Have you ever wondered what a BHAG is? Here in this article we will discuss the meaning and what it can do for your life if you start using BHAGs in your goal setting. Having Big Hairy Audacious Goals, whether it’s for your business or for personal goals, can really catapult you to levels of success that you only dreamed about before!
BHAG Definition
What is a BHAG? It’s actually an acronym that stands for “Big Hairy Audacious Goal”. The term was created in 1994 in a book called “Built To Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies”, written by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. The book studied what kinds of key ideas and strategies could be attributed to a company’s track record for longtime success. The authors covered in their book the idea that BHAGs are an important key to the ultimate success of long-lasting companies. Big Hairy Audacious Goals are designed to be inspiring to the point of massive action towards the goal. They are a lot like a vision for the company, only they can be life changing in nature when they are accomplished, both for the business as well as the effect the business has in its industry and for the customers that it serves.
How BHAGS Can Be Used
Big Hairy Audacious Goals are a great idea for your business or personal goals. Even though the concept came from a book written about business success, BHAGs can absolutely be used for personal goals as well. Whether you use it for your business or your own personal needs, it can really help you to clarify what it is you want to accomplish, and help you dream bigger. For business, it can be used to truly inspire and motivate your team to combine their best efforts to make a difference for the customers, as well as for the business. For personal goals, it can help you achieve visions greater than you had ever imagined for yourself.
Even though it can be intimidating to create BHAGs, they’re definitely worth it. While it is always important to make short-term goals that are easier to achieve, the longer-term Big Hairy Audacious Goals give you the bigger picture to create the smaller steps to get there. It can feel counter-intuitive to people to make a massive goal that they have no idea how to achieve it, but it is actually through that process that we figure out a way to make it happen. If we do not dream big enough, that dream is unlikely to happen. Whenever we set a goal, then we start to take action on it, the brain uses the Reticular Activation System (a set of nerves that regulate what information we pay attention to). The RAS helps us notice what opportunities, strategies, products, services, relationships, etc. can help us find a pathway or develop that pathway to achieve our BHAG.
Big Hairy Audacious Goals Examples in History
One of the most famous examples of a BHAG is when America embarked on a mission to get a man on the moon and get him safely back home. When we began that goal, we had no idea how to accomplish it, but a few years later, we achieved it with amazing success! Another example of a Big Hairy Audacious Goal is Tony Robbins, who was homeless and hungry in high school, and had dreams to impact the world helping other people. A final example is Jamie Kern Lima, who had the goal of revolutionizing the beauty industry to help every girl feel beautiful and use beauty models that are just regular people instead of perfect models. Jamie and her husband built their cosmetics company in about 10 years from their apartment into a $1.2 billion dollar company when they sold it.
Making a BHAG Work for YOU
Now that we have discussed Big Hairy Audacious Goals at length, what is a BHAG that could be right for you or your business? Do you already have a big dream for how you want to impact the world with your business? Or do you have a vision of a personal goal that would change things for you and everyone that matters to you, such as ultimate success in a specific career path? Would you like to innovate a new technology that makes life easier and better for everyone? Or would you like to create a company that solves human needs worldwide like safe drinking water or eliminating hunger? Look deep for your answers, whether they are for personal goals or for your business. You will know when you find that answer that aligns with your heart and soul. Those are the best BHAGs, when they make a positive impact in the world AND they are aligned with your core values!
Conclusion
Don’t let the size and potential complexity of a BHAG scare you. Your BHAG should inspire and motivate you to achieve it! A Big Hairy Audacious Goal should align with your values and the impact that you would like to make in the world. Network and align yourself with others who are interested in your dream and will encourage you along the way. Humans have an innate desire for growth and contribution. We can meet that need in ourselves and for others with a BHAG! You have so much potential for greatness. You can achieve incredible things if you listen to what your heart wants to accomplish and set your mind to it. Whether you choose a Big Hairy Audacious Goal for personal reasons or for your business, you can make the most incredible things happen for yourself and for others!