We’ve all experienced transformations at work. Product and service changes. Leadership moves. Acquisitions, divestitures, alliances. New markets. New systems and processes. Restructuring.

All transformations, when done well, are strengthened by a deliberate people management plan (historically called ‘stakeholder management’*). When we manage the people impacted by a transformation, the tailwinds are stronger, and the headwinds are diminished. 

Other people, and our ability to manage them, are similarly critical in our personal lives. Execute a personal people management plan to support the changes you want in 2024. Ask yourself:

• What are your personal goals for 2024? Neuroscience research shows we should aim for hard, but believable, goals. Consider the 6 elements that determine the quality of our lives as you define your personal goals:

• Career

• Finances

• Family/Relationships

• Personal Growth

• Physical and Mental Health

• Spirituality

• Who can help you achieve your goals for 2024? Consider people you know and those you’ve not yet met.

• Mentors and Sponsors

• Professional Coaches

• Doctors/Therapists/Counselors

• Courses/Teachers/Expert Advisors

• Friends and Family

• Self-directed Resources (apps and subscriptions)

• Who may be negatively impacted by your personal goals, and how will you address the impact on them. Will there be resistance? For example:

• If you want to run a marathon, how might your weekend training impact the family dynamic?

• If you’re driving hard toward that promotion, what must change with you traveling more?

• If you want to get a certification or take a class, what else will change around you during that pursuit?

• How will you define success, and in what timeframe?

• For the people you identified, seek their support. If you can't secure their support, be well aware of their resistance. Have the conversations you need to have.

Go get your personal goals. A coach can help.

*Note: I anticipate the word ‘stakeholder’ will cease common usage in the workplace. Some historians attribute the origin of the word ‘stakeholder’ to colonialism during which native land was claimed/stolen by placing stakes in the ground. Native people were then prevented from, even killed for, crossing the staked lines, and thus lost their land to the ‘stake holders.’