Is it better to aim for incremental progress, to set goals based on where you are today, or is it better to aim for 10x growth?
Strategic Coach and others have popularized the idea of pursuing huge 10x goals, far beyond where you are today.
Thinking big is a powerful mindset to have as an entrepreneur, but it’s not enough. If thinking big was the critical component, there would be far more success in the market. Instead, 10x for most of us is a fantasy.
Incremental goals, on the other hand, are “realistic.” They’re grounded in the actual context of your situation and can be executed on. Progress can be made. However, the consequence of incremental thinking is that your growth becomes dictated by your circumstances.
Both approaches have flaws. Taken together though, they work well.
10x thinking sets a powerful foundation for making choices. It reframes your perspective to pursue larger opportunity. Once you have that vision, you need a path to pursue a 10x goal that has clear progress. There must be objectives that you can sequence and action and that have some probability of realizing change. You don’t need the entire sequence for that big goal, but you do need to be able to set a trajectory with realistic steps as far you can project into the future.
It’s like a ladder. You get to choose how long the ladder is. With 10x thinking, you can choose an exceptionally tall ladder that can take you somewhere much higher. But you need to be able to put rungs on that ladder to at least to climb as high as you can see.