How to Use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to Align Your Team

February 18, 2020
By Sal Silvester

In this episode of Sal Silvester on the Future of Leadership, Sal interviews Doug Gray, the CEO of Action Learning Associates. Doug has written three books, and is passionate about outcome-based leadership development and OKRs. OKRs, which stands for “Objectives and Key Results,” give employees a sense of agency, impact, and value. OKRs are written goals that clearly project a desired future and are public – shared with colleagues and the world. The more widely OKRs are shared, the more people are willing to help you achieve them. Involving employees in the creation of your company’s OKRs helps produce a teamwork atmosphere, and gives your team a sense of focus and priority. In Doug’s opinion, the number one skill for managers is coaching others, and managers can do this much more easily if their team members have clear OKRs. The future of company goal-setting and inspiring teams lies in OKRs.

In this episode:
05:50 – Andy Grove, John Doerr, and the history of OKRs.
08:37 – How millennials are a more vocal generation.
09:56 – Doug defines OKRs.
12:37 – The complexities and advantages of people-focused OKRs.
14:16 – The difference between OKRs and other goal-setting strategies such as MBOs and SMART goals.
16:22 – Doug clarifies the difference between the terms “cascading” and “integrating.”
19:58 – Why collaboration is so important and how it sets a company apart.
22:03 – The importance of transparency in OKRs, and how that transparency is beneficial.
24:22 – Why every team at every level of a business should write their own OKRs.
25:34 – Why aspirational objectives are so crucial and why you should be failing more.
28:34 – How OKRs will produce more ethical and transparent leaders in the future.
30:50 – Doug shares the most important practices for leaders.
33:34 – Why traditional practices may not support businesses anymore, and the way into the future.