A few months back, I looked over the transformation strategic plan for a successful company in Malaysia. Predictions for revenue was up with diversification in multiple businesses. Everything made sense, was possible, and was backed up by evidence.
I then asked a simple question, what is a competitor reached their growth target 10 times faster than they did. The room got quiet. Not because it was impossible, but because they knew it was conceivable and didn’t know how to deal with it.
The issue with setting “realistic” goals is that they often do not align with an unrealistic reality. They believe they are safe, but this could actually be the most dangerous plan of all.
What Moonshot Thinking Really Means
It’s not about being crazy or unreasonable to think like a moonshot. It’s about making objectives so big that you can’t reach them by doing what you’re already doing a little better. You need to change your strategy completely.
NASA couldn’t just make bigger rockets when President Kennedy said that America would put a man on the moon in ten years. They had to come up with completely new ways of working, technologies, and processes. That’s the point: moonshots make people think outside the box.
I’ve seen that when I work as a consultant, setting little goals leads to small thinking. Leaders make existing procedures better, get a little more done, and play it safe. But what about 10x goals? They want new ideas. They make you doubt everything.
I observe a certain tendency in Southeast Asian companies. Leaders here are frequently quite good at getting things done and making sure everything runs smoothly. They have developed successful enterprises by carefully planning, managing relationships, and growing steadily.
But when I talk about moonshot thinking, people don’t want to hear it. “What if we fail in front of everyone?” “Companies in the West can afford to waste money on silly ideas.” We can’t.
I understand. But here’s what I’ve found out: Moonshot thinking isn’t about being brave in America. It’s about being smart in a world where competitors can mess with you at any time.
After we talked about this, one executive said it best: “I now know that playing things safe is the most significant danger. If I want to be 10% better, someone else wants to be 10 times better. And they’ll render my business useless.
What Happens When You Have Bigger Ideas
In another training session, i gave a hypothetical scenario. Imagine a regional training organization that wanted to open two additional physical facilities. They wanted to expand their student numbers by around 30% over the next three years. They had a plan that is solid and doable. They had done it before.
Then i pushed the participants: “What if physical centers aren’t the problem?” What if you had to reach five times as many students?
At first, people were likely to oppose. But we kept looking: what about learning in a mix of ways? Partnerships between businesses? Digital IDs? Could they try out something tiny before spending millions on real estate?
Would it be possible that they achieve a five times growth rather than a 30% growth if they have a different perspective? Most of the participants agreed that achieving x times growth is possible merely by looking at the problem from a different angles.
The Question of Leverage
This is what I stress in every training session: Finding leverage is a key part of moonshot thinking. You can’t get ten times the outcomes with ten times the work. You need to increase the impact without increasing the resources in the same way.
I’ve seen this happen in a few different ways while working with various business leaders.
Technology is a tool. One of our retail clients used to think that expansion meant opening additional stores.
When we looked at moonshot possibilities, they started trying out mobile commerce and data analytics. It didn’t take the place of their physical presence, but it did give them new ways to make money that they hadn’t thought of before.
Using network effects to your advantage. A logistics company I worked with stopped thinking about buying more trucks and started thinking about how they could work with independent operators. It took two years to establish the platform and earn trust, but now it is growing its capacity without needing as much money.
Using knowledge as a tool. A manufacturing client wanted to get better at capturing and growing knowledge by improving their training and documentation systems. It wasn’t sexy, but it helped them develop faster because they didn’t have to rely on a few important people.
The Failure Paradox
I’ve seen that CEOs who establish moonshot goals typically “fail” to reach their 10x goal. But they end up getting a lot more done than if they had set a “realistic” objective from the start.
I’ve seen this happen a lot. Leaders set big, bold goals, yet they only reach 3x or 4x the original conservative goal. The moonshot ambition pushed people to be creative and take risks, which led to great accomplishments, even if they didn’t reach the moon.
I tell leaders in my coaching sessions that they might not reach the moon, but they’ll get a lot further than if they aimed for the roof.
How to Make It Work for You
When executives ask me how to use moonshot thinking without being irresponsible, I give them this framework: Begin with “What if?” Don’t shoot down huge ideas right away because they don’t work. Look around first, then decide.
Find your limit. What is the one problem that, if you solved it, would lead to a lot of growth? Put your moonshot there.
Make loops for learning. It’s not about making one massive investment with moonshots. They’re about trying things out quickly to reach a big goal.
Make them feel safe in their minds. If your team is scared of failing, they won’t think large. I spend a lot of effort with clients creating cultures that value smart risks.
Make sure the portfolio is balanced. You still need to run your primary business. Moonshots should not replace operational excellence, but they should add to it.
The Question I Ask Each Leader
At the end of my classes, I ask everyone, “What would you try if you knew you couldn’t fail?”
The replies are generally interesting and informative. They discuss new ideas they’ve had but decided against since they thought they were too dangerous. Markets they want to get into, but don’t seem possible. Problems they could fix if they had all the money they needed.
Then I ask, “What if you could do even 10% of that?” Would it change your business?
The answer is usually yes.
That’s thinking like a moonshot. This is not mere wishful thinking, but a strategic aspiration that prompts you to seek opportunities, scrutinize your convictions, and discover hidden talents.
After working with business leaders for many years, I’m sure that the most significant risk isn’t aiming too high and missing. It’s hitting too low while the world goes by.