Threshold is centered on you, your leadership, and the impact you want to have.
Select the level that best reflects your current role. This is your starting point, not a judgment.
Month Three is where the thinking becomes the doing.
In Month One, you examined who you are as a leader and how you show up under pressure. In Month Two, you learned to see systems clearly and diagnose root causes before reaching for solutions. That work was foundational. This month, you build on both.
Intervention design requires two things working together: self-awareness, so you do not become the obstacle in your own plan, and systems awareness, so you are solving the actual problem rather than its loudest symptom.
This module will teach you to design interventions that are realistic, scoped, and executable. You will learn to think in charters, milestones, and ownership structures. You will learn to communicate before you build. And you will apply all of it to a real problem in your work.
The leaders who change organizations are not the ones with the best ideas. They are the ones who can turn diagnosis into disciplined action. That is what this month is about.
Before we dive in, take three minutes to assess your current approach. This is private. No one sees your results. Be honest.
When asked to lead an intervention, I clearly define purpose, scope, and outcome before execution begins.
I can distinguish realistic interventions from ones that are too broad to succeed.
I break interventions into clear deliverables and milestones that show progress along the way.
I identify who owns each part of an intervention so responsibility is never vague or assumed.
I pause before launching to identify what could go wrong and how to plan for resistance or uncertainty.
I build timelines that reflect how work actually happens, not how I wish it would happen.
I convert broad goals into specific actions that people can realistically execute within their current capacity.
Month Three bridges your diagnostic work from Month Two into executable plans. You have identified the root cause. Now you will learn to design an intervention that is scoped, communicated, and structured to succeed.
Before you go any further, sit with these questions for a moment. You do not need to write them down. Just let them land.
Think of an intervention you have seen fail. Was the plan the problem, or was it how the plan was communicated and owned? What is the difference?
Before people will support your intervention, they must understand it. Most interventions fail not because the plan was wrong, but because the people it depended on never fully understood what was being asked of them or why.
“Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.”
Brené Brown (2022)
Think of a time when unclear communication sank a good intervention. What was missing? What would have changed if the communication had been clearer earlier?
Effective intervention communication is not about telling people what to do. It is about connecting what you are asking to something they already care about.
“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”
Simon Sinek (2023)
Think of the root cause you identified in Month Two. How does the intervention you are planning connect to something your team or organization already cares about? What is the shared aspiration your intervention is serving?
ADKAR is a change management framework that structures communication around what people actually need to move through change. Use it to design your intervention communication from the start.
The most common reason well-designed interventions fail is not poor execution. It is that the scope was never clearly defined. When everything is in scope, nothing gets done well.
From Month Two, you know that technical problems and adaptive challenges require different interventions. That distinction also shapes how you scope.
A charter is not a bureaucratic document. It is the one page that answers every question someone might ask before or during your intervention. It replaces assumption with agreement.
A note on ownership: The moment you write "team" next to a deliverable, that deliverable is at risk. Teams discuss. Teams contribute. Individuals deliver. One person should be able to answer the question: "Is this done?" If the answer requires a committee decision, the ownership is wrong.
A plan without milestones is a deadline with no map. A plan without risk assessment is optimism dressed up as strategy. This lesson covers both.
Name at least three risks before you begin. For each risk, identify the likelihood, the potential impact, and the mitigation strategy. Risks you cannot mitigate become decisions: do you proceed knowing the risk, or do you address it first?
For the intervention you are planning in your organization, name two strong milestones and two risks with their mitigation strategies. Use the formats above.
This is the applied work for Month Three. Use your Month Two root cause analysis as the starting point. You are designing a real intervention for a real problem in your organization. Work through each element carefully.
Write one to two sentences that describe why this intervention exists and what root cause it addresses.
Name each concrete deliverable and the single person accountable for it.
How will you address each ADKAR element for the people this intervention affects?
Month Three is where diagnosis becomes design. The charter you have built here is a living document. You will refine it in your coaching session and revisit it in Month Four as you move from design into execution.
“What did this module change about how I will approach the next intervention I am asked to lead?”
“Where am I most tempted to skip the planning work and go straight to action?”