Session slides from Future Insights Live, Vegas 2015:
https://futureinsightslive.com/las-vegas-2015/
Christina Wodtke has devoted her career to tackling monumental tasks. She’s helped grow companies like LinkedIn, Yahoo, and the New York Times. Nowadays she works with startups and entrepreneurs, sharing her strategies for success and inspiring them to pursue big goals and outlandish dreams. Christina knows how to inspire diverse teams to work together, going all out in pursuit of a single, ultra-challenging goal. Hint: It’s not about to-do lists and accountability charts. How do you get your team to commit to bold goals? How do you stay motivated despite setbacks and disappointments? And is failure ever a viable option? Christina Wodtke will demonstrate how she uses objectives and key results to help teams tackle and realize big goals in a methodical way, leaving nothing to chance. You’ll learn the beauty of a good fail and how regular check-ins can keep you on track to success.
17. “I looked out the window at the Ferris wheel of the Great America
amusement park revolving in the distance, then I turned back to
Gordon and I asked,
“If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you
think he would do?”
27. “Google did more than
adopt it,” says Doerr.
“They embraced it.”
OKRs became an essential component of Google
culture. Every employee had to set, and then
get approval for, quarterly OKRs and annual OKRs.”
36. OKR Test
Objective: Is it
aspirational &
qualitative?
KRs: Is it a result or
a task?
Is it measureable?
Does it take a full quarter to achieve?
Is it really hard? 50% Confidence?
37. Objective: Establish
epic value to
suppliers
AND delight existing
customers with a
responsive customer
service team
AND new order flow online
to support reorders,
reducing calls by 50%
55. Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea
provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Priorities this week
Next 4 weeks - Projects
OKR Confidence
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Health
Yellow
P1
P1
P1
Green
Close deal with TLM
Foods
Team struggling with direction
change
3 solid sales candidates
in for interview
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for
distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea
sales
Hire Customer service head
New Order flow Spec’d
56. Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea
provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Priorities this week
Next 4 weeks - Projects
OKR Confidence
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
P1
P1
P1
Green
Close deal with TLM
Foods
Team struggling with direction
change
3 solid sales candidates
in for interview
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for
distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea
sales
Hire Customer service head
New Order flow Spec’d
Commitment!
57. Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea
provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Priorities this week
Next 4 weeks - Projects
OKR Confidence
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
P1
P1
P1
Green
Close deal with TLM
Foods
Team struggling with direction
change
3 solid sales candidates
in for interview
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for
distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea
sales
Hire Customer service head
New Order flow Spec’d
Commitment!
Heads up!
58. Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea
provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Priorities this week
Next 4 weeks - Projects
OKR Confidence
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
P1
P1
P1
Green
Close deal with TLM
Foods
Team struggling with direction
change
3 solid sales candidates
in for interview
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for
distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea
sales
Hire Customer service head
New Order flow Spec’d
Commitment!
Heads up!
Discussion &
Support!
59. Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea
provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K
Priorities this week
Next 4 weeks - Projects
OKR Confidence
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
P1
P1
P1
Green
Close deal with TLM
Foods
Team struggling with direction
change
3 solid sales candidates
in for interview
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for
distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea
sales
Hire Customer service head
New Order flow Spec’d
Commitment!
Heads up!
Discussion &
Support!
Protect what
matters
69. "I don't think we're
marketing right"
"We had to deal with wrong
orders and late deliveries to
Los Gatos"
"We didn't hire a second
salesperson!"
"We had some problems
with the performance of the
site"
81. Objective: Establish
epic value to
suppliers
AND delight existing
customers with a
responsive customer
service team
AND new order flow online
to support reorders,
reducing calls by 50%
84. PUSH VS PROTECT
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
Green
Team struggling with direction
change
Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
OKR Confidence
86. “WHEN YOU ARE TIRED
OF SAYING IT, THEY ARE
STARTING TO HEAR IT”
– JEFF WEINER
87. Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Key Risk Factors: Need new self-serve system
up in first month
Priorities this week
Next 4 weeks - Projects
OKR Confidence
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
P1
P1
P1
Green
Close deal with TLM Foods
Team struggling with direction
change
# solid sales canidates in for
interview
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea sales
Hire Customer service head
New Order flow
Monday
88. Restate that goal!
It’s a conversation
Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Key Risk Factors: Need new self-serve system
up in first month
OKR Confidence
89. Do these efforts more us
closer to the goal?
Keep a backlog of ideas
Experiment with what impacts the
OKRs
FIGHT! ARGUE!
Priorities this week
P1
P1
P1
Close deal with TLM Foods
# solid sales canidates in for
interview
New Order flow
90. What are we doing next
toward that goal?
Make sure everyone know what’s
happening
Ask for help
Track trains that never arrive
Next 4 weeks - Projects
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea sales
Hire Customer service head
91. Is our goal hurting
anything we care about?
