Preparing for OLR: How to Showcase Your Team’s Successes
How many details of your team’s wins will you actually remember next quarter?
This is Leadership Lessons, your blueprint for practical leadership success and actionable advice on how to excel as a manager, like how to maximize your productivity.
Operational Leadership Reviews (OLRs) are a manager’s time to shine—or, if you’re unprepared, sweat. These high-stakes meetings demand a clear, compelling showcase of your team’s contributions. But let’s face it: remembering every detail of your team’s triumphs months later is like trying to recall what you had for lunch two Thursdays ago—possible, but unnecessarily painful.
What Is an OLR, and Why Does It Matter?
For the uninitiated, an Operational Leadership Review (OLR) is a formal meeting where managers present updates on their team’s performance, projects, and progress toward organizational goals. Think of it as a quarterly report—but live, with an audience, and a chance to make your team’s hard work shine.
OLRs are important for several reasons:
Visibility: They provide leadership with a clear picture of how your team contributes to the company’s success.
Advocacy: They’re your opportunity to advocate for resources, highlight achievements, and share lessons learned.
Career Impact: A well-prepared OLR doesn’t just reflect on your team—it showcases your leadership skills and strategic thinking.
In short, nailing your OLR can elevate your team’s reputation and your own credibility as a leader.
Luckily, if you’ve been following along with our posts on keeping a success journal and documenting achievements in real time, you’ve already laid the groundwork for a smooth and impressive OLR. Think of this as the next step: turning your team’s hard work into a narrative that sticks with your audience.
This guide will help you present your team’s successes in a way that’s clear, strategic, and even a little fun. Yes, fun—because what’s the point of winning if you can’t enjoy sharing it?
Step 1: Build Your Arsenal of Wins
OLR success starts with preparation, not procrastination. If you’ve been tracking your team’s achievements in real time and curating them in a success journal, you’re ahead of the game. These records are your arsenal.
Here’s what to catalog:
Project Outcomes: Use metrics, not vague platitudes. "Increased efficiency by 30%" beats "We worked hard."
Team Contributions: Shout out specific individuals or subgroups who went above and beyond.
Organizational Alignment: Show how your team’s work contributes to broader goals.
Example Tip: Use a digital tool like Obsidian to tag accomplishments by project, goal, or contributor. Hyperlink individual wins to larger initiatives, making it easy to connect the dots when preparing for your OLR.
Pro Tip: "Organized chaos" is not a system. Get those notes sorted now to save yourself from a last-minute scramble.
Step 2: Turn Data Into Stories
Nobody remembers a pile of raw numbers. What sticks are stories. Each team win can be turned into a three-act narrative:
The Challenge: What problem did your team face?
The Action: What creative or strategic steps did they take?
The Result: What measurable impact did their work have?
Example: "Facing a 20% spike in customer requests, the team implemented a new workflow that cut response times by 15%. Result? Happier customers and a 10% boost in satisfaction scores."
Step 3: Tailor Your Message to the Room
Not all OLR audiences are created equal. Executives love big-picture impact. Peers may care more about methods and collaboration. Tailor your stories to what they care about most.
For Executives: "This project directly supports our Q3 strategic objectives by increasing market share."
For Peers: "We piloted an agile workflow that others can replicate."
For Your Team: "Your innovative approach made this possible—thank you!"
Pro Tip: Think of tailoring your message like picking the right playlist for a road trip. You wouldn’t blast heavy metal for a car full of jazz enthusiasts (unless you really want them to leave).
Step 4: Make the Data Dance
A good chart is worth a thousand words (and probably 10 extra minutes of attention during your OLR). Use visuals to tell your story:
Before-and-After Comparisons: Show tangible progress.
Trends Over Time: Demonstrate sustained impact.
Key Metrics: Highlight results that matter most to your audience.
Example: A simple bar chart comparing pre- and post-implementation productivity levels can drive your point home faster than a paragraph of text.
Step 5: Give Credit Where It’s Due
Your team’s successes are a reflection of their talent and effort—so share the spotlight. Specific recognition is more meaningful than vague praise.
"Maria led the charge on redesigning our onboarding process, which reduced new hire turnover by 20%."
"The Ops team collaborated to streamline our supply chain, saving $50,000 this quarter."
Pro Tip: People who feel appreciated are more likely to repeat their efforts. Public acknowledgment in an OLR is a win-win: your team feels valued, and leadership sees you as a talent developer.
Step 6: Prepare for Curveball Questions
OLRs often come with questions that feel like pop quizzes:
Why did you choose this approach?
What obstacles did you face, and how did you overcome them?
How does this set us up for future success?
Don’t panic—treat these as opportunities to showcase your team’s adaptability and strategic thinking. Frame setbacks as growth opportunities, and highlight lessons learned.
Step 7: Follow Up Like a Pro
An OLR doesn’t end when you leave the room. Send a succinct follow-up email summarizing key takeaways, metrics, and next steps. This reinforces your message and ensures your team’s successes remain top of mind.
Pro Tip: Include a thank-you note to your team in your follow-up. It’s a small gesture with a big impact on morale.
Final Thoughts
Operational Leadership Reviews are more than performance updates—they’re your opportunity to advocate for your team, demonstrate your leadership, and secure recognition for the hard work that often goes unseen. Here are some final tips on making the most of these opportunities:
If you haven’t yet, start using a tool like Obsidian to log team accomplishments daily. Record quantitative outcomes for every major project or initiative.
Tailor your presentation to the decision-makers in the room. Research each audience member's priorities before your OLR. Focus on the metrics and accomplishments they care about most.
Highlight how your team’s work directly impacts organizational KPIs.
Structure your presentation with a "problem-solution-impact" framework.
Anticipate questions. Prepare explanations for project delays or missed targets and practice responding to common challenges.
By documenting achievements in real time, crafting compelling narratives, and tailoring your message to your audience, you can turn OLRs from stressful obligations into celebrations of success.
Because your team’s story isn’t just worth telling—it’s worth telling well.
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