This is the Business English Podcast episode 69.
How can OKRs help you reach your business English goals?
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Hey, Aubrey, how's everything going today?
I'm excellent. How are you, Lindsay? I'm awesome.
I'm excited to have you on the Business English podcast over here hanging out talking about English for our careers, right?
Yes, absolutely. Right. And this is such a great question we got today about goals, aims and objectives.
What's the difference? I know all of you have business English goals and other goals in at work.
Right. I think this will be interesting to talk about.
You want to have the vocabulary you need to be able to discuss your goals with others.
What a great connection skill. Yes, I love it.
Do you have any goals that you've set for this year, Aubrey, in business or otherwise at work or or just your life?
Anything? Yes. I had set a goal to finish a book I was writing and I am well on my way.
So I definitely needed to set some objectives of like specific tasks to complete to hit that goal.
That's what really stagnates me when I'm not clear about the steps to get there.
And then it's easy to let it fall. Yeah.
Oh my gosh. Yeah. We've gone through as a company, we've gone through a lot of this, trying to figure out how to do this.
All companies have different approaches to this, you know, and we can go into what we figured out works and, and kind of how it waxes and wanes for us.
But yeah. So do we have a question from a listener then to start off?
Yes, exactly. So Jorgen from Germany sent in a really awesome question about this.
I'll go ahead and read it. Okay. Hello, Lindsay and Michelle.
I am really motivated to follow your podcast every day.
Therefore, I use your app. Awesome. Awesome.
I really appreciate the way you explain daily life in a very humorous way.
I appreciate that as well. I'm just going to add, I love listening to the episodes and just laughing along with you guys.
He says your laughing is contagious. Yeah.
Nevertheless, I have one question. I'm unsure how to use the words goal, aim, and objective.
Are there any rules? Best wishes from Germany, Juergen.
Oh, love the question. And this is such a good business topic, Aubrey.
Oh, my gosh. Absolutely. Right. And I love that you pointed out that as a small company, we've had to figure this out and some things work better than others.
And then we have to adjust how it goes. And I think you have I know that you have really researched like what's the best way to do this.
So I think you would have great advice along with the vocabulary that you guys are learning.
Yeah. I mean, we started using objectives and key results, OKRs, in 2020 based on some stuff we had read about.
I think the founder of Intel actually created this concept of OKRs.
And now all sorts of companies are using them.
That works really well to be very, very specific when you're working on a project.
Right. So, for example, when we built our business English course, you remember that, Aubrey, a few years ago?
Absolutely. That was when we were in the height of using our OKRs.
That worked perfectly for a short period of time, a six week period in which our deliverable was delivering that business English course.
Where it goes off course is when it gets broader and you're talking about all the things you're doing in the business.
That's where we need to, I think, start broader and look at goals and find different ways to break down those goals.
But OKRs are objectives and key results.
So typically an employee will have, you know, two or three things that they want to accomplish that week that are in line with that objective, right?
Yes. And it really makes sense to break down.
If all you have are these big overarching goals and you're not thinking about the objectives that will get you there, the key results you need to be seeing, it's so difficult when it just feels too big sometimes.
So when we break it down, when we make it smaller, that's when things become much more achievable.
Yeah. Exactly. I mean, an example of a place where we need some actionable stuff at All Ears English is, you know, we want All Ears English to be on the radio.
I think All Ears English should be a radio station on some local radios, right?
That'd be awesome. Yes. We've started reaching out, having meetings at conferences with radio people, but we're not quite there yet.
We don't have the steps figured out. So that's something that we need to sit down and turn those more into objectives, right?
Sometimes it's a matter of like figuring out what even are the objectives, like what are the steps we have to take to get there?
We don't even know yet. But it's good to have goals and dreams, you know, goals that edge more towards dreams, right?
And then you have goals that edge more towards objectives.
So let's go through each of these, Aubrey.
Yeah, so to clarify for Juergen and anyone else who's not very clear about what's the difference, we'll divide them up, share what exactly they mean.
Let's talk first about goals. Yes, okay, so this is a result or an achievement towards which an effort is directed.
Ooh, sounds so formal, Aubrey. I know, right?
That definition. So basically, it is that bigger goal.
Maybe it's getting a particular job, mastering a skill, getting a promotion at work.
This would be something you set a goal for.
We're not really thinking about the particular actions it would take to get there.
It's the actual end result. Yeah, for sure.
