Audacious Goals Lead You Further
Genevieve Price-Griffin
I help people in transition gain clarity, create action plans, and move forward confidently. Whether adjusting to major life changes, pivoting, or feeling stuck, I provide structure, strategies, and real-world solutions.
I was inspired by Charlene Li’s take, in her Leading Disruption letter, on setting audacious versus attainable goals.?
“That’s the difference it makes: even if your goal is impossibly audacious, merely aiming for it will change the way you do things. And that ensures that you’re making a greater impact — and bringing yourself closer to that high goal — than aiming for something achievable.”
On LinkedIn, under my name, you find “I teach my clients how to clarify their goals and take action to adapt to their life's transitions.”
How does this happen?
I ask where you are now, and where you want to go.? This is where audacity is important.? When you set a goal that you easily reach you’re quickly back to step one:? what’s next?? Humans get bored and that’s when it’s easy to get distracted.
I help you consider goals that are out of your comfort zone.? The experience of reaching for a higher bar transforms how you feel about yourself, and widens your scope.
After you choose the goal we break it down into manageable steps.
Keep it simple. I’d suggest stepping back and asking yourself if a more general goal will hit more than one area.? For example, speaking up more often or making sure your phone and your life are both “charged.” Then, we figure out how.
Decide what success means. Then track it.
I like to listen to John Doerr talk about OKRs. OKRs are objectives and key results. They’re a concrete way to know if you’re making progress.
It’s exhilarating to feel you’re making progress doing something too hard.
Setting goals that feel out of reach is the key to real growth. When you aim high you change how you approach problems, push past your comfort zone, and unlock potential you didn’t even know you had. Audacious goals keep you engaged, challenged, and on a path of continuous growth.?
Let’s explore how this works through four stories: Jake, a recent college graduate; Maria, a working mother with teens; David, who’s been laid off; and Lisa, a woman pivoting after 15 years in the same career.?
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1. Jake: From College Grad to Team Leader
Audacious Goal: Become a team leader at a top company within five years.
Jake graduated excited but unsure how to stand out in a competitive job market. He set his sights on leadership, even though he was starting at the bottom.
Steps to Get There:
In year two, Jake met his girlfriend, Emily.
Balancing a budding relationship with his ambitious career path forced him to rethink his time management. He learned to set boundaries at work and to prioritize his personal life at least part of the time.
His original goal expanded as his definition of a leader evolved into someone who values people who do more than work.?
Setback: After two years, Jake applied for an internal promotion and didn’t get it. The feedback: not enough leadership experience.
Jake felt disappointed but realized he needed to work differently. In addition to the hard-charging mentors he’d first sought out, he began connecting with people who seemed more innovative and sometimes shared his interest in travel.
Eventual Success: One of Jake’s new mentors identified a major side project, and suggested Jake as a lead.? He and his group were successful. He and Emily went on a much-deserved trip. Jake reapplied for the internal promotion—this time, he landed it. By year five, Jake was managing a small team.
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