Your OKRs Aren’t OKRs
Basically everybody does OKRs wrong — and I bet you do too
Picture this: A new quarter is upon you, and your team is grudgingly setting OKRs. Eyes roll, sighs echo, and you hear someone mutter (or yell) “Why do we even bother?”
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. I used to be a card-carrying member of the I-Hate-OKRs club myself. Most teams treat OKRs like a corporate chore. They jot down vague goals and targets, which makes everyone think the process is useless, which makes it just a check-the-box activity, which makes them jot down vague goals and targets… quite the vicious cycle.
The root of the problem you’re experiencing is that your OKRs aren’t really OKRs in the first place.
Let’s do a quick exercise to determine if this article is for you.
Go take a look at your team’s current OKRs. Take a minute to reread them. Seriously let them settle into your brain, and judge for yourself: do you think those OKRs are appropriately guiding your work?
My guess is they’re not — but you tell me.
I bet they’re “OKRs”, not OKRs. And problematically, you may not have a good idea as to why they’re not great, or how to make them better.
