Mastering OKRs in 2025
Make sure your OKRs stick, and actually drive better results.
I have a confession to make. I suck at OKRs.
If you’re like me, you fall victim to treating OKRs as a check-the-box exercise, or failing to make them specific enough to support your true organizational goals.
Luckily for you (and me, lol) I know people who don’t suck at OKRs.
In fact, they’re seasoned pros when it comes to mastering Objectives and Key Results. Here’s a tactical (and extremely timely) guide to nailing OKRs for you to use in 2025. Don’t let your OKRs become a forgotten slide deck next year.
(Thanks to Bryan Morris, CFO at Demandbase, Paul Mulé, CFO at Arcadia, Daniel Kang, VP of Finance at Mercury, and Alyssa Shadinger, CFO at SiSense for their insights and appearances on the RTN Podcast.)
Our roadmap for getting OKRs right:
Limit OKRs to Essentials
Clearly Define Success
Focus on Incremental Impact
Avoid Vanity Metrics
Align, Don’t Cascade
Balance Aspirational vs Committed Goals
Establish a Cadence to Avoid the Midyear Fade
Use Finance as the Bridge Between Strategy and Execution
Set Dates for Accountability
Course-Correct with Confidence
1. Limit OKRs to Essentials
Overloading OKRs dilutes their focus and overwhelms teams. Set no more than 3–5 company-level objectives to maintain clarity and impact.
Key Tactics:
Keep OKRs concise to spotlight the most critical goals.
Focus on company-wide objectives that resonate across departments.
Push back against the temptation to set an exhaustive list of KRs.
From the Pros:
"If you focus on everything, you focus on nothing. Two to three OKRs are more than enough for most companies, especially smaller ones. It keeps everyone aligned and avoids wasting time on things that don’t move the needle.”
—Alyssa Shadinger, CFO at SiSense
“Where companies struggle is when OKRs become a vanity contest about how many they can set. Stick to what truly moves the needle.”
—Bryan Morris, CFO at Demandbase
2. Clearly Define Success
Vague objectives like “improve customer experience” fail to provide actionable direction. You need to specify success with clear, measurable criteria.
Key Tactics:
Replace generic goals with detailed outcomes (e.g., “achieve 90% NPS in Q3”).
Include specific metrics and timelines in every KR.
Test clarity by asking: Can anyone on the team tell if this was achieved?
From the Pros:
“Avoid ambiguity. You don’t want a debate at the end of the quarter over whether a goal was met.”
—Bryan Morris, CFO at Demandbase
“Having clear definitions and shared understanding across departments prevents chaos. For smaller companies, transparency about OKRs can build trust and alignment throughout the organization.”
—Alyssa Shadinger, CFO at SiSense