and alignment towards their goals, and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are a great way to provide a structured approach to goal-setting and execution, empowering businesses to drive growth, foster innovation, and maximise their potential.
They’re not quite the same as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), which measure specific aspects of performance within an organisation. KPIs focus on quantifiable data and provide insights into performing against targets or goals, whilst OKRS a framework for setting and achieving objectives that align with the organisation’s strategic direction. They’re future-oriented and aim to drive progress and results by setting ambitious, measurable goals.
Or, to put it simply, KPIs measure what you have done, whilst OKRs look at what you will do.
I’ve been using OKRs for years. I have a slight obsession with cascading OKRs, the process of linking and aligning objectives at different levels of an organisation: breaking down high-level strategic objectives into smaller, more specific objectives that are assigned to teams, departments, and individuals.
This ensures that everyone’s goals are connected and contribute to the achievement of the overall organisational objectives. By cascading OKRs, there’s a clear line of sight from top to bottom, promoting alignment, collaboration, and a unified focus on shared goals – in short, everything your business needs to ensure success!
One person who’s experienced this first hand with me is WiserWednesday guest James Piper. James and I worked together at my environmental consultancy, where he became CEO after I exited the business in 2016. Under his watch the business grew 6x, going from a 12m turnover to 70m!
He’s also the author of The Rubbish Book: A Complete Guide to Recycling, which provides you with all the information you need to become a true recycling expert, so you can help protect the planet with confidence.
We’ll be taking a deep dive into our history together, his practices as a leader, and his subsequent success as an author.
Tune into this week’s WiserWednesday where we’ll be talking rubbish, but making a lot of sense!
Join us on LinkedIn, or stream on YouTube at 12noon (UK) on Wednesday 24th May – see you there!
