Marcus Jones is in his element, with a professional life that aligns to his gifts for inspiring people and businesses to adapt and grow. He embodies unrelenting enthusiasm, drive and commitment, and his work as an OKR senior consultant reflects his strong desire to help employees realise their true potential and improve the way businesses operate.
The coaching spark was ignited almost 20 years ago when he was enlisted into several family businesses and charged with making them grow. That experience became the springboard from which to launch into the world of consultancy, focusing on strategy development and implementation, performance management and continuous improvement.
Discovering the OKR methodology fanned the flames of a fire that had actually already started. That’s because in the years leading up to the pandemic, Marcus had been adapting the more traditional consulting frameworks and models to reflect the chaotic, turbulent and rapidly changing business environment of the time.
Brexit, geopolitical upheaval, and online disruptors had created an unpredictable landscape that demanded agility and a framework that could roll with the punches.
Nevertheless, putting a name – OKR – onto something he was already doing, still felt like a
hallelu-wow-jah moment.
The tumult of Covid-19 did not dampen the enthusiasm, it added fuel to it. The pandemic highlighted that certain types of strategy consulting services, especially OKR, were ideal for the so-called ‘new normal’, and could be effectively delivered remotely in addition to the more traditional face to face approach. That recognition became the launchpad for OKRAdvisory, born out of a consultancy firm that had already been around for 20 years.
Excellent people skills are key for our OKR consultants and Marcus can lead energetic strategy sessions, facilitating the important conversations that matter, and cultivating close-knit teams. Driven by the belief that people feel fulfilled and will succeed when they have a shared sense of purpose, he has a gift for connecting people.
"As someone who finds people fascinating, and believes that all good business thrives on communication, I’m lucky that I found my calling in my early working life.
The interaction between individuals, ideas, motivations, and objectives is a heady mix and trying to understand the nuances in order to deliver a successful project is something that I love.
Even if a project is diverted off-course, understanding the reasons why and finding the right responses to remediate the issues is fascinating to me.
I expect that’s also why I studied Psychology and Neuroscience when I was younger."
As well as working with people, Marcus also likes the variety of the job, the ability to carry on learning, see the positive changes, and be a master of his own destiny. Another prize is the effects on the wider community.
"I believe OKRs can be a real force for the achievement of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives within business, something which many have traditionally struggled with in the past.
‘Some of the strengths of OKRs are that they engender staff engagement and try to move businesses away from working in silos, both things that are critical for ESG objectives to be implemented."
A typical working day starts early and involves client meetings, face-to-face and online, and speaking to prospective clients about their potential requirements. The best part of the day is being part of the buzz that teams feel when they get clarity and a line of sight on where they want to be.
And if you’re wondering what his own professional OKR goals are, well, current thinking is that extending OKRs down to an individual level is counterproductive. But for the consultancy, they are based around being the most highly rated and valued.
In his spare time Marcus enjoys sea swimming, surfing and travelling far and wide with his family.