Why the best goals only last 90 days (an intro to OKRs)

The training app, Runna, has seen phenomenal growth since its launch in 2022 and was acquired by Strava last year. There are several reasons for Runna’s success, but the simplest reason is that it works. 1+ million beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners use the “game-changing” personalised running coach today.

If you’ve ever set yourself a physical challenge - running, cycling, walking, losing weight, etc - then you’ll know first-hand how intimidating the end goal can feel. When you’re just scraping through a 5k, the idea of doing it 4+ times over without stopping might be a distant dream. But breaking that end goal down into smaller, more achievable and measurable objectives makes the process feel more manageable. 

I’ve worked with a personal trainer for many years, and we always work in 3-month mesocycle blocks to make sure we’re focused on the goals we’re looking to achieve.

This is what apps like Runna help users do. In essence, the training plan uses OKRs to ensure that runners cross their finish line. 

OKR is an acronym for Objectives and Key Results:

• An ‘Objective’ is the ‘what’ - The outcome that’s intended, i.e. run a half-marathon

• A ‘Key Result’ is the ‘how’ - The method being used to achieve that objective, i.e., run twice a week for 12 weeks, mixing short and tempo workouts with progressive long runs. Runna even encourages users to sign up to ‘B-races’ — shorter, intermediate events that are built into longer training plans to work up to the ‘A race’ (the one you’re really aiming for).

But this isn’t an article about running plans (I actually prefer cycling these days).

Side note: a few of us run an accounting cycling group if you’re interested in joining. It’s roughly 80km @ 25kph each month. Hit ‘Reply’ on this email for more info.

OKRs have been deployed successfully in companies like Google, Amazon, and, of course, flinder. In an organisational setting, OKRs break up bigger goals into measurable, achievable outcomes. They limit the scope of the work in terms of deliverables and deadline. They add a layer of accountability to develop an ongoing dialogue with the team. And they are an excellent way to successfully execute your strategy.