Want to make 2016 a breakthrough year for your career?

“Have the confidence, courage and agility to go after lofty goals,” says Colleen Flaherty of Kraft Foods.

I interviewed Flaherty for the Network of Executive Women’s Leadership Academy webinar series, and let me tell you, as Vice President and General Manager of the Kroger Team at Kraft, she knows a thing or two about setting and achieving lofty “stretch” goals in business. For the past two years she’s been leading Kraft’s nearly $2 Billion Kroger business to industry-leading growth. “Delivering a lofty goal provides instant credibility and exposure within your organization,” says Flaherty.

As you think about the year ahead and what you’d like to achieve, align your personal career priorities to your organization’s most important goals so you can deliver results that contribute to the bottom line. Making an impact by driving valuable business results is a proven career-accelerator.

Don’t undermine yourself

But don’t shortchange yourself by setting the bar too low, as you might end up paying a career penalty in the long run. As Flaherty points out, “Your inclination to build your annual goals in a way you can achieve them is a bit undermining.”

So don’t hold back. Declare a “stretch goal” for yourself for the year, and go for it!

3 more reasons to go after lofty goals

Here, according to Flaherty, are three additional reasons why you should be going after lofty business goals:

• Working on a challenging business goal gives you the perfect opportunity to broaden your sphere of influence.

• The more specific and meaningful a goal you set for yourself, the stronger your performance will be.

• Delivering results that are aligned to your organization’s goals will set you apart from your peers.

What lofty goal will you be going for this year?