The bold vision

Most leaders are afraid of failure. If they set lofty goals the firm does not achieve they’re afraid they’ll look like failures. There’s something to be said for laying
out a truly ambitious – some might say “bold” vision. Something that could change the world – or change the “world” as the members of the organization know it to be. Most leaders don’t do it. Why do you think that is? It’s simple. Most leaders are afraid of
failure. If they set lofty goals and strive for something the organization does not achieve they’re afraid they’ll look like failures (as leaders). So low goals (or visions) that they are sure they can achieve become the norm. Of course there is risk in being ambitious. Things don’t always work out. But at least you tried. You gave it your all. And in the process a couple things will most certainly happen:

1. You’ll inspire other people. We value effort in this country. We don’t like people who had it too easy or who didn’t have to work for their success. So success or failure becomes secondary to effort when it comes to inspiration. And people are crying out for inspiration!
2. You will do better than you would do if you didn’t set high goals. We’ve all heard the old adage – shoot for an “A” and you’ll probably at least get a “B,” but shoot for a “B” and you may get a “C.” I firmly believe in this concept. Aim high!

But there’s also a chance things WILL work out and you’ll succeed. And that’s a fantastic feeling when your goals are lofty. Zweig Group’s revenue grew by 31 percent in 2015. We projected 30 percent.
 Our projections are for about 48 percent growth in 2016. That may seem crazy 
to some but I’m convinced we will achieve or exceed these numbers. The reason is commitment. We are committed to do more, doing it faster, and making everything we do the best we can make it. We have great people, great accounting, great marketing, great systems – and great clients. We may fall flat on our faces due to unforeseen difficulties. Should that happen now or in the future you can count on us to get up again (fast) and figure out what we can do better. That’s the American Way! How about you? Are you setting your goals high enough? Is your vision lofty? Or is it most certainly attainable? Maybe it’s time to really do something THIS year. The time has never been better. MARK ZWEIG is founder and CEO of Zweig Group. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

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