How many of you have assembled puzzles?
How helpful has it been to have the final image before starting to put it together?
What would it have been like without it?
Now imagine you have to assemble a huge puzzle across the entire company, but without knowing what the final image looks like.
Each leader guides their team with the best of intentions toward what they believe is the right destination. And even though they might have the luck of assembling something coherent, it will hardly fit with the pieces of others and much less with what the organization truly needs.
It’s like assembling a puzzle without knowing what the final image will be: the pieces might fit, but the end result will be anything but what we need.
The big problem: Lack of alignment
When what’s important to one area or leader isn’t to another, we have an alignment problem. Worse yet, it limits cooperation between areas and promotes organizational silos.
If there’s no common vision or alignment toward it, it’s difficult to move in any direction.
We all know we must prioritize what’s important and prevent less important emergencies from taking up all our time, but if we don’t know where we’re going or what the final puzzle will be like, how can we achieve it?
Question everything. Don’t settle for “we’ve always done it this way”. Ask:
• What is the purpose of this task?
• What benefit will it bring?
• Whom?
• How does it relate to everything else we’re working on?
The North Star and OKRs: The solution to misalignment
What your company needs is a clear North Star: a strategic vision that defines where you want to go and why. Without this vision, teams work without a common goal, causing their efforts to be scattered and misaligned.
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are the perfect tool to connect the North Star with daily execution and ensure the entire organization is moving at the same pace toward the same place.
While the North Star is the final destination, OKRs are the tactical plan that ensures each area or person contributes to that goal and measures progress toward it.
Each year, the organization must dedicate time to reconfirm the North Star. And each quarter, the OKRs of the entire organization are evaluated, making adjustments based on learnings and market changes.
Final reflection
The North Star is not just a goal. It’s a shared vision that guides, focuses, and gives coherence to all the organization’s efforts.
OKRs are not just indicators. They are the tactical, measurable strategy that takes us from where we are to where we want to be.
Without these two elements, teams may work hard, but their efforts will be disjointed. Even if the pieces fit, the final result will be anything but what we need.
The question is: Are you ready to align your team and ensure everyone works toward the same goal?
At Trascend, we can help you define your North Star and OKRs, and ensure your organization moves in the right direction.
Contact us today and discover how we can support the evolution of your company.
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