Houston Texas – 12/12/2016
You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.
-Mary Kay Ash
Have you ever set a goal that seemed impossible? At first, it seems futile to even try. As leaders, one of our most important roles in our companies is to challenge our teams with what is possible. Setting goals can be an arduous and argumentative exercise for any leadership team, yet setting lofty, seemingly unrealistic goals is the first step toward achieving them.
Remember the 4-minute mile? It was once deemed impossible for man to break the 4-minute mark, yet on May 6, 1954 Roger Bannister broke the record and the world watched as he proved possible what was believed to be impossible. Once that perception was obliterated, 4 other runners joined Bannister in the under 4-minute club within 13 months.
We have to look at our businesses in the same way- not what is probable, reachable or comfortable, but what is possible to maximize our company’s potential. It starts with us. We must set the stage for believing what is possible, and inspire our teams to reach new heights. I, for one, can tell you how rewarding and motivating it is to reach a distant summit. Jim Collins in his book “Build to Last” refers to these lofty goals as BHAG’s (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). I set my own for Culture Spark for 2016 revenue goals, thinking it was far too aggressive and overly optimistic. Low and behold, our team surpassed our BHAG in our first full year in business. You can, too.
Challenge yourself and your team to realize their full potential by challenging what is possible, breaking through existing barriers and self-limiting perceptions, and by setting stretch goals everyone in the organization can pursue.
All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
-Walt Disney