6. Challenges and Risks: What are the potential obstacles or risks that could impede progress towards these goals, and how do you plan to mitigate them?
   
   Another area of consideration that tends to be forgotten is assessing potential challenges and risks and how you plan to deal with them when they come up...because they will! Ask questions like What if this doesn't work? What if this doesn't produce the results we were hoping for? What's our back-up plan? What will we do to make up the difference? Taking time to think through these possibilities on the front end creates security for your team because when something goes wrong or doesn't happen, there is no panic. The plan has already been made. You just need to flip to that contingency page in the plan.
7. Alignment and Collaboration: How do these goals align with the objectives of different departments or teams within your organization? How can collaboration be enhanced to achieve these goals collectively?
   
   Now it's time to think about how each team plays a role in working toward the organizations goal. Some of these will be easier to identify than others. Those teams who have a direct hand in the execution of a particular plan will be able to identify their part immediately. While administrative and "back room" teams may have to use a little bit of abstract thought. Usually these are thoughts that the frontline teams don't always have, but they are crucial in making sure they're not creating issues for the "back room" teams.
   
   For instance, let's say that the marketing team wants to add a form onto the website to gain emails and connect with new contacts and potential customers. Some questions you might ask are: Will this incur a cost? Whose card will the charges go on? Will this require admin support to follow up with form responses? Who will create the form? How will we track responses? Who will be responsible for keeping up with responses? What will we do with the responses? How often do we need to report on responses.
   
   PRO TIP: Lean into the skills of the critical thinkers on your team. This is their time to think through all the details and ask all the questions. For those on your team who are the "build it as we fly it" kind of people, this might feel like "too much" or overdoing it (and some of it will be), but they will also ask some very important and necessary questions that might otherwise get missed. Being surprised by these questions in the middle of a project can cause friction and may slow your progress.
8. Timeframe and Milestones: What are the specific milestones or checkpoints for tracking progress towards these goals throughout the year?
   
   So, we have goals for the year, and we've established KPIs to know when we win, but we also need to set milestones or checkpoints along the way to know if we're advancing at the right pace or not. These could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly, but the point is to break the big goals down to smaller chunks so it's easier to know when you're falling behind or when you're leaving the competition in the dust.
   
   Tracking your pace is just as important as tracking your overall goals. If your pace is too slow, it's an indication that you have either set a goal that's unreachable or that you've got an efficiency problem. Evaluating work performance and/or the systems you're using can help identify the wrench in the gears. If all systems are go and the right people are doing an excellent job, then consider whether or not the goal needs to be adjusted. If the goal can't be adjusted, then you need to evaluate your plan to see where you can increase the return on your efforts.
9. Adaptability and Agility: In a rapidly changing environment, how flexible are these goals? Are they adaptable to unforeseen circumstances or shifts in the market?
   
   This is a great question that we see far too few organizations asking. I like to say that we write our plans in pencil, and we give God the eraser. Inevitably, life will happen along the way, and not all of our plans will pan out exactly as we'd hoped. So, giving time to think about how you'll adapt when life shows up will save time in the end, and it will help decrease anxiety in your team.
   
   Let's say that you have a book, and you set a goal to sell X number of books this year. If your plan solely relies on Amazon for sales, what would happen if, God forbid, Amazon were to all of a sudden shut down and be unavailable? You would have to adapt! So, in the beginning, think about setting flexible goals. That could mean that you take the total number of book sales and divide them across 3 or 4 different ways of selling, and set smaller goals for each. There are probably an infinite number of ways you can build adaptability and agility into your goals, so get with your team and lean into their creative thought processes.
10. Commitment and Communication: How will you communicate these goals effectively to ensure alignment and commitment from your team or stakeholders?
    
    The last piece of the puzzle is communication. If everyone isn't clear on what the goals are and the plan to reach them, you end up with "wanderers." Highly motivated people (especially those with strong leadership skills) will make their own way where there is no way. If you don't set them on a clear path, they will blaze their own trail. And while this is a valuable quality when harnessed properly, a lack of clarity in communicating goals can make it possible for members of your team to be working against the whole team. Hear me, this doesn't mean they are organizational terrorists bent on destroying your organization. They just need clear direction.
    
    Before you take your place on the starting line, ready to leap at the sound of a gunshot, pause, and ask communication-centered questions like these: Who needs to know about the plan? What's the best way to tell them? (Email, messaging app, in-person, etc.) How often do they need to be reminded? How often do people need to check in with their own reporting so impact information makes its way back up to leaders? What communication rhythms do we already have in place where we can be strategic about reaffirming our goals, communicating changes, and celebrating wins? (Weekly huddles, team meetings, monthly newsletters, etc.)

I've put together a worksheet for you and your team to help you process these questions and form your plan. This tool is a free download, and all you have to do is click the link below and enter your email, and we will send you a copy of What You Need To Address in 2024. You can print as many copies of this as you need for your team.

Click here to download the tool: What You Need To Address in 2024.

Conclusion

At Integrus Leadership, our commitment is to support you in making this year extraordinary, ensuring that your efforts are aligned with your vision and purpose. Every training and tool we offer is excellent, and I pray that they have helped you along the way. In 2024, if you want to take your leadership, ministry, team, or organization to the next level, consider executive coaching. Executive coaching provides that life-on-life discipleship; something most leaders offer but don't receive themselves.

I am excited to announce that we're rolling out a more robust two-year executive coaching program. I'm eager to share this news with you because, as those who have experienced executive coaching know, when leaders are supported with the right tools, insights, guidance and feedback, they see a significant increase in their impact. And they make greater progress on their goals because they have the right support to help navigate the unknowns that life will inevitably throw at them.

Supporting more leaders through our new two-year executive coaching program is one of our priorities for this year. We're determined to help you and anyone at your organization overcome the obstacles that are keeping you stuck in maintenance mode, and that includes budget constraints. Take a moment to ask yourself "What could I accomplish if I had a coach by my side, helping me navigate the challenges this year holds and guiding me toward accomplishing my goals?"

Now, let's connect and talk about your personal needs, the needs of your team, and how we can work together to help you achieve the greatest impact of your life!