We talk about our good. Do you are you someone that does vision boards?
No, we've talked about this before. And it's fascinating to me to hear you talk about them.
I can really see how it would help you visualize and make it feel like you're manifesting the reality of this will happen.
Yeah. But the thing is, the last time I did one was was January of 2020.
And now I'm afraid to do one again because we know what happened in 2020.
You triggered the pandemic with your vision board.
Don't ever do it again. And all these visions and then boom, pandemic in March.
And now I'm like, I'm not touching a vision board ever again.
No, it's not true. It's not true. I just haven't gotten back to it, but they do work.
I swear, especially if you put them right in front of you, I'm telling you something magical happens.
You take those actions. Yeah, that visualization for sure.
Yes. Yes, I love it. But you've been able to achieve your goal of self-publishing, Aubrey, without having a vision board.
So you made it happen. That's true. That's true, right?
You don't have to have a vision board. But if you don't, you have to have something else that helps you visualize that end result, right?
You do. Because I think that's so true that if you don't see it as a possibility, and especially in the short term, what you could do to get there, that's when suddenly it's been two years and you haven't done anything to forward that goal.
So would you say for your, you know, the self-publishing goal, right?
How you've self-published your own book.
We've talked about this last few episodes.
Was the goal being able to say to your friends, go to my book?
If they want to explain, they want to understand the rules of the games, right?
This is kind of funny. So initially, the goal was to not have to write out the instructions for games.
Every time a friend would ask me, like, how did we play that game you taught us?
And it would take some time to type out the instructions.
And so I just wanted like a product I could give them, you know, somewhere I could send them to save myself time.
So that was the initial goal. And then it's like, OK, so what's the best way to go about doing that?
That's so fun. This could be like party favors.
It could be great. A lot of things you could do with the book.
So great. Fun, fun, fun, fun. Okay. So that's a goal, right?
There's something specific we're trying to get a skill, a promotion, a job.
What about aim? Yeah. So this aim is like a statement of purpose or a stepping stone towards that overall goal.
So with the example you just shared is a great one.
My goal was to not have to write up instructions every time a friend asked about it.
The aim was like, OK, write a book that I could just send.
OK, so they feel very similar to me. Do you think they're somewhat interchangeable sometimes?
A little bit. Yes. But like this aim, I think of it when you see it as a stepping stone.
Right. If the goal is the end result, your aims are your stepping stones.
What will help you reach that goal? So, for example, education. right?
Completing a master's degree. You could see that as your goal.
My goal is to complete a master's degree, but really that's an aim that leads you to a bigger goal, what you want to do for work, what you're going to do with that degree.
Ah, okay. Okay. All right. So yeah. So we have to ask ourselves whether our aims are driving us closer to our goal or not, right?
Sometimes we can get off track. Does that ever happen to you?
Absolutely. I think that's so vital because you might, you know, be working on more than one aim at the same time.
And it's easy to lose sight of the overall goal, right?
If the aim starts feeling like the end all be all like completing a master's degree, right?
You have to keep that bigger goal in mind to keep motivation going.
So it's something like maybe every year we need to have a check in with ourselves to see if like the things that we're doing are getting us to our goals, if our aims are actually achieving the goal, getting us on the right track.
I'm also thinking about like rebalancing a portfolio, a stock portfolio, something like that. right?
Yes. Good point, right? You have to reassess aims often because goals will shift and change and you want to make sure you're still on track to meet the goals that you've set.
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So now let's get it. This one I like the best personally, because it's the most tangible.
Yeah. It's the thing I can write down and I can cross it off.
And we know in American culture, we love doing that.
Absolutely. Right. So your objective, this is going to be a series of tasks and activities that if they're completed, they enable you to achieve an aim.
Right. With the goal in mind. OK, so it's like the lowest level.
Right. The most specific thing we can do.
So, for example, completing a task, an assignment, taking a class or even doing a lesson inside of a class.
Yes, absolutely. One daily module, like small steps so that you can check off some things.
Yeah, I love it. I love it. Or do we have it?
Let's get a specific example here. I think this will be so much easier for our listeners.
Do you have an example to bring into the show today?
Sure. So my daughter Adeline recently told us that she has a goal of one day owning and running a coffee shop, which I love that idea.
She's envisioning a bakery counter someplace people would come to work.
And I love this goal for her. And we had to kind of sit down and say, okay, you know, what aims would you need in order to get there?
