"Working hard is important, but there’s something that matters even more: Believing in OKRs."
― Harry Potter (probably)

:magic_wand: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!

Hero Profile

Name: Harry Potter

Credentials: Triwizard Champion, Master of Death, Auror, Head of the Department of Magical Law

Personality: Brave, Loyal, Selfless, Terrible Planner

Mission

Restore the wizarding world to peace by fulfilling the prophecy

OKR

Objective	Defeat Voldemort	72.7%
Description	As one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time rises to power once again, the only person who can stop him is the chosen one, Harry Potter.
KR 1	Destroy 100% of the Horcruxes (Roofshot)	100%
KR 2	Own all 3 Deathly Hallows (Moonshot)	33%
KR 3	100% of main characters remain alive (Moonshot)	85%
Task	Protect the Hogwarts castle (Roofshot)	Failed
Task	Realize Snape’s true intentions	Complete

OKR Analysis — What We Can Learn From Harry Potter

KR1: Teamwork is essential

Voldemort went above and beyond to make himself immortal, using horcruxes (an object which holds part of a person’s soul) to make it virtually impossible for him to die. Destroying all seven of Voldemort’s horcruxes would be no easy task.

At this point in the series, we know that two of them are already gone.

Tom Riddle’s Diary was destroyed by a basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets
Marvolo Gaunt’s ring was broken by Dumbledore in the Half-Blood Prince.

The rest were taken care of in The Deathly Hallows. This OKR is a perfect example of an entire team contributing towards a certain Key Result:

Ron destroyed the locket of Salazar Slytherin using the Sword of Gryffindor (3)
Hermione stabbed Helga Hufflepuff’s cup with a basilisk fang (4)
Our favorite Neville beheaded Nagini (5)
Crabbe accidentally destroyed Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem in the Room of Requirement via Fiendfyre (6)

Ironically, the last, unknown horcrux (7) was destroyed by Voldemort himself in the Forbidden Forest. We can give Harry the full 100% on the KR progress, but, it was an exemplary display of teamwork.

KR2: Becoming the Master of Death is no easy feat

Seriously limited by time and the fact that the Elder Wand was with Voldemort, this Key Result was set up for failure from the very beginning. Even though the odds were not in his favor, Harry did better than expected.

One of the deathly hallows, the Invisibility Cloak, always belonged to Harry. It was mostly utilized for avoiding Filch, Snape, and punishment in the earlier books, but it became an integral part of the plan for destroying the horcruxes.

For the greater part of the hunt, the snitch containing the Resurrection Stone was unopenable due to charms placed on it by Dumbledore. After realizing that he was one of the Horcruxes (by completing Task 2), Harry wanted to sacrifice himself.

As he walked toward his death, Harry was finally able to retrieve the Stone by placing the Snitch to his lips, revealing his intentions to die.

Finally, nearly a year after Draco unintentionally became the wand's master, Harry Potter took Draco's wand by force during the Skirmish of Malfoy Manor. Harry became the new and final master of the Elder Wand.

Taking all of his efforts into consideration, we are going to give Harry 33% on this KR. After all, he broke the wand and the stone got lost in the Forbidden Forest.

KR3: Priorities “Always” shift depending on the circumstances

Had we asked Harry which Key Result would be the most important for him, he would probably choose this. Harry always wanted to keep everyone safe, especially his friends; in the Deathly Hallows, he finally realizes that the prophecy is bigger than him and everyone, thus, his priorities shift and achieving the Objective inevitably requires sacrifices.

The deaths of Hedwig, Dobby, Fred, Moody, and several others came as a bitter surprise to Harry. When one is focused and knows clearly what their priorities are, sacrifices are not difficult.

All the main characters who died realized they were doing it in the name of the greater good, so they accepted their fate and died as heroes.

Being agile in his decision-making process and shifting priorities allowed Harry to fulfill his destiny. While many of the main characters died in the Deathly Hallows, we must admit that overall, Harry did a good job protecting the wizarding world, giving him a total of 85% progress on this KR.

Task 1: Protect the Hogwarts castle

The moment he stepped foot in Hogwarts, Harry knew it would be the only place he could call home. Protecting the castle would become one of the most important tasks for him, which is why it's a crucial moment in the storyline.

Losing the battle at Hogwarts would be unthinkable for Harry, as attached to this place as he is; however, the long-term goal is different and the task should not be a distraction from it.

Failing a task isn’t always a bad thing if you keep moving towards the Objective in the long run. Being an output-driven task, the failure to protect Hogwarts didn’t negatively impact the overall fight against Voldemort.

Task 2: Snape wasn’t always a bad guy after all

Bad guy turned good guy turned bad guy turned good guy

Getting lost on the way to achieving a big and important goal is neither difficult, nor uncommon.

Sometimes Harry was so focused on what he was trying to achieve, he completely ignored the people he met on the way there — whether they were trying to help or not. Stepping in someone else's shoes and seeing things from a different perspective can always be beneficial.

Tasks that we didn't plan in the beginning sometimes become the driving force required to push our Key Result progress through the roof.

How Harry Potter translates to your goal setting

The wizarding world is difficult to compare to the actual business world, however, we cannot ignore the lessons learned from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

While our day-to-day might not involve defeating an army of Death Eaters or fighting the Dark Lord, each one of us encounters obstacles and challenges on a daily basis, both on a team and individual level.

Being quick, brave, and honest will always help us, as poetic as it might sound.

Protecting the team's integrity and priorities while fighting to achieve the bigger goal is not always an easy road, but we can learn from Harry to always remember what we're fighting for.

A small failure does not necessarily mean failing our Objective, the same way a change of priorities does not necessarily mean forgetting the goal.

“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without OKRs.”
— Albus Dumbledore (probably)

The Blog.

Harry Potter's OKR in the Deathly Hallows: Heroes of OKR