Impact D.E.N. Recap: Zana Goic Petricevic on Bold Leadership and Creating Extraordinary Impact

Impact D.E.N. Recap | Leading on the Edge: How Bold Leaders Create Extraordinary Impact with Zana Goic Petricevic 

By Alisa Chen 

On Wednesday, April 15, the Business Impact Lab at Utah Valley University hosted its final Impact D.E.N. (Develop • Engage • Network) event of the semester. This virtual session brought together participants for a powerful conversation on bold leadership. 

We were honored to welcome Zana Goic Petricevic, founder of Bold Leadership Culture, and a global leadership transformation expert. With over two decades of experience working with senior leaders across industries such as technology, banking, and pharmaceuticals, Zana guided attendees through what it truly means to “lead on the edge” in today’s complex and rapidly changing world. 

Leading Beyond Comfort 

Zana opened the session by challenging a common assumption: that bold leadership is natural or easy. Instead, she emphasized that all leaders, regardless of industry or experience, grapple with fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt. 

A key takeaway from her discussion was that bold leadership begins where comfort ends. Leaders often wait until conditions feel “safe” before taking action, but Zana argued that there is no safe moment for bold decisions. Instead, extraordinary impact comes from stepping into discomfort and acting on what truly matters. 

From “Crazy” to Courageous 

Drawing from her own career journey, Zana shared a pivotal moment that reshaped her understanding of leadership. After losing her job in a challenging and unexpected way, she faced a choice: retreat to safety or step into uncertainty. That experience became the foundation for her work in helping leaders move beyond safe, predictable decisions toward bold, intentional action. 

She reframed boldness in a compelling way: 

• What is considered “bold” in hindsight often felt “crazy” in the moment  

• The difference lies in the willingness to act despite uncertainty  

This perspective resonated strongly with attendees, highlighting that meaningful leadership often requires taking risks before outcomes are clear. 

The Leadership Gap: Potential vs. Impact 

Zana posed a critical question: 
Why do leaders with extraordinary potential often make safe decisions that lead to mediocre impact? 

The discussion revealed that many leaders are conditioned, through upbringing, workplace culture, and fear of failure, to prioritize safety over innovation. As a result, organizations filled with high-potential individuals may still struggle to create meaningful change. 

Her insight was clear: 

• Safe decisions lead to limited impact  

• Bold decisions create the conditions for transformation  

Attention and Agency: Two Critical Levers 

A central theme of the session was the importance of attention and agency in leadership. 

Zana emphasized that: 

• Attention is one of the most valuable and limited resources leaders have  

• Leaders must be intentional about what they focus on daily  

• Agency, the belief that one can create change, is essential for bold action  

This idea was powerfully captured in one of the key quotes shared during the session: 

“The number one problem facing humanity today is not climate change, inequality, or war. It’s not even the rise of artificial intelligence. It’s our sense that we are powerless to change any of it.” 

When leaders lose a sense of agency, they default to maintaining the status quo. Reclaiming that sense of ownership is what enables leaders to move from managing the present to shaping the future. 

What Is Worth the Risk? 

Perhaps the most powerful question posed during the session was: 

“What is worth the risk?” 

Zana explained that bold leadership is not about eliminating fear, but about prioritizing purpose over fear. When leaders are clear on what truly matters, they are more willing to take risks and move forward, even without certainty. 

This shift from focusing on risk to focusing on purpose allows leaders to: 

• Act with clarity  

• Build resilience  

• Create meaningful and lasting impact  

Creating Extraordinary Impact 

The session also highlighted the level of commitment and perseverance required to bring bold ideas to life. As one quote shared during the presentation noted: 

“…how much tenacity everything requires. That hotel, that park, that railway. The world is a museum of passion projects.” 

This perspective reinforces that meaningful change is not created through comfort or convenience, but through sustained effort, courage, and belief in something greater. 

Zana emphasized that leaders do not need to change the entire world. Instead, they can focus on influencing their "corner of the world," including their teams, organizations, and communities. When done consistently, these actions create ripple effects that extend far beyond the immediate environment. 

Final Reflections 

This final Impact D.E.N. event of the semester provided a meaningful opportunity for attendees to reflect on their leadership approaches and consider how they can lead with greater courage and intention. One key takeaway for me was that bold leadership often begins with a shift in mindset. By adjusting how we think and where our minds are focused, leaders can make more confident decisions and create a meaningful impact within their teams, organizations, and communities. 

As participants engaged in discussion and reflection, one theme stood out clearly: 
Bold leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about having the willingness to act when it matters most. 

Watch the full event recording here: Watch the event