Team Health
Code Health
Customer Satisfaction
Revenues
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
Green
Team struggling with direction
change
95. Restate the Goal in Wins
• Engineering demos
• Design shows
• Sales brags
• Customer service
stories
• Business
Development crows
• Everybody SHARES
WINS TOWARDS
GOAL
96. “WHEN YOU ARE TIRED
OF SAYING IT, THEY ARE
STARTING TO HEAR IT”
– JEFF WEINER
105. Google
to organize the world‘s
information and make it
universally accessible and
useful
106. Amazon
“to be Earth’s most customer-
centric company, where customers
can find and discover anything they might
want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its
customers the lowest possible prices”
120. O: Book is available and
generating buzz
• Kr: Publish book on amazon
• Kr: Contact a PR person
• Kr: Give a keynote on book topic
121. O: Book is available and
generating buzz
• Kr: Review copies out to beta
customers and 100 influencers
resulting in 5 reviews of 4< stars
• Kr: Dec sales of 1K
• Kr: 5 cold leads for talks/workshops
from book
139. Thanks to my awesome students in my Designer as Founder class. Especially
An, Justin, and Jack for their lead roles.
They were paid in pizza, just like a real startup.
141. Tips on OKRS
• Set only 1 OKR for the
company, unless you have
multiple business lines. It’s
about focus.
• OKRs are not the only thing
you do, they are the one thing
you must do. Expect people to
keep the ship running
• Give yourself 3 months for an
OKR. How bold is it if you can
do it in a week?
• Keep the metrics out of the
• In the weekly check in, open
with company OKR then do
groups
• OKRs cascade; set company
OKRs, then groups/roles, and
then individual’s.
• Weekly OKR check in is a
conversation. Be sure to
discuss change in confidence,
health metrics and priorities
• Encourage employees to
suggest company OKRs.Learn more: http://www.eleganthack.com/the-art-of-the-okr/
144. Google
to organize the world‘s
information and make it
universally accessible and
useful
145. Amazon
“to be Earth’s most
customer-centric
company, where customers can
find and discover anything they might
want to buy online, and endeavors to
161. O: Book is available and
generating buzz
• Kr: Publish book on amazon
• Kr: Contact a PR person
• Kr: Give a keynote on book topic
162. O: Book is available and
generating buzz
• Kr: Review copies out to beta
customers and 100 influencers
resulting in 5 reviews of 4< stars
• Kr: Dec sales of 1K
• Kr: 5 cold leads for talks/workshops
from book
169. THE CONE OF UNCERTAINTY
I can predict
what will
happen
tomorrow
I can guess
about next
month
I’m lying to myself
if I say I know
what’s happening
next year
172. O: POSITION BOOK
IN MARKETPLACE
Kr: book published
digitally on amazon
Kr: review copies out to
beta customers and 100
influencers resulting in 5
reviews of 4< stars
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4O: EPIC BOOK
ADOPTION
O: OKR
CONFERENCE
O: SECOND
BOOK IN
MARKETPLACE
173. Act as if it were true
Until it’s proven wrong
Then adjust
175. Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Key Risk Factors: Need new self-serve system
up in first month
Priorities this week
Next 4 weeks - Projects
OKR Confidence
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
P1
P1
P1
Green
Close deal with TLM Foods
Team struggling with direction
change
# solid sales canidates in for
interview
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea sales
Hire Customer service head
New Order flow
Mondays each team lead shares:
• Week’s Priorities ( to get help & make
commitment)
• Near term roadmap (heads up!)
• OKR confidence
• Key health indicators
176. SLOT IN EFFORTS TOWARD
OBJECTIVE
Keep a backlog of ideas
Experiment with what impacts the
OKRs
Priorities this week
P1
P1
P1
Close deal with TLM Foods
# solid sales canidates in for
interview
New Order flow
177. HEADS UP
Make sure everyone know what’s
happening
Ask for help
Track trains that never arrive
Next 4 weeks - Projects
Passive reorder notifications
New self serve flow for distributors
Metrics for distributors on tea sales
Hire Customer service head
178. IS CONFIDENCE UP OR
DOWN?
It’s a conversation
Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Key Risk Factors: Need new self-serve system
up in first month
OKR Confidence
179. Health Metrics
Team Health
Code Health
Customer Satisfaction
Revenues
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
Green
Team struggling with direction
change
180. PUSH VS PROTECT
Team Health:
Distributor satisfaction Health:
Org Health
Yellow
Green
Team struggling with direction
change
Objective: Establish clear value to
distributers as a quality tea provider
KR: Reorders at 85% 5/10
KR: 20% of reorders self-serve 5/10
KR: Revenue of 250K 5/10
Key Risk Factors: Need new self-serve system
up in first month
OKR Confidence
199. Performance Reviews
Don’t
• Wait until he end of the
year
• Base them on OKR
completion (leads to
sandbagging)
• Dawdle or procrastinate
• Try to be a buddy
Do
• Have them quarterly
• Have the employee write a
500 word essay on her
accomplishments
• Be quick, light and frequent
• Be fact based
• Be compassionate
200.
201.
202. Thanks to my awesome students in my Designer as Founder class. Especially
An, Justin, and Jack for their lead roles.
They were paid in pizza, just like a real startup.