Every day brings new surprises when you're running a startup. For businesspeople, that uncertainty can make goal setting feel futile. It is hard to make a plan when there is little predictability about what the year brings. But creating goals that account for the compliance and spontaneity required when administering an organization not only helps future proof your business plan, it can also be empowering. All business people have a grand vision for what their organization is capable of, and we get caught up in directing only on the apparent goals: product launches,  revenue targets, team growth, and partnerships,

As we plan to tackle 2020, plan goals that keep you anchored by providing for the intangibles of operating a business.

 Start these 5 steps

1. Examine your plans

In today's hyper-competitive environment, it's easy to set our eyes on accomplishments that look like success on the outside but may not benefit our company as much as we think. It might be an uptick in Instagram followers or attendance at a high-profile conference.

None of those aspirations is inherently problematic, but as you set your goals, consider the most impactful in the year. Importantly, ask yourself if it is something you want to work towards it or if it is just something that looks good on paper. Time is limited and more selective and helpful we can be about our goals is more likely they'll be to add to our success and happiness.

2. Learn something new

When setting your goals and identify objectives that demand, you learn a new skill. Permit yourself and, indeed, a mandate to thrive outside your comfort zone. Sign up for accreditations and coursework, immerse yourself in new design software, learn to do ad buying or plan on visiting at least one networking event a month. The idea is to stay closed in by developing your thinking and skillsets, helping yourself in ways you might have otherwise missed out.

There were several years in my entrepreneurial journey when caught up in the day to day that I rarely prioritized possibilities outside of the business. It's easy to see how that offered to feel isolated or burnt out. As business leaders, we must embrace the rewards of investing both in ourselves and in each other. Community engagement and skill improvement are circular processes and give the fuel to keep going.

3. Ask yourself whom your goals impact

Our businesses don't exist in a bubble. The goals we set impact our community, personal lives, and team members who work alongside. For instance, if you'll be working toward an ambitious operations expansion this year, make sure you account for the effects it has on the people around you. Talk with partners and partners about what to expect and how you can support one another. Evaluate how your growth might impact your area economically and socially, inform your workplace culture, and influence customer perception.

Ambition is necessary for building your business, but what good is it if, on balance, it's resulted in a chance for those who have made offerings to help you achieve success.

In other words: Don't climb a hill only to find yourself alone when you reach the top. Make sure your plans and goals account for those around you.

4. Leave room for inspiration

Once the planning ahead gears are turning, it can be attractive to over-predict where you might land. Having a watertight form makes us feel like the business is safe and permanent, almost like we've achieved what's on our list before we've even begun.

But being too rigid or particular can lead us to miss out on amazing events. As you set your goals, it is okay if they cover broad placeholders. Grey areas aren't necessarily a bad thing. Communicating the value of compliance to your team, too, help ensure emerging possibilities are considered and support many ways of thinking. It is the difference between having the freedom to pursue a significant new business or sending that email to spam because it doesn't quickly contribute to the quarter's revenue goals. It effectively permits your employees to pursue de-risking the business, rather than encouraging the pursuit of growth at all costs.

What means most isn't sticking to a particular goal or plan but making measurable progress towards your higher vision. Stay true to your intentions and flexible in your path. Learn to check in with yourself seasonally to make adjustments.

5. Plan to observe along the way

Anything like other most business people, probably tend to cross one fulfilment off the list, then quickly move onto the next without a meaningful image. Let's change that in 2020. Plan to think about what you've learned and recognized unexpected wins along the way, too. Build-in awards for yourself ahead of time and account for them in your budget now, like celebratory dinners and offsite meetings with your company. Take time at the end of a particularly busy month to journal on your thoughts and accomplishments. And schedule a damn vacation for yourself.

Support those who contributed to your success. It's easy to get up in our work that we forget the importance of a simple acknowledgement. Don't think the people around you already know how grateful you are.

Often, we miss out on business, defining opportunities and embrace the false sense of security that comes with overplanning. In 2020, by making room for the unexpected, we can change that.