Vital stats
- Player: Donna McCallum
- Company: Fairy Godmother
- Est: 2006
- X-Factor: Absolute belief that even the impossible can be achieved – as long as you put your mind to it.
- Connect: www.fairygodmotherinc.com ; +27 (0)84 207 0202
The joy of being a fairy godmother is that you can make people’s dreams come true. That’s what drives Donna McCallum, who launched her consulting business, Fairy Godmother, in 2006.
“My goal is to help other people achieve theirs,” she says.
Creating WIGs, or Wildly Improbable Goals, is key to growth, according to McCallum. She should know, because that’s what’s fuelled the expansion of her business. In 2009, when she made her programmes available online, the business really took off, growing by 75% that year and by an average of 35% every year since.
Wildly Improbable Goals is the name of a concept by Martha Beck, author of Finding Your Own North Star. WIGS are goals we set that seem so outlandish and improbable, yet somehow come true.
“Whether our WIGs are the cause or the effect of our actions, they have a peculiar power to lift us beyond what we thought to be our limitations,” Beck writes.
“A WIG is a goal that ignites you, delights you, excites you and terrifies you all at the same time,” says McCallum. “It’s a goal that takes you to beyond the point of what you know is possible. It stretches you, takes you out of your comfort zone and helps you to create a phenomenal business and an extraordinary life.”
McCallum says the first step to achieving your business goals is to be clear on what you want for both yourself and your business.
Knowing what you want is the biggest factor in being able to achieve it. “Once that is clear, write it down, cut out pictures of it and stick it up everywhere as a reminder. Tell your friends and family about it, but most importantly share it with your team and get them excited about it.”
Making goals and priorities visible allows you to prioritise and manage multiple requirements with your team in a more collaborative way. In McCallum’s workshops, participants create dream maps outlining goals, learn the next steps to turn those goals into successes, and understand where and how to focus their energies and overcome fears.