Are you suffering from OKR planning fatigue? Are you feeling like you're always behind?

Before 2019, most teams set OKRs each quarter by default. That's just how it's done. But is that what's best for you?

One of the most practical decisions in any OKR implementation is determining the length of the OKR cycle.

Should it be quarterly, four months or longer?

Ben explains why cycle timing matters and how the right cadence can strengthen focus alignment and execution across your organization.

You learn why most organizations begin with a common cycle length typically quarterly and why very short cycles often fail to provide enough time for meaningful progress.

Ben also explores when a four month cycle can be more effective how cycle timing may vary across different levels of the organization and why strategic OKRs often remain stable throughout the year while operational OKRs evolve more frequently.

Drawing on real world examples including multi tier OKR structures used in large organizations this episode provides practical guidance for choosing a cycle length that balances learning execution and adaptability helping teams build a sustainable rhythm for long term OKR success

Request a free 1:1 OKR consult via Ben@OKRs.com

Why do OKRs in the first place? You MUST be clear on the answer to this question BEFORE deploying OKRs.

Do you know YOUR answer? And it should not be just because "Google does it" or "My CEO read a book and she loved it so now we're all doing OKRs"

The Benefits include 5 General Ones:

1-Shorter Cadence

2-Focus

3-Transparency/Alignment

4-Engagement

5-Stretch Thinking

+ 2 More that Ben has identified:

6-Common Goal Language

7-Learning Culture

If you're using OKRs, please share why you chose to deploy OKRs in the comments. Was it one of the 7 benefits covered in this episode? If not, please share your "why" so we can all benefit:)

Ben presents the analysis of WHY OKRs in this VIDEO

As always, get your free 1:1 OKR consult with Ben via Ben@OKRs.com

Thanks for listening

Are your KRs stretch? Are they commitments? Are you using Radical Focus? Measure What Matters? Ben's Stretch-Target-Commit model?

Are you not even sure what approach you are taking?

You need to know how key results are scored and how progress is tracked during the OKR cycle.

Without a STANDARD, clear approach, teams can misjudge success, create confusion, or miss early warning signs that execution is off track.

This episode explores how the way you define and measure the level of “stretch” and "commitment" in your key results can shape behavior, expectations, and ultimately outcomes.

You’ll learn why objectives should not be scored, and why the real focus belongs on key results. Ben walks through the three most common scoring systems used in practice: 1) Radical Focus, 2) Measure What Matters, and 3) Stretch-Target-Commit.

He explains how each approach influences how teams set goals, interpret progress, and learn from results.

He also shares why aligning on scoring criteria upfront can spark critical conversations that prevent misalignment and unrealistic expectations later in the cycle.

Beyond end-of-cycle scoring, this episode dives into how to track progress during execution. You’ll discover the difference between historical progress (“what has happened”) and predictive progress (“what is likely to happen”), and why predictive scoring can serve as an early warning system for leaders.

Ben also explores how numerical scores alone don’t tell the full story — and how adding a qualitative “health” signal can surface hidden risks, unintended behaviors, and opportunities for course correction.

This episode reframes scoring as a tool for communication, expectation management, and learning (not performance evaluation of individual staff) and will help you design a scoring and progress approach that drives clarity, better conversations, and stronger execution throughout the OKR cycle.

Request your free 1:1 OKR consult with Ben via Ben@OKRs.com

How Many OKRs Should You Set? And Should You Include an Internal Objective?

One of the most practical questions in any OKR implementation is simple: How many OKRs should we set? Too many, and focus is lost. Too few, and important priorities may be missed.

In this episode, Ben Lamorte explains why the modern OKR approach favors fewer, more focused objectives. And he introduces the mantra “less is more” to drive better execution.

You’ll learn when teams should start with a single objective, why most teams benefit from limiting themselves to two or three objectives, and when it may actually make sense to capture most of your work inside OKRs.

Ben also explores the important distinction between external objectives (impacting customers and growth) and internal objectives (improving processes, teams, and capabilities), and how balancing the two can strengthen your OKR system.

Whether you're just starting with OKRs or refining your approach, this episode provides practical guidance to help you create sharper focus, clearer priorities, and more effective execution.

