Hi Michael!
Thanks for writing in. OKRs are a terrific tool for early-stage businesses, so good on you for laying foundations for success now!
You are right on track in your thinking. OKRs are for communicating high-impact, strategic priorities and not for tasks or incremental improvements. You’re right — for many teams, OKRs can feel like work on top of daily chores. This is why it’s important to establish the habit of prioritizing strategic Objectives from the get-go. You want this type of thinking and these practices ingrained early on, so OKRs don’t feel like “extra” work—they’re the work for growth.
To help combat the very natural urge to make OKRs look like a to-do list, consider following Allbirds’ lead. The New Zealand-based footwear company creates two separate lists: OKRs (which they call KIWIs) and their Breathe List. The latter are tasks crucial to the running of the company (e.g. paying their employees) and if they don’t do it, there’s no business. But they are not OKRs. Separating “Breathe” tasks from OKRs allows teams to make a clear distinction between “business as usual” and where the company needs to go next.
OKRs should capture your highest priority/the biggest hurdle you’re facing at the moment. For a brand new company, keeping the lights on is often priority number one, and it’s perfectly fine to have that reflected in your OKRs. However, keep OKRs pointed towards growth. Consider this example OKR from a new restaurant:
I love this example because it highlights the immediate priorities of a young business without merely resorting to “business as usual.” Once your team has the basics down, it’s time to write new OKRs.
Well, Michael, I hope this has been helpful for you. Thanks for writing in, and best of luck to you on your OKR journey.
Sincerely,
Billy from the What Matters Team
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