What’s Your Big Goal?

Chapter 1
Taking People With You: The Only Way to Make BIG Things Happen
By David Novak (Chairman & CEO of YUM! Brands)
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The first job of a successful leader is to have an idea of where you want to lead people.  I start off asking a straightforward question:

What’s the single biggest thing you can imagine that will grow your business or change your life?

I said it was a straightforward question; I didn’t say it was an easy one.  The answer that you come up with is what I call a Big Goal, by which I mean something more than just small improvements or modest growth.  It’s not very bold to do just marginally better than the year before.

Setting the right goal is the key to achieving success, and leaders often fall short in this area by not aiming high enough.  None of us wants to fail, for a whole host of reasons (job preservation being among the top ones), so we tend to be cautious about how high we set our sights.  But the truth is, shooting for just good enough rather than for greatness will not inspire the people around you.  It also means that you’ll never get a chance to find out what you and the people you lead are truly capable of.  And that’s a shame, for your business, for your people and for yourself.

Image: Actioncoach.com