How OKR fosters great leadership and improves performance

The last 15 years have seen a radical shift in the way we work. The pre 21st-century industrial economy is being rapidly replaced with a new information economy, and the “knowledge worker” has become the driving force behind thousands of new companies.

The change in the way we work has meant leaders need to adapt and learn new ways to manage and motivate their teams. We talked to Katarina von Horn, a leading management consultant and OKR coach based in Sweden, about the challenges modern leadership faces, and how OKR is being used to overcome them.

Perdoo:

Tell us about yourself and how you started your journey with OKR?

Katarina:

Hi! My name is Katarina von Horn, I am a Management & Organization Consultant and Coach. I have been coaching people for over 10 years and for the past 4 years I’ve specialized in management, goal management, OKRs and internal organizational development.

I coach and leaders, teams and individuals for personal development with a focus on improving job satisfaction, results, and profitability. When I came across OKR I knew right away that the method was going to be a good fit for my clients as it is simple, measurable and makes the organization's priorities clear to all employees. In 2014 I began working with organizations across Sweden, helping them implement OKR.

Perdoo:

You work with leaders to help them become more effective, describe what qualities you think an effective leader has.

Katarina:

Leadership is about empowering other people to achieve organizational goals in the most effective possible way. Great leaders provide direction, inspire confidence and lead by example.

An effective leader:

• Motivates and inspires.
• Shares their passion and vision with their team and includes their team in decision making.
• Helps their team understand how their individual and team efforts contribute to bigger goals and provide them with a clear path of how to achieve them.
• Communicates effectively, clearly, concisely and tactfully, while at the same time listening and confronting when needed.
• Empowers others and delegates responsibility.
• Recognizes achievements and celebrates successes.

Perdoo:

Are there common challenges faced by the leaders you work with, and if so what are they?

Katarina:

Developing managerial effectiveness, effective communication and team building are very common challenges. It is more important than many people think to spend time on team building. I help leaders build trust within their teams and create an environment where team members feel their opinions are trusted and valued. Another big area of focus is learning how to deal effectively with conflicts.

We all have unique personalities and skills. Good leaders actively encourage differences in their teams when recruiting, as they know difference motivates curiosity and provides different perspectives on the challenges the team will face.

Perdoo:

What role does OKR play in the helping leaders lead better?

Katarina:

Both the goal setting method and organizational structure of OKR help leaders lead. OKR helps communicate focus and priorities and delegate responsibility since every team or individual “owns” their own OKR. I also find that OKR helps decrease conflicts and misunderstandings with teams thanks to the transparency that comes from communicating clear priorities and responsibilities.

Perdoo:

How does OKR affect how leaders lead their organization or team?

Katarina:

The OKR method provides leaders with a straightforward structure for managing teams. It encourages transparency, mandates regular OKR updates and review, encourages alignment between teams, and forces teams to regularly evaluate what’s working and what isn’t.

Perdoo:

What kind of impact does OKR have on teams?

Katarina:

The biggest impact I see that OKRs increases collaboration and communication both within and between teams. Team motivation and efforts also increase as individuals work together to create team OKRs and ensure the individual work they do is contributing to the teams OKR.

Perdoo:

What kind of changes have you seen in leadership over the last 10 years?

Katarina:

Leadership has changed as the structure of organizations has changed. Today its normal to have more collaboration between teams and departments, who manage the way they collaborate with each other. This is in contrast to the old, top-down management approach. I also see much more flexibility in allowing leaders to use their own creativity, as well as the creativity of their teams, to succeed.

Leaders include and value their teams' input in decision-making. This is in contrast to more traditional management styles where team members simply follow orders and don’t question decisions. Leaders are also more emotionally intelligent today than 10 years ago and often look to their employees' talents and skills for inspiration.

Transparency, technology and the digitalization of the workplace has had a huge impact on how we evaluate leadership. Leaders have taken advantage of these changes to build teams that are able to work globally in diverse and effective ways.

Perdoo:

What kind of challenges do you think leaders will face in the future, and how do you think they will be overcome?

Katarina:

Leaders will face huge challenges with innovation and accelerating globalization. With this comes a greater demand from consumers for individualization and increasing digitisation of the products and services we use every day. This will force leaders and their teams to revisit traditional ways of working, abandon old management techniques and embrace technology to stay competitive.

It’s crucial for all leaders to be aware of their leadership style and develop it regularly together with their teams. We’ll see a move towards collective intelligence rather than one person issuing orders and the rest following. The leaders of tomorrow will be the people that provide the environment and the structure their teams need to flourish and achieve remarkable things. Leaders of tomorrow will be valued as much for their empathy and understanding as they will for delivering results.

Perdoo:

How can people contact you if they’re interested in the leadership coaching you offer?

Katarina:

I coach leaders situated in countries around the world through video coaching.
The best way to contact me is via email: katarina.vonhorn@goalcon.se