Sell Your Reds, Don't Hide Them

“Shortly after arriving, Art held a full-day, off-site business review for the Lumeris leadership team. Now it’s on the company’s monthly calendar. When our top-line OKRs are projected on a screen, it’s clear to see which leaders are making their objectives. Art doesn’t like yellows, so every OKR is either green (on track) or red (at risk). There’s no bell-curve ambiguity, no place for problems to hide. The reviews run for three hours, with a dozen senior executives taking their turn. Little time is spent on people’s greens. Instead, they “sell” their reds. The team votes on the most important at-risk OKRs for the company as a whole, then brainstorms together as long as it takes to get the objectives back on track. In the spirit of cross-departmental solidarity, individuals volunteer to “buy” their colleagues’ reds.”

““We’re all here to help. We’re all in the same bathwater.” As far as I know, “selling your reds” is a unique use of OKRs, and one well worth emulating.”