The OKRs Field Book

Take your OKRs coaching skills to the next level with this practical handbook.

In The OKRs Field Book: A Step-by-Step Guide for Objectives and Key Results Coaches, Ben Lamorte, a seasoned coach and management science expert, provides a structured approach for implementing objectives and key results. This book provides tips and tools that enable you to coach your OKRs clients with confidence. Lamorte analyzes foundational questions that must be answered prior to deploying OKRs and the roles required to sustain an OKRs program.

Packed with excerpts from actual OKRs coaching sessions, this step-by-step guide shines a light on the OKRs coaching process. You learn how to help your client refine key results that look like tasks into key results that reflect measurable outcomes. In addition to sample training workshop agendas and coaching emails, Lamorte introduces the first comprehensive list of OKRs coaching questions. The field book covers how to:

• Structure an OKRs coaching engagement using a three-phased approach.
• Avoid common pitfalls such as cascading OKRs based on the org chart.
• Ensure your client asks the right questions at each step of the OKRs cycle.

Perfect for external coaches and business mentors looking for a repeatable structure to help their clients succeed with OKRs, The OKRs Field Book is also an indispensable resource for internal coaches looking to support their organization’s OKRs program.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: What Is OKRs Coaching? Why Is It So Important Now? 13

Current State of OKRs and Why Now is the Time to Develop OKRs Coaching Skills 14

Notes 25

Chapter 2: The OKRs Coaching Engagement: Phases, Duration, and Roles 29

Phases in an OKRs Coaching Engagement 31

Duration of an OKRs Coaching Engagement 33

Roles in an OKRs Coaching Engagement 35

Notes 43

Chapter 3: Playbook for Phase 1 – Deployment Coaching 45

Begin with “Why?” 47

Ten Universal Deployment Parameters 49

Notes 84

Chapter 4: Playbook for Phase 2 – Training 89

Begin with Introductions and Context 90

Theory and Application: The Two Parts of an OKRs Training Workshop 91

Notes 104

Chapter 5: Playbook for Phase 3 – Cycle Coaching 109

Step 1: Set and Align OKRs 111

Step 2: Check in and Monitor 123

Step 3: Reflect and Reset 127

OKRs Cycle Coaching Case Study 131

Notes 140

Epilogue 143

Appendix 157

Glossary 163

About the Contributors 169

Index 171

Ben Lamorte is the founder of OKRs.com and The OKRs Coach Network. He has more OKRs coaching experience than anyone on the planet and is a mentor to dozens of OKRs coaches around the world. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Praise for The OKRs Field Book

“The triumph of The OKRs Field Book is its clarity and commitment to the reader’s learning. Ben has been working with OKRs for ten years and has helped more companies than any OKRs coach I know. You get to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ and skip all the dumb mistakes most people make when starting with OKRs. The language is clear, the examples relevant, and the exercises provide active learning that will make sure you are ready for the hurdles that are often thrown at a move toward empowered teams. If you are working with OKRs and trying to help others with it, you need this book on your desk.”

—Christina Wodkte, Lecturer, Stanford University; author, Radical Focus

“Ben and his colleagues have compiled the bible for OKRs coaching. The book is packed with real cases presented in a structured framework that OKRs coaches can implement right away. A must-read for anyone looking to improve their OKRs coaching skills!”

—Manos Koumantakis, Founder, altoValue.com, Greece

“As an OKRs coach, I know OKRs are a great tool for companies to get employees engaged in obtaining better results. But we lacked a sound implementation reference to back us up. Not anymore! This book provides a comprehensive guide to newbies and a source of improvement for more seasoned coaches.”

—Valéria Moraes, PhD, Independent OKRs coach, Brazil