Last week in Denver, Colorado, we collaborated with a forward-thinking client to refine their strategic approach. We facilitated and participated in a series of workshops with their leadership team focused on finalising their mid-term strategy, setting their one-year OKRs, training the next level of leaders on their tailored OKR rollout, and breaking down executive OKRs into squad-based sub-KRs.
One standout innovation from this engagement was the client’s application of the Rule of Three to their OKR framework. The Rule of Three – a writing principle that suggests that things grouped in threes are more satisfying, effective, and memorable – is being creatively applied to their OKRs to ensure clarity and focus.
Applying the Rule of Three to OKRs
For example, one of their objectives is: “Exceed Client Expectations and Outshine Competitors – Swiftly, Intelligently, Exceptionally.” This objective is then broken down into three measurable key results, each corresponding to one of the descriptive adjectives:
- Swiftly: Reduce project delivery time by 20%.
- Intelligently: Improve resource utilization by 15%.
- Exceptionally: Achieve client satisfaction scores of 90% or higher.
This approach not only makes the objectives more compelling but also ensures that each key result is directly tied to a specific aspect of the objective, making it easier to track progress and measure success.
Learn about some of our field-tested OKR implementation lessons here.
Benefits of the Rule of Three in OKRs
- Clarity and Focus: By limiting the number of key results to just three, it becomes easier for teams to focus on what truly matters and avoid being overwhelmed. We limited the client to 3 executive OKRs, each with 3 key results, meaning that we only had a total of 9 key results to focus on.
- Memorability: Objectives and key results framed in threes are inherently easier to remember, which helps in maintaining alignment and motivation across the organisation. When team members can easily recall strategic objectives, they’re more likely to align their daily work accordingly.
- Balanced Approach: This method ensures a balanced approach to achieving objectives, addressing different aspects such as speed, efficiency, and client satisfaction – creating a more holistic path to success.
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Workshop Learnings and Leadership Development
During our workshops, we also trained the next level of leaders on how to roll out OKRs specifically within their context. This included an experiential case study, reflective exercises and practical, real-life examples on breaking down the executive OKRs into squad-based sub-KRs, ensuring that every team understands how their work contributes to the broader organizational goals.
Your Next Steps
The Rule of Three is proving to be a powerful tool in our client’s strategic arsenal, helping them create clear, memorable, and balanced OKRs. As we continue to support them in their journey, we are excited to see the positive impact this approach will have on effectively communicating OKRs more broadly across the organization and ultimately achieving their goals.
Have you struggled with effectively communicating goals throughout your organization? This streamlined approach might be exactly what you need. If you’d like to learn more about implementing the Rule of Three in your OKR framework, we’d be delighted to help – reach out to our team today!
