Aim Wider, Achieve Better
By Mitchell Schuckman, PCC | Founder, The Schuckman Group
How Broader Goals Lift Pressure and Strengthen Performance
In the early months of building my business, I caught myself paying a little too much attention to a few specific people I hoped would become clients. They were strong fits, and I knew I could help them. But they weren’t moving at the pace I wanted. I kept refreshing my email. I kept wondering when the conversations would pick up. And each time they didn’t, I felt a small and unnecessary dip in energy.
Meanwhile, I was actually doing quite well. I had new clients coming in. I was doing interesting and challenging work that was sharpening my skills as both a coach and consultant. I was gaining momentum each month. I was learning how to run a business after nearly forty years inside a large organization. My revenue was growing steadily. Everything I truly wanted from this new chapter was happening right in front of me.
Yet the moment my mind drifted back to the small handful of people I hadn’t yet engaged, it minimized the real progress I was making. It shaded the good. And it distracted me from the work that was actually building my business and bringing me joy.
It took a little time to see it clearly. I had slipped into the same narrow-goal trap that I have helped so many clients step out of. The real goal was never about landing those specific clients. The real goal was to grow into a better and better coach, consultant, and entrepreneur, and to enjoy the work in front of me as I built something meaningful. That goal was broad, healthy, and fully within reach. The narrower goal was a distraction that created anxiety and pulled me away from the habits and actions that were actually producing results.
Once I widened the frame again, everything settled. I focused on the clients I had, the relationships I was nurturing, the content I was writing, and the skills I was strengthening. I remembered that I was only a few months into a brand new chapter, and already doing work I was proud of. And as soon as I returned to the broader goals, the momentum picked up right where it left off.
That is the idea I want to share, because I see this pattern everywhere in leadership and in life. When our goals are too narrow, we tighten up. When our goals are broader, we have the freedom to grow. And when we grow, good things almost always follow.
When Our Goals Get Too Narrow
I hear some version of this from professionals almost every day.
“I want to make partner.”
“I need this promotion.”
“I want to grow my book of business by one-million dollars, fast.”
These are common goals. They are ambitious goals. They are also, more often than not, too narrow to be healthy. They show drive, but they often miss the deeper point. I sometimes tell people that the thing they are asking for is not always the thing they actually want. When the goal becomes too tight, the pressure rises and the growth slows.
People begin to judge every move by whether it gets them closer to that single finish line. They overthink. They push too hard. They chase instead of lead. They approach conversations with a hint of tension. They lose the steadiness and natural curiosity that actually make them better at the work.
One question tends to open things up.
“What if your growth creates several great options? What if you are building yourself into someone who could succeed in many different futures, not just one?”
There is always a pause. You can almost see their shoulders drop.
Because maybe they do make partner someday, but at a different firm where they feel more aligned. Maybe they build a thriving solo practice. Maybe they join a private company in a leadership role that energizes them. Maybe they discover a direction they never even considered because their lens had been too narrow.
The broader the goal, the more room there is to grow. And once the pressure softens, performance always improves.
Goals That Expand Versus Goals That Contract
I often compare this to fitness. If someone has barely exercised in years and decides they want to run a marathon under four hours within six months, they create pressure from day one. Every run feels like a test. Every setback feels like failure. It is a goal that absorbs all the oxygen.
But if the goal is simply to become healthier and stronger, and they increase their activity in manageable ways, they create habits they can actually stick with. They enjoy the process more. They stay with it longer. And with enough time and consistency, they find themselves close enough to decide whether a marathon is something they truly want. They choose that goal from a place of strength, not fear.
Broad goals create movement. Narrow goals create tension. And movement is where growth happens.
One of my famous quotes, often attributed to Winston Churchill (but not confirmed) is: “Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
In other words, progress comes from showing up consistently and building on the progress you already have. Success breeds success. Growth attracts opportunities. But only when the environment is wide enough for people to breathe and grow.
I see the same thing in careers. The best opportunities I have seen clients land were rarely the ones they aimed at directly. They arrived because the person was growing, improving, and showing up in a way that made those opportunities possible.
The Shift I See in Coaching Sessions
One of my favorite coaching memories is of a client who came to me absolutely determined to make partner at the firm where she worked. It mattered deeply to her. She had been chasing this goal for years. She worked tirelessly. And she was carrying the pressure of that single outcome on her shoulders.
We worked through her plan. We talked about who she wanted to be as a leader. She made partner. On paper, it was everything she had wanted.
Six months later, she called me back in tears.
“I made the wrong dream my dream,” she said.
Becoming partner didn’t feel the way she expected. The work was different. The culture was different. The personal tradeoffs were heavier than she imagined. She had narrowed her vision so tightly that she never asked whether this particular path was truly aligned with the life she wanted.
That second chapter of coaching became far more powerful. We widened her perspective. We talked about what she valued, what energized her, and how she wanted her work and life to fit together. And once her goals became broader and healthier, the path in front of her opened. She became calmer, clearer, and more confident. She became the leader she wanted to be, not the leader she thought she was supposed to be. And, by the way, she’s still a partner at that firm, but now she’s thriving.
The Pattern Shows Up in Business Development Too
The same dynamic plays out when professionals want to grow their client base. People set targets like “three new clients by March” or “a million-dollars of additional revenue by year-end.” These goals sound logical, but they often pull people away from the behaviors that actually create opportunity.
The best business development happens when you stay close to people, listen carefully, understand their goals and concerns, and bring something useful to the relationship over time. It is about presence. It is about awareness. It is about consistency.
When someone shifts from “I need two new clients” to “I want to stay connected and look for ways to be genuinely helpful,” their presence changes. Their outreach becomes more natural. Their timing improves. They notice things they never noticed before. They have better conversations. They build deeper trust.
Clients remember the people who make their lives easier. They trust the people who show up without pushing. They turn to the people who listen well and bring value in ways that feel personal to them.
That sort of presence, awareness, and consistency creates stronger relationships and wins more work. It is never about chasing a specific number of clients by a specific date. It is about becoming a better business relationship builder. Once you do that, the work arrives.
The opportunities follow the presence, not the pressure.
Broad Goals Build Better Leaders, Businesses, and Lives
Broad goals help us grow in ways that narrow goals cannot. They keep us focused on the process instead of the pressure. They encourage experimentation and reflection. They help us build confidence from the work itself rather than from the scoreboard.
Broad goals create steadiness.
Broad goals make room for better habits.
Broad goals help us pay attention to trends, not moments.
When the goal widens, the person widens with it. And when the person widens, so do the opportunities.
I see this clearly now as I approach the six-month mark of running my own practice. I have grown as a coach. I have grown as a consultant. I have grown as an entrepreneur. I have collected meaningful experiences and learned from every one of them. And the broader I keep my goals, the more enjoyable and productive this chapter becomes.
A Better Way to Approach the Year Ahead
As the new year approaches, I find myself returning to the same lesson again and again. Broader goals do not reduce ambition. They expand it. They keep us focused on becoming stronger, steadier, and more capable. They remind us that there are many ways to build a meaningful career and a meaningful life.
The people who thrive are not the ones chasing one narrow outcome. They are the ones who stay in motion, stay present, stay connected, and give themselves more than one way to win. They trust the compounding effect of good decisions. They stay committed to their craft. They enjoy the work in front of them.
That is how I plan to move into this next year. It is how I encourage the people I coach to move forward. And it is a message worth carrying with us into whatever comes next.
Keep playing the game. Good things tend to happen when you do.