In case you haven't noticed, over the past month Kathleen and I (and some of our readers) have been engaging in a mini-debate of sorts over whether or not to set goals, and if so, how large they should be. A friend and colleague of mine -- Traci Fenton, founder and CEO of WorldBlu, Inc. -- is a big believer in the power of setting BIG goals. However, rather than just creating a list of goals and tacking it to her office wall or implanting it into her Blackberry, she decided that sharing them with other important people in her life might apply the additional leverage she needed to achieve them.

To this end, Traci (on the far right in the photo) is a founding member of the Billionaire Girls Club, which in the group's words is "...a 'master mind' group of women who share in aligned goals, life purpose and mutual visions for how we see ourselves contributing in the world." In short, the members of the group set big goals, then hold one another accountable for achieving them. The focus on the group is on "building billion-dollar ideas and how to contribute as part of the larger global community," and each member has devised a different, more specific goal to strive for. Traci wants to impact a billion-dollar industry, which she hopes to do through WorldBlu. Sarah Endline (founder & CEO, Sweetriot) wants to create a billion-dollar company. Carrie Silver-Stock wants to reach a billion girls through her organization Girls with Dreams. Nicole Casanova wants to build a company with a billion-dollar valuation.  And Ingrid Vanderveldt (CEO, Club E Network) intends to become a billionaire so she can fund entrepreneurs and ideas around the globe.

Other businesspeople are discovering the power of joining goals groups.

In a January 18, 2009 article in the Cape Cod Times, Marilee Crocker reported that she had recently joined together with three other solo practitioners in a goals group that meets once or twice a month. According to Marilee, "The idea is simple. At every meeting we'll each discuss our progress toward earlier goals, and we'll set new goals, the more specific the better. I imagine us giving each other feedback and encouragement, exchanging ideas. Inspiring one another." Marilee goes on to say that the experts agree that when we have to be accountable to others, we're more likely to do the thing we set out to do.

When push comes to shove, Kathleen and I both agree that setting goals is good. As for actually achieving the goals you set, perhaps there's a goals group in your future...