OKRs Made Easy

So many organizations struggle with goal setting. Managers push for pet projects or to make their team look good, team members leave more confused than before — the whole thing devolves into strategy theatre.

Even the word OKR sounds jargon-y.

I've worked through enough strategy workshops to see these things happen, but the truth is, it doesn't have to be that complicated.

Start here

Open a Google Doc or draft up a Slack message to yourself, you don't need any specialized software.

1. Think about the year ahead — list out three or four things you'd like to accomplish. For example, you might write "skill development and people growth."
2. For each goal, think about what success would look like. What are potential indicators that you could measure to see whether you've succeeded or not? You might have a few of these for each goal, like "at least XX team members take advantage of learning funds" or "host one training program per quarter" (you really don't need to worry about exact numbers at this point).
3. Review and refine as needed. It's best if you set your notes aside and come back with a fresh mind. Think about what's missing, or if anything could be made more clear.

Congratulations. You just learned how to write OKRs. That wasn't so bad, was it?

Now here's the hard part: other people.

If you write up a bunch of goals and share them from on high, people are going to be frustrated. Some people will have wanted a chance to help shape the goals. Others will be confused, or anxious about whether the metrics are attainable. People will ask about why X was prioritized instead of Y. Things that were so clear in your mind will be misinterpreted by people who don't have the same context as you.

So gather your inner circle and repeat the activity, but this time do it together. You'll probably want to do this in person rather than remotely, because the communication bandwidth is so much higher. And you'll want to book enough time so as not to rush the process (remember Metcalfe's Law — each participant increases communication overhead exponentially).

Because you've already done the solo work, the goals should flow a little more easily this time.

1. Start by explaining why you've brought everyone together. Then find a big wall or whiteboard, and invite the group to help you think through some goal-setting.
2. Jot down what you hear. You might have to pick on a few individuals to get the ball rolling, and to make sure everyone contributes. Use big sticky notes for goals (outcomes), and smaller stickies for metrics (key results).
3. Now step back and do some organization. Put related ideas next to each other, and stars next to priorities. If you're feeling especially democratic, or sensing some misalignment run a quick dot-voting session to see where people agree and where they disagree.

Now take this away and synthesize the results. Distill and prioritize the input down into a manageable set of goals. Share this back to your team, noting any changes or tough calls. Depending on your culture, consider assigning a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI).

Congratulations — you've just learned how to do OKRs with other people.

At the end of the day, goal-setting isn't about perfect adherence to frameworks or complex theatrics, it's about creating shared understanding and intent.

Keep it lightweight. Involve the people responsible for the changes you seek. And treat goal-setting as a conversation, not a contract.