Thinking big ... or thinking B I G !!!

I had the opportunity to facilitate some strategic planning sessions for a small Roman Catholic college.  The trustees were a lively bunch including college administrators, community leaders and brothers from the governing church order.

To encourage "out of the box" thinking, I conducted a pretty standard planning exercise.  Imagine, I said, if we are incredibly successful, what will the headlines about the college be in the next 25 years.  There were some predictable responses:  Enrollment doubles; The budget has a surplus; We win prestigious awards.  When challenged to go further outside of the box, one of the brothers said:  The 25th reunion of the class of 2012 sets a record for attendance ... including the pope."  Wow ... the pope is an alum!!  Then one of the other brothers piped in "... and she's really glad to be here."

So ... there's thinking outside the box ... and there's thinking waaaay outside the box.  Dreaming big is a precondition for obtaining big results.

At Leo Burnett Advertising, the first company that I worked for, there was a famous saying that Leo often quoted that became basis for the company motto:  "Reach for the Stars."  As the full saying goes, 'Reach for the stars. You may not get one, but you won't get a handful of mud, either.'