Measure What Matters

How are your OKRs coming along? What critical capabilities do you need to be successful?

How are your OKRs coming along? What critical capabilities do you need to be successful? Is there anything stopping you from attaining your objectives?

How are your OKRs coming along? What critical capabilities do you need to be successful? Is there anything stopping you from attaining your objectives? What OKRs need to be adjusted—or added, or eliminated—in light of shifting priorities?

Manager-led Coaching To prepare for this conversation, the manager should consider the following questions: What behaviors or values do I want my report to continue to exhibit? What behaviors or values do I want the report to start or stop exhibiting?

Manager-led Coaching To prepare for this conversation, the manager should consider the following questions: What behaviors or values do I want my report to continue to exhibit? What behaviors or values do I want the report to start or stop exhibiting? What coaching can I provide to help the report fully realize his or her potential?

Manager-led Coaching To prepare for this conversation, the manager should consider the following questions: What behaviors or values do I want my report to continue to exhibit? What behaviors or values do I want the report to start or stop exhibiting? What coaching can I provide to help the report fully realize his or her potential? During the conversation, the leader might ask: What part of your job most excites you? What (if any) aspect of your role would

Manager-led Coaching To prepare for this conversation, the manager should consider the following questions: What behaviors or values do I want my report to continue to exhibit? What behaviors or values do I want the report to start or stop exhibiting? What coaching can I provide to help the report fully realize his or her potential? During the conversation, the leader might ask: What part of your job most excites you? What (if any) aspect of your role would you like to change?

Upward Feedback To elicit candid input from a contributor, the manager might ask: What are you getting

Upward Feedback To elicit candid input from a contributor, the manager might ask: What are you getting from me that you find helpful?

Upward Feedback To elicit candid input from a contributor, the manager might ask: What are you getting from me that you find helpful? What are you getting from me that impedes your ability to be effective? What could I do for you that would help you to be more successful?

Career Growth To tease out a contributor’s career aspirations, a manager might ask: What skills or capabilities would you like to develop to improve in your current role? In what areas do you want to grow to achieve your career goals? What skills or capabilities would you like to develop for a future role? From a learning, growth, and development standpoint, how can I and the company help you get there?

If the contributor is performing well or exceeding expectations, what can I do to sustain a high level of performance

Contributors, too, should prepare for performance conversations. Specifically, they can ask themselves: Am I on track to meet my objectives? Have I identified areas of opportunity?

Contributors, too, should prepare for performance conversations. Specifically, they can ask themselves: Am I on track to meet my objectives? Have I identified areas of opportunity? Do I understand how my work connects to broader milestones? What feedback can I give my manager?

Four Superpowers of OKRs Focus and Commit to Priorities Align and Connect for Teamwork Track for Accountability Stretch for Amazing Continuous Performance Management Importance of Culture

Use all-hands meetings to explain why an OKR is important to the organization. Then keep repeating the message until you’re tired of hearing it yourself.

Motivate contributors less with extrinsic rewards and more with open, tangible measures of their achievement.

Frequent check-ins enable teams and individuals to course-correct with agility, or to fail fast.

To sustain high performance, encourage weekly one-on-one OKR meetings between contributors and managers, plus monthly departmental meetings.

As conditions change, feel free to revise, add, or delete OKRs as appropriate—even in mid-cycle. Goals are not written in stone. It’s counterproductive to hold stubbornly to objectives that are no longer