Post a comment and let's get a discussion going...

Request a free 1:1 OKR consultation via Ben@OKRs.com

At What Level Should You Set OKRs? Company, Team, or Individual

One of the most important decisions in any OKR deployment is where OKRs should be set. Should you start at the company level? Roll out to teams immediately? Require individual OKRs? Get this wrong, and even well-designed OKRs can fail.

Your decision to this question can dramatically impact the type of culture you're creating.

In this episode, Ben Lamorte explains how to thoughtfully introduce OKRs across organizational levels over time. You’ll learn when company-level OKRs make sense (and when they don’t), to structure effective team-level OKRs beyond the org chart, and why mandating individual OKRs can lead to an OKR failure.

Through real-world examples, Ben explores three powerful approaches to defining OKR teams: merging highly dependent teams, leveraging cross-functional squads, and forming teams around strategic priorities. The episode concludes with practical coaching guidance to help leaders build alignment, avoid common pitfalls, and create a scalable, sustainable OKR system.

Contact Ben@OKRs.com to get your free consultation now!

The episode explores one of the most critical starting points: Why OKRs? You will hear why imitative answers (like "Google did it" or "Our CEO read Measure What Matters and lots of successful companies do OKRs" fail.

And more importantly, how strong OKR deployments begin with a clear understanding of the ONE BIG PROBLEM leadership is trying to solve with OKRs.

You also get the context for why Ben created "10 universal deployment parameters" (the questions you must answer BEFORE deploying OKRs) as context for the next 10 episodes!

Ben shares a pivotal moment early in his OKRs coaching journey, a training workshop in Paris that did not go as planned. What seemed like a straightforward workshop quickly turned into hours of debate about alignment, KPIs, performance reviews, and how OKRs should actually be deployed.

On the long flight home, Ben reflected deeply and identified a powerful insight: before any OKRs training begins, organizations must first align on a clear set of foundational decisions. He later named these decisions deployment parameters.

You will learn why every successful OKR program begins with clarity on how OKRs will be implemented, and why skipping this step often leads to confusion, misalignment, and weak execution.

Request your free OKRs 1:1 Consult via Ben@OKRs.com

Ineffective vs. Effective Use of AI in OKRs

Many teams are using AI to automate the drafting of OKRs in order to “save time.” But what if this shortcut is causing you to miss the most valuable part of the OKR process: the conversations that create clarity, ownership, and commitment?

In this episode, Ben explains why simply using AI to write OKRs can weaken your strategy and execution. You’ll hear why OKRs are not just about defining goals, but about the thinking and alignment that happen along the way which automation alone cannot replace.

Then Ben explores the real opportunity: using AI to drive 10x improvement in execution, not just efficiency. Through real examples including how an AI-generated idea led directly to a new client, and how teams used AI to dramatically improve billing, you’ll learn how AI can transform KR action planning and accelerate measurable progress.

If your organization already uses OKRs but wants faster, more meaningful results, this episode will challenge how you think about AI and where its true power lies.

To learn about how you can leverage AI to 10x your OKRs, contact Ben via Ben@OKRs.com

What Is OKRs Coaching? Why Is It So Important Now?

In this episode, Ben explores the rising global demand for OKRs coaching and explains why the 2020s are a pivotal time to develop this skill. You’ll learn what OKRs coaching really is, and how it differs from traditional consulting along with the critical balance between inquiry and advice that defines effective coaching.

Ben walks through the evolution of OKRs, how coaching demand accelerated worldwide, and the three phases of OKRs coaching: deployment, training, and cycle coaching.

Here is the Definition of "OKRs Coaching"

OKRs coaching: Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking, creative, and structured process over three phases.

Phase 1: Deployment coaching to align on the answers to the questions that define an OKRs program and define the roles and resources that will support the OKRs program.

Phase 2: Training to ensure a shared understanding of OKRs.

Phase 3: Cycle coaching, inquiry that enables a client to critically reflect throughout the three steps of an OKRs cycle to (1) align on where and why to focus effort to make measurable improvement, (2) communicate and monitor progress, and (3) document and apply learnings to the next OKRs cycle.

Thanks for listening!

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For a free 1:1 OKR Consult, contact Ben@OKRs.com