Setting goals that dare your team members to go a little further than they think they’re capable of present special challenges for a business owner. It starts with an introduction. Ask your employees these questions to inspire them:

• “Who do you want to be?” Helping people tap into their deeply hidden dreams and desires is one way to unleash their potential. If you don’t push people to explore their ambitions, they may settle for achieving goals that don’t come anywhere near what they’re capable of accomplishing.
• “How can we apply our resources to gain the maximum advantage?” The key to gaining commitment to a stretch goal is persuading your team to look at what they already have available to work with and how they can use those resources to push themselves ahead. In addition to material resources, be sure to emphasize such nontangible tools as creativity and enthusiasm.
• “What can we create together?” Remind your people that working together they can accomplish more than would be possible individually. Help the group find a common goal and then assist them in identifying the unique skills each team member can contribute to the objective.
• “What goals can we focus on?” Identify one or two long-term goals to strive for. Concentrating on those will help your team guide themselves along the way. In addition, suggest that your team devote its resources to the greatest measurable impact. This provides a feeling of progress that will help people stay focused on their stretch goal.