MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Abilities

Vision & Goal Setting

Write one sentence describing your scale-up vision—what future impact are you building toward, and why does it matter?

Break one growth target into three next steps—focus on progress, not perfection.

Replace a vague scaling task with a concrete, specific outcome and firm deadline.

Set a weekly reminder: “Am I moving the company toward scale, or just fighting fires?”

Write one scaling milestone on a sticky note and place it somewhere visible as a daily anchor.

Share your primary scaling goal with a peer—saying it aloud creates clarity and accountability.

Journal about what drives your scale-up vision—how does it connect to your values, growth, or impact?

Journal about a milestone you set and achieved—what made scaling work in that case?

Explore how you set scaling goals—do they stretch the company or reinforce your comfort zone?

List three scaling goals from last year—what advanced, and what stalled? Why?

Write about how your vision has shifted during scaling—what influenced the change?

Reflect on a scaling leader you admire—how do they communicate vision, and what could you model?

Set one scaling milestone this week with a clear outcome—share it with investors or your team to reinforce focus.

Align today’s top task with your 3-year scaling goal—state the link out loud before starting.

Block 30 minutes to revise your scale-up roadmap—adjust priorities to match market or growth shifts.

Facilitate a short team session to align scaling goals with your company vision and values.

Create a 3-slide mini-deck outlining your scaling vision—share it with advisors or your board.

Take one symbolic step today that embodies your scale-up vision—however small, make it real.

Ask an investor: “What do you think my scaling priorities are right now?”—check for clarity and alignment in how you present them.

Share your scale-up vision in a 1:1 and ask how others see their role contributing to it at this stage.

Invite a mentor to review your scaling roadmap—do they see ambition, clarity, and feasibility?

Ask your leadership team to articulate the shared scaling vision in one sentence—does it align with yours?

Share your scaling vision with a peer founder and ask for honest feedback—what’s inspiring, unclear, or missing?

Ask an advisor to review one scaling goal and suggest where it could be sharper or more actionable.

Reframe “I don’t know if we can scale” as “I’m in a phase of learning what fuels sustainable growth.”

Change “This vision is too big” to “This vision needs steps”—chunk scaling into phases you can test.

Recast a failed scaling push as part of your growth path—what clarity did it provide for the next stage?

Shift “Scaling is taking too long” to “We’re building systems that will last”—favor depth over speed.

Reframe ambition as service—how does your scaling vision help employees, clients, and investors succeed?

Turn “I don’t have time for scaling” into “It’s not a priority yet”—then decide if it should be.

Observe your calendar—do your tasks reflect your top goals, or just urgency? Adjust one thing this week.

Watch how people respond when you describe your vision—do they light up, get confused, or disengage?

Track how often you revisit your goals—are they active guides or static documents?

Listen to how leaders around you talk about vision—do they anchor to it, or react without direction?

Notice how you feel after goal progress—energized, relieved, or indifferent? What does that say about alignment?

Observe when you’re most focused—what kind of goals tend to trigger that flow?

Strategic Thinking

Choose one scaling decision and ask: “What long-term ripple will this create?” Write one sentence to define it.

Block 15 minutes to map one scaling decision’s ripple effects—who’s affected and how, short- and long-term?

Before your next meeting, identify the bigger picture behind the agenda—what growth risk or opportunity is at stake?

Ask yourself: “What does success look like in six months of scaling?” Write one line before you start your next plan.

Add a “so what?” column to your notes—challenge yourself to connect scaling data to insight and action.

Read one industry scaling article—extract a trend and note how it could affect your company in 12 months.

Reflect on a past scaling decision—what assumption failed, and what would you test differently today?

Journal about your role today—how does it contribute to the broader scaling strategy?

Recall a time you connected unrelated ideas at scale—what pattern did you notice, and what did it unlock?

List the biggest external forces shaping your scale-up—economic, investor, or market—how do they affect decisions?

Reflect on how often you act reactively vs. strategically—what patterns could you shift this quarter?

Identify your default focus during scaling—operations, people, or results—and how does it shape strategy?

Lead a 10-minute strategy pause with your leadership team—ask: “Where are we headed at scale, and why?”

Take one scaling decision and redesign it with long-term consequences in mind—what’s the smarter route?

Draft a “What if…” list of three external shocks—think through how your company would respond.

Map your stakeholders for the next scaling push—who must succeed for long-term growth?

Run a pre-mortem on an upcoming scaling project—ask: “If this failed, what likely went wrong?”

Revisit team KPIs and suggest one shift that would better align them with scaling goals.

