The last quarter of the year is not the time for routine performance reviews—it is the time for honest questions.
Every year around this time, I see the exact same scene unfold:
Picture a CEO boardroom.
The OKR dashboard is displayed on the screen.
Someone asks: “Where do we stand on OKRs?”
Another replies: “We’re doing great—we’ve completed 72% of our Q3 objectives.”
The meeting moves on. But I am left wondering: What is actually inside that 72%?
Real Progress, Not Just Percentages
OKR tracking systems give us visibility. However, visibility is not a guarantee of real progress.
An objective might show 70% completion because true headway was made—or simply because someone entered “70%” into the system to avoid leaving a blank space.
A static performance report cannot tell you the difference between the two. To uncover the reality, you need to look at past commitments and ask the right questions.
3 Questions, 3 Realities
Over years of working with organizations, I have continuously relied on the same three questions to test whether OKRs are truly driving impact:
1. Are your objectives genuinely aligned with your strategy?
This is one of the biggest pitfalls of OKRs. Every team sets its own priorities, every department writes its own goals, and the system fills up. Yet, the company’s big picture gets lost in the process. An OKR misaligned with strategy is merely a well-written roadmap heading in the wrong direction.
2. How stretch are your goals?
A strong OKR is designed to push a team beyond its comfort zone. A goal guaranteed to be reached is usually just a glorified to-do list. Real OKRs challenge the team, carry purpose, and prompt the question: “How can we achieve this?” This sparks meaningful dialogue, and meaningful dialogue leads to clear commitments. For this to happen, however, you need a safe environment where people can speak openly about their goals, struggles, and needs.
3. How genuine are the progress updates and action steps?
This question is critical. When someone logs 60% completion, what is everyone in the room thinking? Is it “We are genuinely at this point and we know why,” or is it “I just typed something in to get by”?
If it’s the latter, the issue isn’t just the OKR framework itself—it’s how progress is handled and the depth of the team’s conversation culture. Dialogues must evolve into commitments, commitments into actions, and actions into transparent sharing so everyone can see what that 60% actually represents. This is true accountability.
Awareness Isn’t Enough—Commitment Is Key
Asking these three questions builds awareness, but awareness alone doesn’t drive growth.
Saying “Our goals weren’t aligned with our strategy” simply explains the past.
Asking “How will we fix this for next quarter, and who will do what?” creates a concrete commitment to the future.
This is precisely where CFR (Conversations, Feedforward, Recognition) comes into play within the Myliba Cultural Management Model™:
Conversations foster open dialogue around goals and progress.
Feedforward shifts the focus from past mistakes to future actionable improvements.
Recognition brings visibility to individual contributions and personal growth.
Performance management shouldn’t exist to judge the past—it should exist to unlock future potential.
A framework that builds potential rather than passing judgment.
The next-generation performance architecture.
Over to You
When was the last time you openly discussed these three questions with your team?
If you want your OKRs to do more than just look good on paper—if you want them to genuinely drive strategy and empower your teams—start the conversation with these three questions.
Which of these questions do you find most critical in evaluating the real impact of OKRs?
Dilek Mete — ICF-PCC, OKR Coach & Cultural Transformation Consultant
Myliba Kültürel Yönetim Modeli™: myliba.com