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Setting a goal isn’t about the destination.
It’s about 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲.
I was working with a client to develop new business ideas that could become their new S curve.
The team was full of energy and ideas, but the ideas were all along the current trajectory. There were no breakthrough ones.
So, I tried a different approach. I asked,
"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬' 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? 𝐒𝐚𝐲… $𝟓𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧?”
($50M was about 20x their current revenue).
That was the spark.
Suddenly, the conversation wasn’t just about “setting goals” but about how they could reach that $50 million.
The simple act of putting a number out there transformed the discussion.
We started talking about scalability, new business models, and pathways they hadn’t considered before.
Sometimes, 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝.
In this case, setting that big, audacious target highlighted what their existing business model lacked: scalability, and the capacity to grow in new directions.
Here’s 3 ways to start setting transformative goals:
🔴 𝟏 𝐁𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐝
Don’t just set “safe” targets. Push yourself to think bigger — bold goals bring bold ideas.
🟡 𝟐 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬
Use the goal as a way to spark meaningful questions and new strategies, not just as an end result.
🔵 𝟑 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐩𝐬
Let the goal reveal what’s missing in your current approach, be it scalability, new channels, or capabilities you need to build.
What’s a goal that’s made you rethink your approach?
I first published this reflection on the "Innovation Made Simple. Growth Made Real” series on LinkedIn in Dec 2024. The cover photo in this post was taken by me in November 2024. I was at one end of the Cijin Star Sky Tunnel (星空隧道) on the Cijin Island in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It’s so named because the walls of the tunnel is decorated with glow in the dark lightings. https://khh.travel/en/attractions/detail/409
