Why copying OKR best practices rarely works (and what to do instead)
Leaders love OKRs because they promise clarity. If you're a Chief of Staff, you've probably seen this scenario: the CEO reads an article about Google or Intel using OKRs to drive huge growth, and now your team is ready to do the same.
But here's the issue: your team isn't Google. Your team isn’t Intel. You have your own ways of working, your own culture, your own dynamics. What worked perfectly for them might not fit you at all.
That's why adopting OKR "best practices" straight off the shelf usually doesn't work. Those companies succeeded not because they followed rules from a book, but because they adapted a simple idea to their own realities.
When you simply copy what they did, you're likely to create friction rather than clarity. Instead of bringing your teams together, you're likely to see confusion and frustration—exactly what you were trying to avoid.
Why OKR best practices fail in practice
Most OKR guidelines suggest the same advice: quarterly goals, weekly check-ins, and strict numeric results. It’s easy to understand why. These rules are straightforward, measurable, and they worked well somewhere else.
But the truth is, OKRs aren't powerful because they fit a universal standard. They're powerful when they reflect how your teams actually work.
At Quantive, when we were small, we initially thought quarterly OKRs would keep us aligned. But after a few quarters, we realized our strategic goals took longer than three months to meaningfully achieve. Constantly resetting goals every quarter didn't make sense for us; it just added unnecessary stress.
So we adapted. We started working with six-month OKRs, and immediately we felt the relief. We could now dive deeper into big strategic initiatives without forcing artificial deadlines.
It wasn't "standard best practice," but it was our best practice. And it worked far better than following a template someone else created.
How to practically customize OKRs for your team
Customizing OKRs might sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. It starts by focusing on three simple areas:
First, decide the right scope for your OKRs.
Small teams might only need a handful of company-wide OKRs. Larger teams probably need departmental or even individual-level goals to help everyone understand their specific contributions. But more detail doesn't automatically mean more clarity. It’s about finding the simplest level of detail that actually helps your teams align.
When Quantive was fewer than 20 people, we did fine with only company-level OKRs. But when we crossed the 100-person mark, departmental OKRs became critical. Suddenly, everyone could clearly see how their daily work aligned with the bigger picture.
Second, choose a cadence that matches your actual rhythm.
Quarterly is common, but it's not sacred. If your industry moves slowly, quarterly goals might feel forced. If you move incredibly fast, even quarterly might feel too long.
I've seen teams thrive with annual OKRs because their projects were large and required time to mature. Forcing a quicker cycle would have been artificial and counterproductive.
Match your OKR timing to your team's actual working pace—not to someone else's rulebook.
Third, carefully consider individual versus team-level OKRs.
Individual OKRs make sense when each team member has clear personal accountability—like a sales team. But for collaborative teams, like engineering or product, individual OKRs can create friction and hurt teamwork.
At Quantive, individual OKRs energized salespeople because their roles were clearly personal. On the other hand, engineering and product thrived on team-level OKRs because their success depended entirely on collaboration. Forcing individual goals onto these teams would have hurt productivity, not helped it.
The few core principles that still matter
Even though customization is key, there are some basics worth keeping:
Objectives should clearly describe the direction you're heading (qualitative).
Key Results should be measurable, tangible, and clear (quantitative).
Keep your OKRs limited. Too many objectives create noise, not clarity.
Balance short-term (leading indicators) and long-term goals (lagging indicators) to give your teams actionable steps and strategic perspective.
Beyond that, the specifics are entirely up to you. And that's where the real power of OKRs lies—in your ability to adapt them thoughtfully.
Becoming strategic about your OKRs
The most valuable Chiefs of Staff I've met aren't the ones who carefully follow someone else's rules. They're the ones who think deeply about what their teams actually need and build processes to match.
OKRs aren't valuable because someone famous used them successfully. They're valuable when you use them to genuinely improve how your teams coordinate, align, and deliver.
Your real role as Chief of Staff isn't to implement OKRs by the book. It's to thoughtfully adapt them to your organization’s reality. It's about choosing practices that help your teams focus, align, and genuinely move the business forward.
Final thoughts (and an invitation)
If you're feeling stuck trying to implement OKRs "the right way," let's talk. I help Chiefs of Staff design customized OKR frameworks that genuinely fit their organizations. Not because they follow best practices, but because they're tailored to your unique reality.
You don't need Google's OKRs. You need your own.
If you're ready to build an OKR framework that actually fits, let’s chat.
