Ambition and OKRs

Remember, we set ourselves goals we know aren’t easy to achieve yet. We do so because we know that we can go further than expected by stretching to meet such goals. Stretch goals or aspirational OKRs are essential. In a meta-study that involves 35 years of empirical research, Gary Latham and Edwin Locker, the goal-setting pioneers, discovered scientific evidence showing “the highest or most difficult goals led to the highest levels of performance and effort.” As your teams assume things to be impossible, it is worth setting big goals instead of finding out what is possible. Note the sweet spot for an OKR is 60-70%. If you get 100%, the objective is not ambitious enough, and it is too easy to achieve. If you get below 60%, the objective is too hard to achieve.

See Unlock:OKR Live in Action