Accountability and OKRs: Setting ambitious goals for personal and professional growth

Managing our business activities and achieving our goals is essential in today's fast-paced world. One robust methodology that has gained popularity is the use of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). While OKRs are often associated with business goals, their versatility allows them to be applied to various aspects of our lives. Recently, a customer of ours, Guillaume Thomas, shared an inspiring post about how he leveraged OKRs to drive business success at Aladom and also stay accountable to his team's personal fitness goals. Let's delve into how Guillaume utilized OKRs to track his fitness journey and the remarkable results he achieved.

Guillaume, Founder of Aladom, implemented the use of OKRs and Tability within the company back in 2019. At Aladom, each collaborator is assigned an KR, making them responsible for or contributing to its achievement. 

It was during this time that Guillaume realized the potential of OKRs beyond the workplace. He decided to introduce personal wellness OKRs related to "Sport and well-being" into his routine, aiming to challenge himself physically and improve his fitness level. He invited everyone on the team to set their own OKR to track their fitness together. 

Defining the Objective

For Guillaume's personal OKR, he set a specific and measurable goal: "Run 100 kilometers in the quarter." To establish this objective, he reflected on his achievements from the previous year. Analyzing data from Runkeeper, Guillaume discovered that he had completed 300 kilometers of running in 2022. With this information, he confidently aimed for a target of 400 kilometers in 2023, which translated to an ambitious 100 kilometers per quarter.

Progress and Reflection

The first quarter came to a close, and although Guillaume fell short of his target, he managed to run 71 kilometers. In the spirit of OKRs, he found solace in the fact that reaching 60% of the objective is still commendable. It reminded him that setting ambitious goals leads to growth and progress, regardless of the final outcome. Undeterred, Guillaume entered the second quarter with renewed determination, confident in his ability to surpass the 100-kilometer mark.

Quite often with OKRs, your first attempt at a goal is going to be off. That's absolutely normal! The power of OKRs really comes down to just tracking things, so that you can not just achieve them, but learn from the progress. It gives you the data to reflect and adjust the way you think about your goals for the next quarter.

Harnessing the Power of OKRs

As Guillaume progressed through his fitness journey, he discovered the true power of OKRs in motivating and driving his performance. Comparing the first and second quarters, he noticed a significant improvement in his consistency.

Tracking his progress and having to share with the team held him accountable to the goals that he set. "I admit that some mornings, the OKR motivated me to put on my shoes and go for a run."

OKR check-ins create a sense of accountability, providing a framework that encourages individuals to take ownership of their objectives and actively contribute to the collective success of the team. By sharing his OKR and progress updates with his colleagues, Guillaume felt a heightened sense of responsibility and a desire to perform at his best. The transparency and shared commitment within the team fostered a supportive environment where everyone was motivated to achieve their respective OKRs. This sense of accountability to both the goal and the team helped Guillaume stay focused and driven throughout his fitness journey, ultimately leading to the remarkable improvement in his consistency and overall performance. 

Conclusion

Guillaume's journey exemplifies the transformative power of OKRs beyond their traditional business application. Seeing it be effective in life beyond the workplace only strengthens its legitimacy in the workplace. Guillaume says:

"Now imagine what it looks like when you apply this to your business by replacing "run 100 kilometers" with:

• Make 50 commercial proposals in the quarter
• Have 5 client meetings per week
• Publish 20 posts on LinkedIn..."

OKRs is a framework that's not specific to a type of goal (work, fitness, etc). It solves a bigger underlying issue of accountability. Where most goals fail, OKRs help to keep up the momentum, help the goals stay urgent, and maintain a sense of importance in them. 

Next time you have a goal in mind, set up some OKRs and share them with your friends. You'll always go farther with collaboration and a little bit of accountability.