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Objectives and Key Results (OKRs): The Discipline of Focus in Leadership

Tools Week 4

By Rick Aman
on

Discover how a simple framework used by Google and Intel can help boards and CEOs focus on what truly matters.

High-performance organizations home in on work that’s important and are equally clear on what doesn’t matter.  — John Doerr, Measure What Matters

Introduction

The idea of OKRs - Objectives and Key Results did not begin in Silicon Valley boardrooms or glossy leadership books. It started at Intel in the 1970s, when Andy Grove sought a disciplined way to drive focus and accountability inside a rapidly growing tech company. John Doerr, who learned the framework at Intel, later carried it into Google in 1999. There, OKRs became part of the culture and helped the company scale from a promising start-up to a global leader. Since then, organizations of every kind, Fortune 500 firms, start-ups, nonprofits, and even colleges, have used OKRs to create clarity amid complexity. What makes the framework endure is its simplicity: a clear objective that states where you are going, paired with a small set of key results that tell you if you are on the right track. For boards, CEOs, and executive teams, OKRs offer more than a management tool; they offer a way to align vision, discipline, and accountability in a world that constantly demands more.

Through many years in military and college leadership roles, I saw how easily leadership teams could lose focus. Strategic plans often ballooned with dozens of priorities, each carrying its own urgency. OKRs, by contrast, force us to narrow in on what matters most and to measure progress with honesty. They answer two essential questions: Where are we going? and How will we know we are getting there?

Objectives Give Vision

Objectives are the “north star.” They are qualitative, directional, and inspiring. They do not live in spreadsheets, nor do they simply replicate a budget line. A strong objective motivates people at every level of the organization.

In higher education, an objective might read: “Become the first-choice community college for rural and underserved students in our region.”  Without percentages or timelines, the statement highlights an aspirational vision that inspires action. The board, CEO, or president sets the tone by naming this kind of bold objective, one that speaks to purpose and mission.

In consulting I talk to CEOs and board about defining an objective this way: “Reimagine technical education to meet Idaho’s emerging workforce needs.” That statement is more likely to inspire faculty, trustees, and community partners because it wasn’t just a task list; it was a call to action.

For corporate leaders, the same lesson applies. Objectives should not get lost in the noise of quarterly performance metrics. They should tell your people why the work matters and where the organization is headed.

Key Results Drive Accountability

Objectives inspire, but key results keep everyone honest. They are specific, measurable, and time bound. Key results ensure that objectives don’t float away as lofty ideas.

Returning to the community college example, the objective of becoming the first choice for rural and underserved students might include these key results:

These results are measurable. Either they are achieved, or they are not. Boards and trustees find this clarity valuable because it shifts the conversation away from activity reports toward outcomes. Leaders no longer talk about how busy they were but instead about the progress made toward what truly matters.

As a consultant I find OKRs valuable when working with executive teams. Each vice president could connect their efforts to the same objectives, making cabinet meetings sharper and giving trustees confidence that we were aligned and accountable.

Business leaders can use the same approach. Imagine a CEO setting the objective “Deliver an unmatched customer experience.” The key results might be: achieve a Net Promoter Score of 70, resolve 90% of customer issues within 24 hours, and reduce service-related churn by 15%. The combination of ambition and measurement ensures progress is more than a matter of opinion.

OKRs Build Alignment Across the Organization

Alignment is often where leadership fails. Boards set direction, executives translate, and teams execute, but along the way, messages fragment. OKRs solve this by cascading objectives and key results down through the organization.

In a college setting, the board might establish the institutional objective “Be the regional leader in workforce innovation.” The president would then develop key results, perhaps launching new short-cycle credentials or signing a certain number of industry partnerships. Deans and faculty could align their goals directly to those results, seeing clearly how their day-to-day work advanced the board’s direction.

In business, OKRs prevent silos. Marketing, operations, and customer service can all point to the same overarching objective and see how their key results connect. Alignment builds momentum, and momentum builds trust.

The Discipline of Focus

Perhaps the greatest gift of OKRs is their insistence on focus. Leadership often suffers from the temptation to pursue too many priorities. Boards and executives want to respond to every opportunity and threat. Yet in doing so, they dilute impact.

OKRs allow leaders to say: “These three things matter most right now.” They reduce the clutter of competing initiatives, provide a clear rhythm for accountability, and ensure that when resources are scarce, as they often are, the most important goals still advance.

OKRs are typically reviewed quarterly or annually. This cadence creates an organizational rhythm, keeping everyone attentive to progress without drowning in reports. The framework builds discipline into leadership, which in turn builds trust.

Conclusion

Looking back in my leadership roles, both as a president and now as a consultant, I recognize that the seasons of greatest success were not those filled with endless initiatives. They were the times when leadership narrowed in on a few bold objectives, attached them to measurable key results, and aligned the organization behind them.

OKRs are more than a management framework. They are a leadership discipline. For CEOs, boards, and executive teams, they provide a way to translate vision into measurable progress, and measurable progress into culture.

The challenge for leaders today is not doing more. It is choosing what matters most and measuring it well.

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At Aman & Associates, we work with boards, CEOs, and executive teams to bring clarity and alignment through tools like OKRs. Whether it’s in higher education, nonprofits, or business, our focus is helping leaders define bold objectives and measure meaningful results. If your organization is ready to sharpen its focus and build accountability, let’s start a conversation about a leadership retreat that uses OKRs to guide you toward your preferred future.

Rick Aman, PhD – Aman and Associates

rick@rickaman.com | rickaman.com/articles

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