Making OKRs light and fun

Having worked as an Agile Coach alongside OKRs consulting, I know that implementing big processes in companies isn’t always the most exciting thing in the world. When there’s a new strategy or a new way of working, leadership may get on board quickly, but the majority of the employees will feel the burden of having to change.

Keeping it Light and Easy

I have been there myself, and I always thought processes like agile were over-engineered. That’s why I wanted to put extra emphasis on the simplicity and fun of implementing OKRs. My OKR mantra has always been: let’s keep it light and easy. 

What? OKRs light AND easy? Now most people could never imagine seeing those words in the same sentence. But hang in there, let me explain and I promise you it’s going to make sense. Because OKRs can be simple and they can be fun. Hear me out.

The Steps around OKRs

In essence, OKRs are not tricky at all. They are a goal-setting framework where you have an Objective and one or more attached Key Results. 

What may be challenging is all the steps around OKR implementations: being clear on the strategic business priorities, having metrics in place so you can measure progress, and coming up with a solid OKR routine so that OKRs become your daily compass. 

Making OKRs simple has a lot to do with identifying these different steps in the beginning, discussing them openly and knowing that it will take a few quarters to get up to speed. 

It’s ok not to have the perfect OKRs when you’re just starting out. It’s much more interesting and helpful to experiment with OKRs and get better at it as you go, then to wait until you’ve reached perfection. 

Freedom and Fun with OKRs

As for the fun part, it’s the autonomy that counts. Freedom gives employees the possibility to give the OKR framework their own twist, which is motivating and fun. For example, some teams may want to check in on their OKRs daily. Great! Some teams may want to do so on a weekly basis. Also great!. Some teams may make an OKR check in meeting a Friday afternoon session with coffee, team building and cake. Why not? And some teams may want to integrate the OKR sessions into currently existing SCRUM standups and ceremonies. It’s all good! 

Let us know your flow

Now my question to you is: how simple and fun are you making the OKR journey? And how can you use your OKR coaching skills to infuse some of that fun and flow into the OKRs? Here at okrmentors.com we’d love to know!

This article was written by Melanie Wessels

OKRmentors expert. Experienced coach with a demonstrated history of working in the internet industry. Specialised in goal setting, OKR implementations, workplace wellness, new-age agility and business spirituality.

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