Reading HBR’s List of Audacious Ideas is the perfect way to start 2012. The sharp recession triggered by the 2008 financial crisis and the uncertainty created by the 2011 debt crisis have fundamentally reset the world. The new reality is austerity. But that should only be fiscal reality. Businesses, sitting on trillions in cash, seem to be using the economic environment as an excuse to build into their business a kind of strategic austerity that is inappropriate. In fact, when there are severe resource constraints, it is more important than ever to maintain audacious goals.