Originally, the title was going to say “Be Aspirational, Not
Stupid,” but I decided not to be that harsh.
I spend a lot of time encouraging people to be aspirational
with vision and to set Almost Impossible Goals (read more here). But some people only hear part of the message. I also say that when you set a goal
that has a 1% chance of succeeding, this means it has a 99% chance of failing. It's solid math.
And – you should not set an Almost Impossible Goal that you are unwilling to fail at. Thoughtfully consider the worst probably outcome if you failed at the goal. Would it really be that bad? With the proper safeguards, probably not.
Example.
So you want to set an Almost Impossible Goal to increase
your annual fund by 150% in hopes that it will spur new innovative ideas you
have never tried before? Great! Just don’t put that number in your
budget. That would be st . . .
foolish! Budgets should be conservative.
The purpose of Almost Impossible Goals is to get you to
think of new and creative ways of accomplishing what is most important to
you. Set the goals, brainstorm, and – if you
come up with something you think has promise then test it out. If the test looks good then expand your
experiments. Be responsible about it.
Dream Big! You can be
a responsible dreamer. It’s called
leadership.
For
more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this
blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com You will find free resources you can
download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at
no cost. You can also check out my book,
Mission Impact: Breakthrough Strategies
for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested. And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit
Consulting on Facebook.
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