The Ultimate Guide to Setting work Goals with OKRs
Setting goals is an important part of achieving success in any work environment, whether you're a business owner or an employee. The OKR (Objectives and Key Results) method has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it offers a structured and effective way to set goals and measure progress. In today’s blog, I'll explore what OKRs are, how to set them, and how they can benefit your business or career.
What are OKRs?
OKRs are a goal-setting framework that was developed by Intel and popularized by Google. The method involves
Setting objectives, which are high-level goals that you want to achieve, and
Key results, which are measurable milestones that help you track progress towards those objectives.
The idea is to set ambitious yet achievable goals and then break them down into smaller, measurable steps.
How to set OKRs:
Start with your overall business or career goals: Before you can set OKRs, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Take some time to define your overall goals, whether that's growing your business, increasing revenue, advancing in your career, or acheiving a specific functional goal within your team.
Define your objectives: Once you have your overall goals in mind, it's time to set specific, measurable objectives. These should be ambitious yet achievable, and they should align with your overall goals. For example, if your goal is to increase revenue, your objective might be to increase sales by a certain percentage.
Set your key results: Once you have your objectives in place, it's time to break them down into measurable key results. These should be specific and measurable, and they should help you track progress towards your objectives. For example, if your objective is to increase sales by a certain percentage, your key results might include things like increasing website traffic, improving your conversion rate, or launching a new marketing campaign.
Assign responsibilities: Once you have your OKRs in place, it's important to assign responsibilities to specific team members or departments, or outsource them if that is most relevant. This ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals and that progress is being made in a coordinated way.
Review and adjust: OKRs should be reviewed regularly, and adjustments should be made as needed. This allows you to stay on track and make any necessary changes to your approach.
What is so good about using OKRs?
Focus: OKRs provide a clear focus for your business or career, helping you stay on track and work towards your goals. Make sure you can see them all the time!
Alignment: OKRs help ensure that everyone in your organisation, or those working with you, are working towards the same goals, which can improve results and productivity.
Measurable progress: By breaking down your goals into specific key results, you can track progress and adjust your approach as needed. It also makes progress feel more manageable and so reduces procrastination or tendency to deviate
Motivation: Setting ambitious yet achievable goals can be motivating, helping to boost engagement and productivity.
So yep - setting goals is an important part of achieving success in any business, and the OKR method offers a structured and effective way to do so. Whether you're a business owner or an employee, OKRs can help you focus your efforts, align your efforts, and track progress towards your goals.
This process is one that I take my mentees through in one of our early sessions when I’m working with them 1:1 and forms the framework for our time together - it really is gold.
