Let’s Get Started! Set Your 2023 Stretch Goals

What is a Stretch Goal? 

A stretch goal helps us learn and grow professionally and personally. It casts a wide net and is designed to take us further in our skill, experience, and expertise to achieve something new. We challenge everyone to create a goal each year that brings you to a place of discomfort.

If you know Wendy and me, we both have strong feelings about videos! There is something about being in front of the camera that is uncomfortable for us – it is completely out of our comfort zone.

However, due to our participation in the Ignite Incubator IE2 business course, we decided to push beyond our comfort zone and agreed on a stretch goal of creating Nonprofit Sidekick video content for our community.

This year we are leaning into the discomfort to create content that can help our community members, and support their learning and growth. Our stretch goal is to learn how to create the videos, edit them, and evaluate their effectiveness, as we develop our style and approach. This process takes work!

It will also require us to address our insecurities about being on camera and how we create relatable content that adds value to our clients. Stay tuned for more on this as we lean into our strength goal.

-Steph

So, where do you want to stretch this year?

Check out our tips below and download the worksheet for yourself, your team, and your board.

1. Ask yourself how you want to grow professionally? Is it a skill? Experience? Exposure? How does it benefit you and the organization? What does the outcome look like?

2. Set a wide net. Who should you work with? What resources do you need? What does support look like?

3. Break it down. Split your stretch goals into S.M.A.R.T. goals, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

4. Give yourself time and space to work on the goal, and give autonomy to others to do the same.

5. Revisit your goal and check-in on your progress regularly. Celebrate the small steps to achievement.