Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs): How Visionary Leaders Think 10x Bigger
Why ordinary goals create ordinary results, and how BHAGs change the game
I vividly remember a one-on-one meeting I was having with my Senior Vice President several years ago. I had made a solid presentation to him earlier in the day, highlighting some major wins and how the team had delivered ahead of schedule.
In my one-on-one meeting, after acknowledging the work, he looked me dead in the eyes and asked, “What’s the boldest goal we have set this year?”
For a few seconds, I froze. I couldn’t think of anything.
The truth was, while we had had a stellar year, we hadn’t set any “bold” goals. We had been playing it safe - comfortable goals that we knew we could achieve.
That question stayed with me for days until I finally came across the concept of Big Hairy Audacious Goals (or BHAGs). It was the answer I was looking for.
In this article, we will learn how BHAGs work, how you can set them, and most importantly, how you can achieve them.
Here’s what we will cover:
What are BHAGs?
The Science Behind BHAGs
Setting BHAGs
Strategies to Achieve Your BHAG
The BHAG Worksheet & Mind-map
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Further Reading
Final Takeaway
⚙️ Practitioner Resources: This framework includes the BHAG Worksheet and the BHAG Mind-map.
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What are BHAGs?
Big Hairy Audacious Goals - or B-HAGs - were coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Built to Last.
Unlike typical goals, BHAGs are bold, visionary, and ambitious targets that seem nearly impossible at first glance. But with the right strategy, they’re completely achievable.
BHAGs are an intersection of:
What your organization is deeply passionate about.
What you can be the best at in the world.
What drives your economic engine.
The key is for the goal to be ambitious, and inspiring, yet still economically relevant and an area in which your organization holds expertise.
A BHAG is big enough to stretch you beyond your comfort zone, audacious enough to inspire, and bold enough to inspire you to take action.
BHAGs are meant to challenge you and your team, push boundaries, and propel your organization to new heights.
Looking for some inspiration? Here are some popular BHAGs:
SpaceX: “Enable human exploration and settlement of Mars”
Meta: “Make the world more open and connected” and “Give everyone the power to share anything with anyone.”
Google: “Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”
Microsoft (early days): “Put a computer on every desk and in every home.”
Boeing (1950): “Become the dominant player in commercial aircraft and bring the world into the jet age.”
The Science Behind BHAGs
Studies show that setting ambitious goals has a significant impact on performance. A survey by Harvard Business Review found that teams with clear, bold objectives are 37% more likely to outperform those with vague or moderate goals. Another report by Gallup indicated that employees who are involved in bold goal-setting are 3.6 times more engaged at work.
In short, if you want your team to be more engaged, motivated, and productive, you may want to try setting BHAGs.
Setting BHAGs
In this section, you will learn how to set BHAGs in your role as a leader.
We will start by reviewing the 4 Steps to Setting a BHAG, a simple yet powerful process that you can start using right away.
But setting BHAGs is not enough. We will then discuss some strategies you can adopt to achieve your BHAGs.
Finally, we will make it real with the BHAGs Worksheet and the BHAGs Mind-map, which will help you build your muscle in applying and using this framework in your leadership role.