When setting goals, companies typically look at the rates at which they have grown in the past and extrapolate/ improvise [in some manner] to project the rate of growth for the future. I believe that this exercise of deciding the future growth targets or company goals must be preceded with a very detailed “opportunity sizing” exercise.

Different triggers (both internal and external) at different times have the potential to significantly change the size of the opportunity available to a company. Some triggers are so big that the growth rate for a company can have the potential to change from say 10% for the next 5 years to 10X in next 5 years.

It is therefore critical to look at the major triggers impacting your industry/company comprehensively and periodically to fully understand how the opportunity landscape is changing and how the company can fully leverage that.