Were You Just Given an Outrageous Goal?
Amanda Setili
I help leaders agree on what needs to change (and how). Author, "The Agility Advantage" and "Fearless Growth?". Member, Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Coaches.
Years ago, my boyfriend (now husband, Rob) and I were building a dock at his lake house. We spent months welding the metal framework, which was fun and interesting. But due to an unexpected job offer, he suddenly needed to sell the house quickly. We then faced a challenge: the dock permit would only transfer to new owners if we finished construction.
Rob felt we could complete it in one weekend, but I felt that would be impossible.
Finally, he began to see my point. Late that Saturday night, he convinced three friends to come help, and the five of us managed to finish the job by Sunday night.
This parallels what can happen when a leader or client gives you what feels like an impossible goal: you study the situation, point out any obstacles that might prevent you from succeeding, and do your best to change the assumptions—and the circumstances—so that the goal is no longer crazy.
Unrealistic goals often have to do with generating more revenue, reducing costs or accelerating progress on an initiative. Such goals are often motivated by very real imperatives, so it’s seldom a wise idea to just reject a goal without offering alternatives.
If you really believe a goal is unrealistic, it’s your responsibility to either suggest ways to make it realistic or explore other ways of meeting the underlying objectives.
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I should add the caveat that sometimes a goal is literally impossible (example: let’s land a manned spacecraft on Mars by next August). This is not what I’m talking about. Today, I’m focused on what happens when the goal you have inherited seems impossible, until you apply ingenuity and identify what would need to change for the goal to become realistic.
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I help successful leaders and their teams agree on what needs to change and how to make it happen. I am the author of?Fearless?Growth and?The Agility Advantage.?
For more strategies, videos and free materials, please visit?www.setili.com. If you are curious, here are a few quick examples of the work we do. You might also enjoy my Fearless Growth Podcast.
Contact me anytime to discuss your situation and how I can support you.
Executive Coach and Mentor | Trigger-Free Leadership | Mindset Mastery for Teams
1 个月Impossible goals, in the way you've defined and framed them, remind me of constraints. They seem like bummers (and of course when they're too many and too stringent they are), but they're also invitations to expansively creative thinking.
Entrepreneur | Author | Keynote Speaker | Peak Performance Coach | Mountaineer | 100 Coaches Dr. Marshall Goldsmith | Chapter President - EO MEPA Bridge
1 个月Very uplifting story Amanda Setili as it highlights that if a goal is realistic, rather than saying no, what resources are required to get it done.
CEO, Leadership & Executive Coach at BigBlueGumball. TEDx speaker. Author of “VisuaLeadership.” MG 100 Coaches.
1 个月Excellent story, Amanda! You reminded me of the classic Nelson Mandela quote, "It always seems impossible until it is done.”
CEO, MVP Executive Development, Executive Coach, Business Advisor, Leadership Expert, Facilitator, Author of the National Bestseller "What Lights You Up? Illuminate Your Path and Take the Next Big Step in Your Career"
1 个月Great story Amanda Setili! I love that you brought in a “team” of trusted friends to help get the job done! Imagine if we all had a team of trusted friends at work ( Morag Barrett! ). How much easier those goals would be to achieve!
Championing disruptive innovation for sustainable, and substantial results | Global Transformations | Senior People and Operations Executive | Executive Coach | C Suite Partner | Ex McKinsey
1 个月Great thoughts here. After all 'impossible' and 'I'm possible' is just a matter of how you read it (situation)!