Right. We, we recommended that not only would she complete a bachelor's, but that she should get an MBA so that she knows how to run a business.
Right. Yeah. Okay. And then another aim would be to gain experience in the field.
That's something she could start doing right now.
So she got a job as a line cook at a restaurant and she's learning so much that she would eventually use for that goal.
Right. Yeah, the whole culture of, you know, apprenticeship, right?
I feel like it's kind of going out of style, but it's so important for this kind of thing.
If you want to start a small shop or a craft or anything involving baking or cooking, you kind of need to apprentice under someone and like learn from an expert in a way.
Yes, absolutely. I think that's the best way to get real skill that you like if you can apprentice under someone who's figured it out and is doing it right.
You can save yourself so many mistakes and pitfalls along the way because they've already learned those lessons for you.
Oh, I love it. I love it. I love the idea of owning a little coffee shop, like a town, you know, in the town and people come in that she knows and can build relationships with people in the town.
So cool. So I know I was very much encouraging, you know, and we, because she's young, she's only 16.
We're also having the conversation of like, stay open-minded.
Don't feel like you can never change. If you get some excited about something else, she took a, an AP psychology course.
And then she was like, maybe I want to be a psychiatrist, you know?
Don't, you know, pigeonhole yourself right now.
You've got time to make these decisions.
But if you want to do this, it's definitely something that you would have to think about.
What are the objectives? Right. Right now, get good grades in school so that you can complete further education.
Right. These daily tasks and assignments she needs to do as stepping stones.
Yeah. Or maybe even something around honing the eye for problem solving as a business owner.
Maybe when she walks into coffee shops, she could say, hmm, you know, what is the bottleneck here that's going on?
Or what is something I would improve in my coffee shop?
Or how could I make this better in my place?
Like always, like, I love that idea. I love how business is so directly in it's in front of life, like it is life, right?
So you can walk into anywhere and business is right in front of you.
And you can imagine how to make it better.
Absolutely. And her current job, she's learning so much about managerial skills, like what does she want in a manager?
And therefore, what would she want to make sure is happening at a place she potentially owned one day, like for just keeping our eyes and our minds open to recognize what works and what doesn't life is our coach, you know, we're learning so much every day.
I love that. So she needs to be taking notes for sure.
Yes, exactly. Good stuff. Okay. So we've broken down her goal, right?
Her goal is to own and run that coffee shop.
Her aim is to complete the bachelor, maybe a master's even.
And the objective is the specific things.
So for Jorgen, for our listener, you know, that's your answer, right?
Those are your three words and that's how they're different.
So what should our listeners kind of think about when they apply this to their own career or their work, Aubrey?
Yeah, I think it's so smart to not just have that big overarching goal.
I can use myself as an example, right? I had this goal of not having to send game instruction.
That was probably eight years ago, guys.
Oh my gosh, eight years ago, is that right?
It's like a long time ago that this first started sort of being a nuisance that I was like, I need to fix this problem.
What can I do? And I'm busy, I'm working.
So it's not a given that you're going to like figure out your aims, figure out your objectives to make sure that you reach that goal in a reasonable amount of time, right?
Especially for a mom of four kids, a goal can take a lot of time.
But the more I think specific we are in planning those steps and checking them off a list, the faster we're going to reach that goal.
Yeah, guys. And check out this concept of objectives and key results.
OKRs. It's very in fashion right now in a lot of companies.
And, you know, there might be a way you guys can implement that even in your daily life.
You know, it doesn't just have to be in the business world.
So absolutely right. Yes, it's so vital at work.
It's really what helps you feel like you're achieving things, you're accomplishing something every day.
But even in life, right, these skills all pertain to our personal life as well, where we're wanting to set goals there as well.
Maybe it's just about setting a better work life balance.
Like if you have a goal to be less extreme one side or the other, you want those objectives, you want those key results so that you know what actions it takes to get you there.
Yes, I love it. Good language for business and life.
Good stuff, Aubrey. All right. Well, thanks for bringing in this personal example.
I love that. And I love the idea of small business, you know, people starting small businesses and building up a community.
So good. So good. Yes, absolutely. I want you guys to be able to discuss your goals with coworkers, with friends, such an important communication skill, right?
So hopefully this vocab, this understanding of these, you know, these words and what exactly they mean will help you be able to start that conversation.
All right. Sounds good. I'll talk to you very soon.
Have a good day. Thanks, Lindsay. Bye. Bye.
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