An entrepreneur peer of mine used to say, “It’s not about how much you make, it’s about how much you keep.” Another I hear often is, “Revenue is for show and profit is for go.” Catchy sayings like these are meant to remind us growth-driven business builders that it takes revenue and profit together to build a sustainable business.
That’s why waiting until the end of the month or quarter to understand the profitability or cash flow health of your business is a dangerous game. I appreciate OKRs because they can be leveraged to drive growth when applied quarterly. Unfortunately, they often lack the weekly intervals and metrics that help us balance profitability.
OKRs bring us focus, but without an operating system, they tend to create unprofitable focus. That leaves teams chasing growth, but it isn’t always healthy growth. And while teams may move faster, it isn’t always in a balanced direction.