The best OKR titles we've ever seen

Key Takeaway: An Objective should be inspiring, and a boring-sounding Objective is unlikely to motivate anyone. Your people will work on these goals all quarter, so they need to understand them and feel excited when they look at them. Give your Objective titles some love and attention. Keep them short, memorable, and easy to understand, and don't be afraid to have some fun with them, as long as they stay clearly connected to your strategy and the work that will achieve it. A fun, well-crafted Objective can boost motivation and even put a smile on people's faces.

You’ve probably heard us say this before — an Objective should be inspiring. Let’s be honest, the chances that a boring-sounding Objective will truly motivate your people is quite low. It may get the job done, but in order for it to inspire your teams to see it through to success, Objective titles will need some love and attention. So the question is: did your Objective titles from last quarter “spark joy” in you?

Your people will be working on these goals regularly — they need to fully understand the Objective and feel excited when they look at it. So why not have a little fun with the OKR titles while you’re at it?

Why do I need a well-crafted Objective?

Every OKR starts with an Objective. These are the destinations you set out for your organization or team, that clearly describe what needs to be achieved and where you need to go.

As a new year or quarter approaches, we’ve often seen organizations hastily throw their great ideas into the form of an (draft) Objective. The reason often being that the faster you have OKRs in place, the faster teams can start working toward it. While that isn’t entirely wrong, it’s important to remember that the process of setting OKRs requires care and well-thought-out consideration.

It’s crucial for teams to agree that this Objective is indeed a priority right now. And everyone should believe it will provide business value and that management is committed.

By rushing the OKR setting process you run the risk of having cut-and-dry Objectives that don’t resonate with your people. You’ll also skip the fun part of adding a touch of creativity to them! Your OKRs may be about breaking you out of the status quo and pushing you forward, but don’t forget to have fun along that journey.

Creating Objective titles that knock your socks off

By now you’re probably wondering what I mean by catchy, inspiring OKR titles. So, over the years, having worked with thousands of organizations at Perdoo, I’ll share some of the best OKR titles we’ve seen so far:

• We onboard new clients faster than you can order an extra hot, venti, pumpkin-spiced latte with almond milk and a double shot of expresso!
• Customer Support is as efficient as Santa delivering presents on Christmas Eve
• Our content is more trusted than the local news
• Expand ticket sales like gym memberships in January
• Build a Client Services Team as Strong & Mighty as the Mississippi River
• Our onboarding specialists are Engaging customers like Celebrities on Tik Tok

(Got an even better Objective title you’d like us to add to this list? Shoot us an email at marketing@perdoo.com, we never get tired of a good ol’ Objective!)

You get what I mean! Why write “Onboard new clients faster” when you can write “We onboard new clients faster than you can order an extra hot, venti, pumpkin-spiced latte with almond milk and a double shot of expresso!”? These teams took the time, put on their thinking hats, and sprinkled some innovation over their Objectives.

You can do the same with yours. I’ll share a few tips on how you can do the same:

1. At the beginning of the year or a quarter, set aside some scheduled time with your team to carefully define new priorities.
2. Outline the outcome you’d like to achieve and then roughly draft your Objective.
3. Now give the team, or a few people the task to make the drafted Objective sound fun and catchy. (Hint: comparisons/similes are a great place to start)
4. Send everyone in the team the list of Objective names to vote on.
5. And voila, you have your winning title!
6. Now all you need to do is add it to your Company or Group page in Perdoo.

Your Objectives never looked better

Having fancy-sounding Objectives is most definitely a nice-to-have. I repeat! It’s by no means a requirement for the success of your OKR program. But that additional effort can most certainly take your OKR program miles ahead.

Taking out that time with your teams to fine-tune Objectives not only ensures they’re committed but also makes everyone feel connected to your organization’s strategy and the work that’ll help achieve it. Looking at and working on a fun Objective may even put a smile on your face and that’s probably the biggest win right there. So don’t shy away from having some fun with your OKR titles — it’s worth it.