I enjoyed listening to last week’s podcast episode with OKR expert Ben Lamorte, the president of OKRs.com. I didn’t want the conversation to end, so I peppered my co-host with about a dozen OKR questions on this week’s show. We also hit on topics that we didn’t have time to cover last week.
Bruce came prepared – he not only bought Ben’s book, but he got the audio version too. The book we’re talking about is Objectives and Key Results: Driving Focus, Alignment, and Engagement with OKRs by Ben Lamorte and Paul Niven. Here’s the show –
Show Highlights
OKRs vs …
Bruce gives his opinion on why OKRs are sticking vs Working Together (think Alan Mulally) or V2MOM (think Oracle).
Flavor-of-the Month
Bruce believes this is not another program that will fade over time. Bruce says OKRs are far more than a catch-phrase. I agree.
Starting Small
Should we start small or start at the company level? Bruce provided his interpretation from Ben’s input on last week’s show.
Team or Individuals
Are OKRs for individuals, teams, or both? Bruce provides his perspective.
The OKR Cycle
How often are OKRs updated? Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually?
Grading OKRs
Bruce explains how OKRs are graded on a 1-point scale. We discuss if 70% or 80% means OKR success.
Is OKR Thinking All About the Short-term?
Jeff Walker, the former CFO of Oracle implemented MOKRs during their growth years. The ‘M’ stands for mission. Does this mean OKRs has a long-term component?
Can OKRs Move the Needle?
I asked Bruce if OKRs can move the needle if implemented correctly at any company. I then asked how he would introduce OKRs in a small accounting and finance department with fewer than 25 employees.
Appendix
Can show highlights have an appendix? They can now. Below are some notes and links addressed during the show.
Bain’s Top 10 Management Tools
Near the beginning of the show, I asked Bruce if OKRs will come and go. I had Bain’s annual research of top tools in my head when I asked. For example, notice the Balanced Scorecard does not even show up in 2017. Should OKRs be on this list? If so, for how long?
Ben’s Book
Bruce is the brainiac on the show. I just ask the questions. Remember when he mentioned both reading and listening to the book? Here’s the book he’s talking about – get it. It’s good.
Last Week’s Show
Is there the Stephen Hawking 1 in 1,543,687.957486 chance that you listened to this week’s show and not last week’s with Ben Lamorte? I’ll make it easy for you –
Bruce Who?
You’re kidding, right? He’s only the coolest CFO podcast co-host on the planet. Have a CFOing question for Bruce? A buck says he’ll respond to you should you reach out to him on LinkedIn. If not, let me know. I’ll have my people connect with his people to fix that. We might have a little pull and leverage.
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