5 Practical Strategies to Keep Your Team Aligned on OKRs
Regular Touch Points To Quickly Identify Any Misalignment
Introduction
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are an effective goal-setting framework that helps teams focus on what matters most. However, it is not enough to simply set OKRs; as a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure your team stays aligned around the goals and objectives you set. In this blog post, we will discuss five practical examples of daily, weekly or monthly activities or tactics that a manager can enact with their team to keep them aligned on OKRs.
Daily Huddles
One tactic is to have daily huddles with your team to ensure everyone is on the same page. During these huddles, the manager should ask questions such as:
What did you work on yesterday?
What do you plan to work on today?
Are there any dependencies or obstacles that might prevent you from achieving your objectives?
These questions can help uncover any misalignment or potential roadblocks and allow the team to work together to resolve them.
Weekly Check-Ins
Weekly check-ins are another tactic to keep your team aligned on OKRs. During these check-ins, the manager should ask questions such as:
How did your progress towards your objectives align with your plan from last week?
Are there any new dependencies or obstacles that have arisen?
How can we help each other stay aligned and on track?
These questions can help the team identify any misalignment and take corrective action to get back on track.
Monthly OKR Reviews
Monthly OKR reviews are a more formal way to keep your team aligned on their OKRs. During these reviews, the manager should ask questions such as:
How did you progress towards your objectives last month?
Were there any changes in business priorities that impacted your objectives?
Are there any objectives that need to be adjusted or realigned to better support the team's goals?
These questions can help the team identify any misalignment between their objectives and the business priorities and adjust their approach accordingly.
Team Meetings
Team meetings are an opportunity for the entire team to come together and ensure alignment on OKRs. During these meetings, the manager should ask questions such as:
How are our individual objectives supporting our team's objectives?
Are there any interdependencies between our objectives that need to be addressed?
How can we better collaborate to achieve our objectives?
These questions can help the team ensure that their individual objectives are aligned with the team's objectives and identify any misalignment that needs to be addressed.
One-on-One Meetings
One-on-one meetings are an opportunity for the manager and team member to discuss individual objectives and ensure alignment on OKRs. During these meetings, the manager should ask questions such as:
How are you progressing towards your objectives?
Are there any obstacles or dependencies that you need help with?
How can we better align your objectives with the team's objectives?
These questions can help the manager identify any misalignment in individual objectives and work with the team member to adjust their approach.
Conclusion
Keeping your team aligned on OKRs is essential to achieving success. By using daily huddles, weekly check-ins, monthly OKR reviews, team meetings and one-on-one meetings, you can ensure that your team stays focused on what matters most. Remember, as a manager, it is your responsibility to lead by example and foster an environment where everyone can work together to achieve their goals.