Making the transition from planning to executing can be difficult. As we move through the year, many companies struggle to find a rhythm and cadence for how they track performance against company goals. Further, some are still trying to finalize key initiatives that will be communicated to employees to help set the direction for the year. 

If this is your company, then you’re not alone. Frankly, this is more common than you might expect. 

This season on Aspiring Ops, we’ve heard leaders share how they approach strategic planning, and more importantly, how they bring their plan to life. However, with this focus, we’ve also received some great questions on how companies can recapture the momentum from their initial planning process, and hit the ground running as we head into the back half of the year. 

On this episode of Aspiring Ops, we’re joined by Elate COO and Co-Founder, Abby Parker, to discuss some of the keys to success for making an effective transition from planning to execution. Abby, also shares why simplicity is essential to an initial OKR roll out, and highlights how focusing on the fundamentals can increase adoption across the company. 

For those Strategy and Operations leaders looking to regain the momentum from their company kickoffs or establish a structure that can help close out the year on a high note, you won’t want to miss this episode of Aspiring Ops. 

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Our Takeaway

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress. 

If there is one common thread for companies that have effectively found their footing and rhythm with an OKR or goal-setting framework, it’s to simply take the first step and keep moving forward. 

As Abby shares, sometimes companies get too hung up trying to build the perfect plan or write the most prescriptive OKR. Not only does this overcomplicate things for most employees, especially those using OKRs for the first time, but it also takes away focus from what you’re trying to do: build the most effective and efficient company possible. 

For those looking to start with the fundamentals, Abby has three key areas to help get you started in the right direction: 

1. Start by letting your leaders write down their ideas of what they should be focused on for the quarter. Don’t over-prescribe the perfect way to write a goal or OKR. Simply let folks get the creative juices flowing by defining what matters most . 

2. After leaders have brainstormed potential Objectives for the quarter, press in on whether they can measure the results. Further, make sure those results are outcome, not output, focused. It doesn’t matter if we make 5,000 cold calls or ship five new product features. If we aren’t reaching the milestones we’ve set as a company, then the objectives are simply tasks that don’t deliver the desired results. 

3. Establish a cadence to review your team’s progress towards goals or OKRs. Abby recommends weekly or bi-weekly meetings, but even if it’s monthly, don’t overlook the importance of building the review process into your team’s operating rhythm. 

It’s important to remember why you introduced a goal-setting framework like OKRs in the first place. It wasn’t to simply check a box to say, ‘We have OKRs!’ Frankly, if that’s the case, employees will smell it out almost immediately, and you won’t get any traction. 

Instead, focus on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ early on to get your team moving in the right direction. Abby’s advice on sticking to the basics will help provide a solid foundation to build upon, and allow you and the leadership team to build conviction behind the process you bring to employees. 

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