Companies are always advised to avoid any crisis that may hinder their business growth and success. However, in the midst of a situation wherein you have no control over the events your business is going through, what can you do to stay on track?
Setting up Objectives and Key Results or OKRs is ideal in every situation, even in very murky circumstances. It can train your start-up or established business to collaborate and shoot for success even when trouble arises, setting up a game plan to follow.
On the other hand, though, it may seem like a great challenge. Some business owners opt to postpone or abandon their OKR program in order to free up the energy expended for that. The problem with that lies in the lack of direction that the OKRs’ absence entails, though.
There are ways to keep OKRs around while your business seeks to cope with the crisis. There are even some benefits to continuing the program.
Here’s how and why:
Revising OKRs During a Crisis
Some OKRs may just seem insignificant in comparison with the current crisis being faced. Instead of deciding to throw away those Objectives and Key Results that the business has been striving for, tweak them instead. Change how you ask yourselves about what strikes the most importance. Respond accordingly thereafter.
For example, the pandemic has forced plenty of offices away from the regular workspace and to work from home instead. This can compromise a business’s OKRs to have excellent communication that’ll help smoothen out operations.
Take the current situation into consideration. Instead of having the basic objective of having great expectations, take it a step further. See to it that the business objective will be to maintain viable communication amid the current crisis.
Instilling OKRs During a Crisis
Trying to get managers and employees into the mindset of solely focusing on the OKRs is a great feat that many are not ready for. A crisis can complicate that even further. It takes leadership and a lot of patience to coax the business to even understand and reach for what they’re aspiring to do.
Try and minimise the number of OKRs that will be instilled and executed over the course of a crisis. It’s always subject to change, so just manage what you can right now. It’ll be more challenging for your business to take on too many priorities all at once.
Facilitating OKRs During a Crisis
After choosing the OKRs and understanding what needs to be done during a crisis, the next part will be facilitating the execution. Whether it’s physically or digitally, having your presence and monitoring what’s being done to fulfil those objectives are imperative.
Check-in regularly and try to record what progress has been made. A crisis can put everything off track, so having a semblance of order and focus at hand is something companies shouldn’t be pushing off. It’s an excellent foundation to improve on.
Conclusion
Even as we go back to normal life, there are still many instances wherein a crisis can occur. It can happen in terms of finances, resources, technology or even the work environment. Curating an OKR framework that works for your team will help you prepare for the worst and continue growing.
Need to set your own Objectives and Key Results? SKILLFIRE helps organisations and industries in Australia, from Sydney to Melbourne, to strategise and develop an action plan to establish their OKR and achieve success.
Interested in getting started on your OKR journey? Check out our FREE training.