Can I Just Use the Same OKRs as My CEO?

If your CEO has already defined strong Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), it might feel efficient to simply adopt them as your own. After all, they're aligned with company goals, right?

But here’s the short answer:
No — and here’s why.

Let’s break down why copying leadership OKRs isn’t effective, and what you should do instead to create real impact and alignment.

OKRs Are Meant to Be Specific, Not Shared

OKRs are designed to translate strategy into action.
What the CEO needs to accomplish at a company-wide level is often very different from what you or your team should be focused on.

For example:

• A CEO Objective might be: “Increase company revenue by 30% this year.”
• A sales team’s OKR could be: “Convert 150 new enterprise leads.”
• A marketing team’s OKR might be: “Grow website traffic by 40% through content and campaigns.”

They all support the same company direction — but from different angles.

Simply copying the CEO’s OKRs won’t make your contributions clearer — it might actually blur your team’s focus.

Why Copying OKRs Doesn’t Work

Here are the main reasons this approach backfires:

1. Different Roles Require Different Focus

The CEO thinks and acts at a strategic, company-wide level. Your role likely impacts a smaller — but no less important — slice of the business.
Your OKRs should reflect your direct sphere of influence.

2. Lack of Ownership

OKRs are most effective when teams actively define what success looks like. Simply inheriting someone else’s OKRs can lead to passivity or misalignment.

3. Confusion Over Accountability

If multiple teams are working under the same OKRs, it becomes harder to track who's responsible for what. That dilutes results — and motivation.

What to Do Instead: Align Without Duplicating

Rather than using the exact same OKRs as your CEO, follow these steps:

1. Understand the CEO’s OKRs

Read and digest your leadership’s OKRs. What are they trying to achieve, and why? What’s the bigger picture?

2. Ask: Where Can We Add Value?

Identify how your department or team can contribute to those top-level goals. Think about which levers you can pull that will move the company forward.

3. Set Your Own OKRs That Ladder Up

Write OKRs that are specific to your team’s mission and capabilities, while still connecting clearly to the company-wide priorities.

Example: Translating the CEO’s OKR

Let’s say your CEO has this Objective:

Objective: Become the market leader in our category
KR1: Win 3 large enterprise contracts
KR2: Achieve 90% customer satisfaction
KR3: Increase market share by 10%

As a product team, your version might look like:

Objective: Deliver a product experience that enterprise clients love
KR1: Launch 3 requested enterprise features
KR2: Reduce product-related support tickets by 30%
KR3: Achieve 95% feature satisfaction score from enterprise clients

See the difference? You’re not copying — you’re contributing.

Final Thought: Use Leadership OKRs as a Compass, Not a Copy

OKRs work best when everyone contributes their unique strengths toward a shared direction.

So instead of mirroring your CEO’s OKRs, make them your starting point.
Use them to spark a conversation with your team:
What can we do to make this happen in our area?

That’s how alignment and impact are truly built.

Need Help Translating Strategy into Action?

We’ve helped dozens of teams connect company OKRs to real, measurable outcomes — without copy-pasting.‍

Book a strategy session today and learn how to turn leadership goals into focused team results.

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