How Leading Consulting Firms Equipped Their Advisors to Coach OKRs

Meet the Consulting Firms

The OKR Institute worked with consultants from several leading firms, including PWC, BCG, Grant Thornton, Accenture, and Deloitte. The coaching was led by Dirk Schmellenkamp and Dirk Coetsee. The aim was to coach these consultants on the Objectives and Key Results framework so they could bring it into their own work with clients. When consultants understand OKRs deeply, they can help the companies they advise improve strategic alignment, execution, and agility. In other words, this was training that would ripple outward to many other organizations, well beyond the consultants themselves.

The Knowledge and Consistency Gap

The consulting firms shared a few common challenges. The first was a knowledge gap. Even among skilled consultants, there was a real gap in deep, practical understanding of the OKR framework. The second was consistency across very different clients. Each client a consultant works with has its own context and goals, so coaching on OKRs in a consistent, effective way across all of them is hard. The third was integration. Consultants needed to bring OKRs together with the many strategic and management methods they already use, without causing disruption or watering down the impact of either.

Consultants are advisors by trade, so they cannot afford to be uncertain about a framework they recommend. The bar for their understanding was high, because their credibility with clients depends on knowing the method inside out.

Building Deep Practical Expertise

The OKR Institute built a multi-part program to address these challenges.

• Customized coaching programs: We developed tailored coaching for consultants, covering the fundamentals of OKRs, advanced techniques, and how to integrate OKRs with other consulting methods.
• Practical application workshops: We ran workshops where consultants practiced OKR planning and execution in simulated client scenarios, building hands-on experience and problem-solving skill.
• Resources and toolkits: We provided comprehensive resources, toolkits, and ongoing support so consultants could coach their own clients on implementing and sustaining OKRs.

The simulated client scenarios were a practical touch. They let consultants make their mistakes in practice rather than in front of a paying client, so they walked into real engagements with genuine confidence.

What Made it Work

• Multiplier effect: Training the people who advise others spread good OKR practice far beyond the consultants themselves to every client they touch.
• Hands-on simulation: Practicing in simulated client scenarios built real confidence, so consultants could guide messy real-world implementation, not just describe theory.
• Integration with existing methods: The training showed how OKRs fit alongside other strategic tools, avoiding disruption to established consulting approaches.
• Depth over surface knowledge: The program ensured consultants understood OKRs well enough to handle situations that do not match the textbook.

What Changed at the Consulting Firms

What This Shows

This case is interesting because the impact does not stop with the consultants. By coaching advisors at firms like PWC, BCG, and Deloitte, the OKR Institute helped improve the work those consultants do for many other organizations. It is a multiplier effect. The lesson is that investing in the people who advise others can spread good practice far and wide. When consultants truly understand a framework like OKRs, every client they touch can benefit, which makes that kind of training unusually valuable. It is also a reminder of why depth matters more than surface knowledge. A consultant who has only skimmed a framework can describe it, but cannot guide a client through the messy reality of putting it to work.