At the Entrepreneurs’ Roundtable events that I host in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane four times a year for our Growth Members, I strive to (gently) push members out of their comfort zone by asking them to set big goals and then be held accountable to achieve them. It’s all done with care and support (from me and their peers) and time after time, I see women achieve goals that the Roundtable process has supported them to set and to take action on. In the final Roundtables for the year (after we’d set our very practical and strategic three-month goals) I asked:
“If you were being really BOLD in 2012, what would you do?
The answers didn’t have to relate to business, but the aim was to come up with one thing that could help you design your life purposefully in the new year. What came out of the room was inspiring. Here are some examples of BOLD goals set by Australian Businesswomen’s Network members:
- Write a book (A number of members had this on their list.)
- Have another child (and find someone to run my business so I don’t have to)
- Develop a new line of products that I don’t know how to develop
- Go away for a few days by myself
- Get paid to speak, do presentations (This was a popular one.)
- Sell up and move to Western Australia
- Dive with whalesharks
- Finish work every day at 4pm
- Get the family to Kenya
- Sell my dental practice
- Put my prices up
- Pursue a TV role
- Say No more often
- Start a new business
To you, some of these may be simple. Others may be huge leaps from where you are now. Over the next 12 months, I see it as my role to hold this possibility for these women – to let them know that they CAN achieve what they set out to. Yes, they will want to really want it, and they’ll need to take successful steps to get there. But, they can know that I know that they CAN. And, they won’t be alone. The other members of our generous community will be alongside them, cheering them on as they make the steps. That’s what I love about the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. Each person’s win and achievement seems to lift the whole group. It touches me when that happens. For me, being BOLD does involve writing a book. It’s been a goal for a long time and while I write blog posts and have published over 12 bestselling books authored by others, writing my own book is confronting. Being bold also involves running a half-marathon in under 2 hours (a thought that terrifies me because I know the commitment I’ll have to make to my training and diet and still not know if my short legs will carry me fast enough on the day – but I’m signed up and giving it a go in March) and starting a new initiative (not letting the cat out of the bag on this one just yet) that I’m really passionate about and that will really support women. If you were being BOLD, what would it be for you? I’d love to know. You can share by adding a comment.
