Station 10 has been helping mid-sized companies bridge the frustrating gap between strategic planning and execution for over a decade. Led by Managing Director Marga Lenten, who joined the firm seven years ago, Station 10 specializes in transforming organizations that create excellent strategies but struggle to see results. Their expertise lies in helping companies navigate the complex journey from ambitious planning to focused execution, particularly in today’s rapidly changing business environment where traditional planning approaches often fall short.
Getting Started with OKRs
Station 10’s relationship with OKRs developed organically through client demands and market recognition. The firm identified a consistent pattern across their mid-sized company clients: organizations invested heavily in strategic planning but lacked frameworks to translate plans into focused action.
One of their breakthrough projects involved an educational publisher that exemplified this challenge perfectly. The company had ambitious goals but was drowning in too many concurrent projects with scattered focus. “They had too many projects, too many things going on, and we said, okay, we are going to help you create focus. And we started implementing OKRs,” Marga recalls. This project became a template for Station 10’s approach: helping organizations transform from scattered activity to focused execution through structured goal-setting and regular adjustment cycles.
Why OKRs Matter More Than Ever
The execution challenge has become increasingly critical in today’s business environment. “OKRs are very relevant at this time because we are in a very moving environment globally. If you look at what’s going on, it’s very difficult to predict where you will be next year,” Marga explains.
Companies need frameworks that enable quick adaptation while maintaining strategic focus. The firms Station 10 works with typically suffer from scattered priorities, unclear connections between daily work and strategic goals, and teams working hard but not necessarily on the most impactful initiatives. OKRs provide the adaptability and clear measurement companies need to navigate uncertain business conditions while maintaining alignment across all organizational levels.
The Partnership with OKR Mentors
Three years ago, Station 10 joined the OKR Mentors community, marking a significant evolution in their capabilities. This partnership addressed fundamental limitations Station 10 faced as an independent firm operating in a specialized field.
The collaboration provided Station 10 with access to diverse cultural contexts, implementation approaches, and customer challenges that no single firm could develop independently. “You have so many different cultures, so many different ways of working, so many different customers. So by working together, we learn so much and the things that we do here, we could not do this on our own.”
World-Class Certification Programs
The community provided access to certified training programs that transformed Station 10’s market position. The certification became a powerful differentiator, attracting clients who specifically sought qualified OKR practitioners. New clients began finding Station 10 through searches for certified OKR training, expanding their market reach beyond existing networks.
Advanced Assessment Tools
Working with OKR Mentors gave Station 10 access to sophisticated assessment capabilities, including maturity models that help clients understand their current state and identify improvement areas. Beta testing these tools with customers revealed strong positive reception, with clients gaining valuable insights into specific areas needing attention.
Collaborative Learning Environment
The community’s collaborative approach contrasts sharply with traditional competitive consulting models. This environment accelerates learning and enhances client delivery capabilities through shared knowledge and collective problem-solving.
Best Practices for Sustainable Implementation
Through their partnership with OKR Mentors, Station 10 developed a methodology that addresses the core execution challenges their clients face. Their approach centers on three critical transformations:
- Creating Laser Focus: Instead of pursuing dozens of competing priorities, OKRs help companies concentrate on what matters most. This fundamental shift helps organizations focus their limited resources on the most impactful initiatives.
- Empowering Teams with Clarity: Teams gain autonomy and understanding of both objectives and methods. When teams understand the what and the why, they can make better decisions and move faster toward meaningful outcomes.
- Building Sustainable Alignment: Leadership teams gain visibility into progress while ensuring everyone moves in the same strategic direction throughout the organization.
- The Two-Level Support Structure: Station 10 implements a proven structure within client organizations: an OKR lead responsible for process management and cadence, and OKR champions who drive change at the team level and ensure continuous learning and adaptation. This approach reflects Station 10’s philosophy of knowledge transfer rather than creating consultant dependency, ensuring that organizations can sustain their OKR practice long after the engagement ends.
Business Impact and Growth
The partnership with OKR Mentors delivered concrete, measurable results for Station 10 across multiple dimensions.
Training Scale and Market Expansion
Station 10’s training capacity expanded significantly, delivering certified training to 75 people in a single year. This volume demonstrates their enhanced ability to scale expertise delivery while maintaining quality standards. The certification and community association attracted clients beyond their existing network through searches for certified OKR training.
Enhanced Value and Business Growth
The partnership enabled Station 10 to offer world-class capabilities despite their size, accessing resources and methodologies that would be impossible to develop independently. This transformation allowed them to compete with larger consulting firms while maintaining their boutique approach to client service. The enhanced operational capabilities and proven methodologies created new opportunities for business development and client retention.
Ongoing Value and Recommendations
The ongoing support and collaboration opportunities within the OKR Mentors community continue to provide value beyond the initial certification. The community serves as a continuous learning platform where members can share knowledge and collaborate on challenging client situations.
For other consulting firms considering similar partnerships, Marga’s perspective reflects the collaborative mindset that has proven successful: “Don’t be competitive. If you’re thinking of starting this, join OKR Mentors so we can do it together.”
Station 10’s transformation demonstrates how strategic community partnership can amplify existing expertise and create new capabilities. By combining their decade of OKR experience with world-class training and assessment tools, they’ve enhanced their ability to help mid-sized companies bridge the gap between strategic ambition and operational execution. Their experience provides a roadmap for specialized consulting firms seeking to expand their capabilities and market reach through collaborative partnerships.
Learn more about Station 10’s work at: https://www.station10.nl/
