Objectives + Key Results (OKR) Leadership

How do you practice OKR Leadership?
1. Coaching is the primary skill managers practice to maximize others’ productivity.
2. Managers and leaders can use the globally validated AD-FITTM coaching process to provide feedback. The AD-FITTM process is an evidence-based approach to positive psychology coaching or consulting based upon (a) awareness of strengths and growth mindset, (b) defining a meaningful objective or OKRs, (c) focus on the client’s agenda, (d) interventions and interaction, (e) takeaways, and (f) percentage of compliance to this model. Trademarked and globally validated by Action Learning Associates, LLC, 2018.
3. You need to practice asking great questions, especially those that begin with “what” and “how.” I use the OKR Pulse Survey question to measure adoption and organizational change over time. That question is, “To what extent are you using OKR Leadership to drive your business?” Score from 1 (low) to 10 (high).
4. You need to practice writing and sharing your OKRs. This is a public management approach designed to solicit feedback, model accountability and achieve outcomes.
5. You can make certain that your OKRs align with the mission, vision and strategy of your team or organization. People always create "order" out of chaos.
6. I recommend that you review your OKRs quarterly. OKRs are a feedback process that ALL colleagues require.

T = Takeaways or next steps. The purpose of this final step is to model accountability and desired changes. I will typically ask, “What are you taking away from this session today that you intend to do before our next session?” I encourage both you and your direct report to take notes and record your responses. I strongly encourage you to review the action plan matrix monthly. Then take more notes. If your direct report does not take notes, or does not take action, then you are tolerating poor performance. Managers do not do – and should not – do anyone else’s OKR work. Each person must practice their own OKR Leadership, because they are managing their own business.
Finally, I often ask, “How compliant have you been with the AD-FITTM coaching protocols since our last session?” I consider low compliance low compliance to be 0-20%, 20-40%, 60-80%; high compliance is 80-100%? You can see that this sets the bar high for compliance. While there are no right / wrong answers, coaching is more successful when leaders are at least 80% compliant with the AD-FITTM coaching protocols.

I = Interventions or interactions or best practices. When we have problems we require and often seek solutions from managers and consultants. As we have discussed, interactions with others provide feedback, and feedback leads to learning. Psychologists describe interventions as "what really works." You may find it helpful to use the OKR worksheet in chapter 2 to structure each AD-FITTM coaching session.
I typically provide some evidence-based content and structure for each coaching session. For instance, if one of my client’s outcomes is to develop executive presence, then I will provide a slide presentation, or best practices for review. Those proprietary documents are tremendously valuable. I encourage my clients to save them in a digital folder called “Action Learning Associates” or “Executive Coaching.”

= Focus on your outcomes. I encourage you to start each session by asking, "What do you want to focus on today?" Both you and your direct report (or client) should take notes to model engaged learning. The opening focus may change during your session to a deeper, more meaningful focus. When using OKRs the KR structure helps both of you to focus on what is measurable and what resources may be required. The focus of your session may be predefined based on your direct report’s outcomes, or it may change in response to your direct report’s (or client’s) new business needs.

doing with each direct report or colleague — in each coaching session or discussion. The AD-FITTM coaching process is instrumental when tracking the feedback process using OKRs.

use the “A and D steps” to describe each coaching engagement. I then use the “FIT steps” – which describe what you are do

when you attain milestones.
Your task: select up to three of the following outcomes, then determine how to measure each. You can add your own outcomes if useful.
Figure 4.5: Sample AD-FITTM coaching outcomes

Many people struggle to quantify milestones. They often need a manager or accountability coach to help them implement OKR Leadership. I typically use action plan templates to quantify milestones in outcome-based coaching engagements, and then adapt those templates for each of my individual and organizational clients.

Review the lists in Figure 4.5 below until you define your top outcomes. Then post your outcomes in a visible location. Review them at the start of every coaching session — and reward desired behaviors

D= define a meaningful outcome or objective for your OKRs. No surprise here: outcome-based coaching requires that you define a meaningful objective. Then you must adopt milestones to measure your progress.
There are two types of outcomes. In one of my global research studies, the top two performance outcomes (n =100 responses) were increased productivity and focus. The top two behavior outcomes (n =115 responses) were improved relationships and effectiveness. When I provide outcome-based coaching and consulting solutions, I always offer a list of 30-40 possible outcomes. Clients then select their top three choices. Often, those three outcomes are the three objectives selected for their OKRs. I recommend using the terms Outcomes = Objectives interchangeably when applying the AD-FITTM process.

simple assessment of mindset is the question, “To what extent are you willing to change?” (0-60% is a fixed mindset, over 61% is a growth mindset)
I favor using any validated assessments that is endorsed by you or your client’s organization. There are over 15,000 validated assessments. I do not use unreliable or invalid “assessments” such as Myers-Briggs or anything that purports to minimize the complexity of human behavior into 9 boxes, 3 colors or 4 animals. Be wary of such silly distractions. If you need free validated assessments of individual or team strengths, then I recommend https://www.viacharacter.org/ or https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/home questionnaires.
I typically use a valid and reliable personality survey such as the Hogan suite, a behavioral assessment such as DISC, an Emotional Intelligence survey, and a values survey such as the Personal Inventories Attitudes and Values assessment with my individual clients. I also use qualitative stakeholder interviews and quantitative data assessments of business measures with my organizational clients.