Why Your OKRs Aren't Working (And How to Fix Them)
OKRs should create focus and alignment. Instead, they create busy work and confusion. Here's what's going wrong—and how to fix it.
The 7 OKR Mistakes
Mistake 1 — Too Many OKRs: 8 company objectives × 5 per department = 50+ objectives. Everything is a priority = nothing is a priority. Fix: Ruthlessly limit to 3–5 company OKRs per quarter.
Mistake 2 — OKRs Are Just Projects: These are milestones, not outcomes. Fix: Focus on impact, not activities.
Mistake 3 — Sandbagging: Setting goals you know you'll hit. Fix: Aim for 70% achievement as success.
Mistake 4 — Unchanging OKRs: Set in Q1, checked in Q4, now irrelevant. Fix: Review monthly, adjust if needed.
Mistake 5 — Top-Down Dictation: Leadership sets everything, teams comply without buy-in. Fix: Cascade collaboratively.
Mistake 6 — Vanity Metrics: Email subscribers, blog posts, impressions don't prove business impact. Fix: Tie to real outcomes.
The OKR Framework That Actually Works
Company Level (3–5 OKRs): Ambitious, inspiring, qualitative objective with 3–5 specific, measurable key results that prove achievement.
Example:
Objective: "Become the platform of choice for mid-market sales teams"
KR 1: 50 companies (50–200 employees) using product
KR 2: 40% of revenue from mid-market
KR 3: NPS 60+ from mid-market customers
Department Level (2–4 OKRs): Support company OKRs with department-specific goals.
Team Level (1–3 OKRs): Specific initiatives owned by individual teams.
Quarterly Rhythm:
Week 0 — Leadership proposes company OKRs
Week 1 — Finalise and communicate
Week 2 — Departments draft supporting OKRs
Weeks 3–12 — Weekly check-ins, monthly reviews
Week 13 — Grade OKRs (0–100%), celebrate, extract learnings
Making OKRs Actually Work
Grading:
70–100% = Success (aimed high, made real progress)
40–69% = Partial success (progress but missed target)
0–39% = Miss (aimed too high or didn't execute)
Don't punish misses — treat them as learning.
Common questions answered:
Can't limit to 3–5? You're trying to do too much. Make hard choices — that's strategy.
Should individuals have OKRs? Their work should connect to team OKRs, but individual OKRs depend on culture.
How do OKRs relate to annual goals? Annual goals set direction. Quarterly OKRs are how you get there.
What about ongoing operations? OKRs are for new goals and improvements, not "keep the lights on" work. Don't make OKRs for operational maintenance.