Ask a board member: “What blind spots do you see in my growth strategy at this stage?”

Share one growth strategy with a trusted peer—invite them to challenge your assumptions or implications.

Ask a peer what long-term scaling risks or opportunities they see for your company—compare perspectives.

Invite a cross-functional leader to review your scaling plan—what connections or risks are you missing?

After a scaling meeting, ask: “Was I thinking too narrowly, or did I zoom out enough?”

Share your thinking on a scaling decision and ask for feedback—did you consider the long-term view effectively?

Reframe “What’s the fastest way?” as “What’s the most scalable way long-term?”—favor systems over shortcuts.

Turn “We’ve always sold this way” into “What’s changed in the market that requires a rethink?”

Shift “What do we need this quarter?” to “Where do we need to be in 18 months—and how do we get there?”

Recast reactivity as blindness—what scaling opportunities are you missing by chasing only urgent fires?

Reframe scaling decisions as investments—“What return will this bring in 6, 12, or 24 months?”

Change “How do we hit this target?” to “What future are we shaping with this scale?”

Observe when decisions are made in your team—do they reflect short-term needs or long-term strategy?

Watch how strategic thinkers in your org ask questions—what patterns of inquiry do they use?

Track your decision process this week—how much time do you spend zooming out vs. executing fast?

Notice where you get stuck in details—what might a higher-level view reveal instead?

Observe meetings focused on execution—what’s missing from the long-term conversation?

Note your own language—do you speak in outcomes, forecasts, risks, and priorities, or only tasks and to-dos?

Innovation Management

Identify one scaling bottleneck in operations and brainstorm three alternative ways to solve it today.

Ask a peer founder how they solved a scaling problem—adapt one of their insights to your context.

Spend 10 minutes sketching out a rough solution to a scaling challenge—capture it without polish.

Challenge yourself to ask: “What if we didn’t scale this way?” in your next meeting—see what it unlocks.

Use a random word generator—relate it to your scaling challenge and explore unexpected ideas.

Add a “Crazy Scaling Ideas” tab to your planning doc—list five bold options.

Journal about a time you sparked innovation at scale—what behaviors enabled fresh ideas to emerge?

Journal about when you resisted a new scaling idea—what drove that reaction, and what did it cost?

Write down your last three scaling wins—what habits or mindsets enabled them?

Think about a leader who nurtures innovation at scale—what actions create safety to contribute?

Reflect on how you frame ambiguity at scale—do you see risk or a chance for growth?

Reflect on where your environment supports or blocks scaling experiments—what would ease friction?

Test a new way of running a scaling task—change your tool, method, or process and observe the results.

Propose a pilot experiment with a defined test window and metrics—keep it practical and measurable.

Ask your team to name the most outdated scaling process—volunteer to redesign it as an experiment.

Solve a challenge using only constraints—shorter time, fewer tools, or tighter budget.

Share a bold scaling idea with your leadership team—even if rough, get it into conversation.

Run a one-week “innovation sprint” with a peer—each solves a scaling problem in a fresh way.

Ask a product lead which of their ideas they think could scale faster—what stopped you from backing it earlier?

Share your latest scaling idea and ask an advisor to critique it constructively—embrace useful friction.

Invite your leadership team to rate which scaling process most needs rethinking—start there together.

Ask a customer-facing leader: “What features or improvements do clients most want as we scale?”

Discuss with a leader from another industry how they scale experimentation—what could you apply or borrow?

Ask your leadership team: “What’s one idea we’ve dropped too early during scaling?”—consider testing it again.

Reframe “That market is too risky” as “That market is untested”—start with a safe pilot to explore.

Change “That’s not how we do it” to “What if this old process blocks scaling?”

View every stalled idea as scaling data—ask: “What did this teach us about readiness or fit?”

Instead of “We need a breakthrough,” say “We need one small, testable scaling experiment.”

Reframe pushback as a filter—what part of your scaling plan could improve from tension or critique?

Shift “I’m not innovative” to “I haven’t practiced scaling experiments enough yet.”

Notice who shares ideas in meetings and who doesn’t—what dynamics support or stifle innovation?

Track how long it takes for an idea to go from thought to test—where’s the slowdown?

Watch team reactions to new ideas—do they get excitement, silence, or resistance?

Observe which environments (time, location, energy) help you generate your best ideas—create more of those spaces.

During project reviews, listen for patterns in failure—what do they suggest about untested assumptions?

Monitor how you respond to new suggestions—do you build on them or default to critique?

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