Chief of Staff
The organisation runs through you. OKRs should too.
Chiefs of Staff are natural OKR Champions — closest to the strategy, responsible for execution and trusted by both the CEO and the teams. But that position only works if you have the right framework, tools and support behind you.
We work alongside Chiefs of Staff to build the operating rhythm that makes OKRs stick — and gives you the credibility and language to drive accountability without relying on authority you don’t always have.
of a Chief of Staff's working time typically spent on coordination, planning and cross-functional alignment
(Harvard Business Review, Chief of Staff survey)
more likely to sustain OKRs beyond cycle two when one dedicated internal owner champions the operating rhythm
(The OKR Hub, client data)
of scale-up and enterprise leaders cite cross-functional misalignment as their biggest execution barrier
(McKinsey Org Health Index)
Want to know where your organisation’s OKR practice stands? The free maturity assessment takes 10 minutes.
What we hear from Chiefs of Staff
The OKR challenges the CoS role faces
Chiefs of Staff are often the most invested people in making OKRs work — and the least supported. These are the patterns we see again and again.
You own the cadence, not the decisions
As CoS you're responsible for keeping the organisation on track — but you can't mandate priorities. You need a framework that creates accountability without relying on authority you don't always have.
You inherited a broken OKR system
OKRs were launched before you arrived — or launched badly — and you've inherited scepticism, inconsistent adoption and a leadership team that's been burned before.
Alignment lasts as long as the meeting
The exec planning session produces clarity and commitment. Two weeks later, teams are back to their own agendas. Without a structured operating rhythm, alignment is temporary.
Tracking is manual and takes too long
You spend more time chasing progress updates — across Slack, email and spreadsheets — than you do helping people move forward. OKRs should replace that overhead, not add to it.
How The OKR Hub supports Chiefs of Staff
You shouldn’t be doing this alone.
The CoS role in OKRs is one of the hardest in any organisation. You’re expected to drive adoption, maintain quality and keep the exec team honest — often without a formal mandate, a clear playbook or anyone to ask for help.
We act as your OKR partner. We bring the methodology, the frameworks and the facilitation experience — and we coach you as the internal champion so you can run OKRs independently, with confidence, from the second cycle onwards.
Think of us as the expert behind the expert. You stay front and centre. We make sure you’re set up to succeed.
Operating rhythm design
We design the cadence, check-in structure and reporting that makes OKRs live throughout the cycle — not just at planning sessions. You get a system, not a calendar.
Leadership accountability tools
We give you the frameworks and language to hold senior leaders accountable through the OKR cycle — without needing positional authority to do it.
Organisation-wide training
We train every level — from the exec team to individual contributors — so OKRs become a shared language. Less translation work landing on your desk every planning cycle.
OKR Champion coaching
Ongoing coaching for you as the internal OKR Champion — reviewing cycles, refining the framework and building your confidence to run OKRs without external support.
Diagnose
We assess the current state — what’s been tried, what failed and why, and where the real gaps are in your OKR practice and operating rhythms.
Design
We co-create the cadence, governance and accountability structure. Built around how your leadership team actually meets, decides and communicates.
Deploy
We train the organisation, facilitate the first cycle and stand alongside you as OKR Champion through the launch, check-ins and review.
Deepen
Through retrospectives and coaching, we build your capability and confidence to run the next cycle with less external support.
Our methodology
The OKR Focus Flow — built for CoS-led rollouts
Every engagement runs through our four-stage framework. It gives the Chief of Staff a structured roadmap — from diagnosing what isn’t working through to running independent cycles with confidence.
Read the OKR BlueprintIs this right for you?
We work best with CoS leaders who
Chiefs of Staff in scale-ups and enterprise organisations who own the planning and execution cadence
Execution leads responsible for driving OKR adoption without always having direct authority
CoS working with a CEO who wants OKRs but hasn't committed to full structured implementation
Teams where a previous OKR attempt faded and you need a structured reset
People who are the de facto OKR Champion but haven’t been formally set up to succeed in that role
“As Chief of Staff I was the de facto OKR owner — but I didn’t have the structure or support to do it well. The OKR Hub gave me a framework, the language and the confidence to drive accountability at the exec level. The difference it made to how we ran planning cycles was significant.”
Chief of Staff
Series B scale-up, 200 employees
Free resources
Start here before we talk
These two free tools will give you a clear picture of where your organisation stands and what a well-run implementation looks like.
Free guide
The OKR Rollout Blueprint
A stage-by-stage implementation guide used by CoS and OKR Champions across 28+ industries. The clearest picture of what a well-run OKR rollout actually looks like.
Read the BlueprintFree tool
OKR Maturity Assessment
20 questions. A personalised report that tells you exactly where your OKR practice stands and what to address first. The ideal starting point before any implementation conversation.
Take the free assessmentCommon questions
Questions from Chiefs of Staff
How can a Chief of Staff drive OKR adoption without formal authority?
What does ‘owning the OKR cadence’ mean in practice?
Should the Chief of Staff have their own OKRs?
How do you handle senior leaders who don’t take OKR reviews seriously?
We’ve tried OKRs before and they faded. How is this different?
What’s the difference between a Chief of Staff and an OKR Champion?
Ready to build an OKR system that actually sticks?
Book a 30-minute call. We’ll listen to where you are, give you our honest view on what would help most, and outline what working together as your OKR partner could look like.