Noun. blue-sky thinking (uncountable) (idiomatic)
Thinking that is not grounded or in touch with
the realities of the present; open-minded thinking.

What Happens in the First 90 Days With an OKR Consultant?

Hiring an OKR consultant is rarely about curiosity.

It usually follows a period of frustration – OKRs exist, but execution hasn’t improved, alignment feels fragile, or leadership discussions keep circling the same issues.

One of the biggest barriers to bringing in external support is uncertainty: What actually happens once an OKR consultant is involved?

The first 90 days are critical. Done well, they set the foundation for sustainable execution. Done poorly, they reinforce scepticism around OKRs altogether.

The First 30 Days: Clarity Before Action

The early phase of OKR consulting is not about writing objectives.

It’s about understanding how the organisation actually operates.

During the first month, effective OKR consulting focuses on:

  • Leadership priorities and trade-offs

  • Existing planning and review rhythms

  • Where OKRs have helped – and where they’ve failed

  • Decision-making bottlenecks

  • Accountability gaps

This phase often surfaces misalignment that wasn’t visible internally. Not because leaders weren’t communicating – but because assumptions had gone untested.

The goal here is clarity, not speed.

Why Rushing OKRs Early Causes Problems

Many OKR implementations fail because they move too fast.

Jumping straight into objective-setting without addressing leadership alignment usually leads to:

  • Vague or overloaded objectives

  • Key results that avoid real commitment

  • Teams interpreting priorities differently

  • Early disengagement

A good OKR consultant slows things down at the start to prevent months of rework later.

Days 31–60: Designing OKRs That Drive Behaviour

Once leadership alignment is established, the focus shifts to design and structure.

This stage typically includes:

  • Translating strategy into clear, testable objectives

  • Defining key results that measure outcomes, not effort

  • Aligning leadership and team-level OKRs

  • Establishing ownership and review cadence

The emphasis is always on usefulness. OKRs are designed to influence decisions and behaviour – not to satisfy a framework.

At this point, OKRs begin to feel practical rather than theoretical.

Where Most Organisations Go Wrong at This Stage

Without experienced guidance, organisations often:

  • Overcomplicate scoring

  • Create too many OKRs

  • Confuse alignment with consensus

  • Avoid hard trade-offs

An OKR consultant’s role here is to maintain focus and prevent OKRs from becoming noise.

Days 61–90: Embedding OKRs Into How the Organisation Works

The final phase of the first 90 days is where OKRs either stick – or start to fade.

This period focuses on:

  • Running effective OKR check-ins

  • Turning reviews into decision-making forums

  • Reinforcing accountability without micromanagement

  • Coaching leaders and managers on how to use OKRs daily

  • Preparing internal teams to take ownership

By this stage, OKRs should feel less like a new initiative and more like part of the organisation’s operating rhythm.

What Changes by the End of 90 Days

When OKR consulting is done well, leadership teams typically notice:

  • Clearer priorities and trade-offs

  • More focused conversations

  • Better alignment across teams

  • Faster decision-making

  • Reduced firefighting

The biggest shift is often cultural: OKRs become a tool for clarity, not control.

The Goal Is Independence, Not Dependency

A common concern with external OKR consulting is reliance.

In reality, the purpose of the first 90 days is to:

  • Build internal capability

  • Establish sustainable habits

  • Transfer ownership back to leadership and teams

A strong OKR consultant works themselves out of a role – leaving behind systems that continue to function.

What If Things Still Feel Uncomfortable?

That’s normal.

OKRs surface issues that already exist – misalignment, unclear priorities, accountability gaps. The discomfort isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a sign the right conversations are finally happening.

The difference with experienced OKR consulting is that those conversations are structured, productive, and outcome-focused.

Final Thought

The first 90 days with an OKR consultant aren’t about perfection.

They’re about building clarity, discipline, and momentum – so OKRs stop being an initiative and start becoming an operating system.

If you’re exploring whether external support would help your organisation move from strategy to execution, you can learn more about our OKR consulting and coaching approach and then contact us to put a plan of action together.