North East based AuxinOKR is a consultancy that practices what it preaches. Transparency and teamwork are essential to delivering successful OKRs and the firm starts with itself before coaching others in its methods
Great companies and organisations are usually built around great leadership teams – a group of people all aligned and focussed on an overarching vision. They, in turn, rely on teams of people around them, all working to reach a series of business objectives. When all the different parts of a company are aligned and working to a clear vision you have the perfect environment of a management framework, or methodology called OKRs (objectives and key results). Everyone understands the objectives and has an agreed set of key results that help attain these goals.
AuxinOKR, a leading UK business coaching specialist, not only helps companies with their OKR strategy and execution but applies the same methodology to itself. This has never been more important as the consultancy grows and expands its network of specialist associates around the country and overseas.
The founding leadership team of Peter Kerr, Mark Richard and David Anderson all come from different business backgrounds from the corporate world, the start-up and SME environment to tech companies.
Peter Kerr, managing director of Auxin OKR, explained: “Auxin has been around for many years, running as a small, successful generic business support consultancy. But after reviewing our own objectives a couple of years ago we sharpened our focus and invested time in understanding OKRs.
“As a result, we completely transformed and changed our model, and started reaching outside of the North East to win work with larger and more corporate clients. “By embracing and applying what we preach, it’s reassuring to see the positive impact OKRs can have on any size of business from the ambitious startups, to scale-ups and ultimately the large, global corporates. We’re working with them all.”
Few business coaching and management consultancies have the expertise to advise on this style of goal management system; within a fairly short time AuxinOKR has become one of the leading exponents in the UK. National and international blue-chip organisations, along with tech startups have turned to AuxinOKR for support in the development and implementation of this goalsetting management process.
New clients include Admiral Group, Zuhlke, Crowdforce and Chargebee. During the past 12 months AuxinOKR has been working with Legal & General, Which? Rolls-Royce, and South African banking group Absa.
AuxinOKR’s Mark Richard explained: “Having applied OKRs to ourselves and through working with companies who have embarked on their own OKR journey, we are constantly developing and refining our approach.
“We help companies see value where they haven’t previously. We guide our clients down exciting new paths, never taken before by them or their competitors. Much of the focus and effort in succeeding with OKRs is teamwork. Getting people excited, inspired and motivated and enjoy working together to achieve outstanding results.”
During the summer, Auxin OKR recognised it needed to enhance its own skills-set and appointed three highly experienced business coaches as associate consultants. The new associates are Oliver Deacon, a former finance director at Microsoft; Piero Alberici, a former export director at premium soft drinks company Fentimans; and Philip Crocker, a former banker and an internationally recognised coach. He started his career in HSBC in London and then Paris before moving into commercial property services, integrating technology and people to enhance performance.
Already all three have been involved in OKR projects for major clients. Mark Richard explained: “When we’re in coaching sessions you often start to get involved in wider aspects of a business, beyond the simple delivery of OKRs. Culture and workplace training and personnel matters often arise, and this is where some of our associates have stepped in.
” Piero and Philip have hard business skills, but they also have the softer people skills and an understanding of how to get people feel involved and empowered through the OKR process. “It’s important that the whole workforce feels ownership; they believe in the business, understand its goals and where it is headed. Philip has been a great help with me on coaching with Absa.” Elsewhere, Oliver Deacon, with skills in tech, data and finance has been involved in the coaching with Which?
AuxinOKR is steadily building its own portfolio of skills within the team and aims to extend the network of associates in 2021 by recruiting specialists in South Africa, India and the Netherlands
