B.H.A.G WHAT?!?!?!

In 1994 Jerry Porras and Jim Collins released a book entitled "Built to Last" in it, they brought in one of the biggest business buzz word called a BHAG. (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). This seemingly small buzz word went on to encourage and fire up startups, organizations, managers, visionaries and ordinary people to reach out for their ambitious long-term goals. It transcended the business world was re-purposed into countless other areas and even used by men of faith to build incredible colleges and launch a generation of faith leaders in every arena possible. But ultimately a BHAG is an extension of an IDEA and how you ultimately go about achieving that IDEA.

As we are continuing our track of Doing It Afraid, we land on BHAG. We have our IDEA but now we need a way to get there. So, let’s start with a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). Grab your pen and paper, laptop, journal, Vision Board whatever you need to write it out and let's get started.

Let’s Make it Big

We want our goals to be Big. Think beyond what you think you can do and create a goal that is outside of your imagination. By having a goal that is larger you will gain two things (1) a sense of urgency while you are working towards it (2) a need to build your structure strong. You will have a sense of urgency to continually push harder, grind longer, and work smarter through every situation, process, and step until you reach your goal. All while also building your structure and foundation of your business, project, passion strong. You will need to be more organized because with a goal this large and this complicated you need a strong foundation and a strong support team around you. Jim Collins in an interview with Leigh Buchanan from Inc. Magazine said this "…because it's so big and so audacious and so hairy it increases the sense of urgency. You look at it and say, 'Oh my goodness, if we're going to bring the world into the jet age or transform education or put a computer on every desk, then we have to get to work today with a level of intensity that is unrelenting.'"

It’s So Hairy

DO NOT be afraid of making it hairy. The messier, the uglier, the more unkempt the

So Hairy

better. As you are building your goals and your plans you want to add some elements that are messy and unorganized because often having something that is ugly brings inspiration. If something is easily perceived as possible or already happening the likelihood of someone else beating, you to the punch is high. And in the end, it is not a BHAG. So, make it Hairy to be ahead of the curve.

Be Bold, Audacious

Webster dictionary defines Audacious as intrepidly daring: ADVENTUROUS; recklessly bold: RASH; marked by ORIGINALITY and verve. Meaning jump out there. Do the thing that people will turn around and say “You wouldn’t dare”, “How different”, “That’s never been done”. Make sure that you make your goals something that even you would have to say to yourself “This may be too bold”. And then do it. Anything that has ever been done that has never been done before and been successful, was first Audacious. If you take a look at Microsoft’s BHAG: Put a computer on every desk, or NASA’s: Putting a man on the moon, or even Facebook’s new BHAG: Give everyone the power to share anything with anyone; all of them have something in common. They all have Audacious goals; that dare themselves and their competitors to higher heights.

GOAL --> DESTINATION?

It isn’t a GOAL without a destination. If you have no identifiable what or who, to what or where it is not a GOAL. And if you really want to make an impact with your BHAG you will want to make your goal SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based.

So let’s sum it up by taking our Idea of selling amazing blue apples and make ourselves a SMART BHAG. We will start with our IDEA and then level it up until we have our SMART BHAGG

Idea: Sell amazing blue apples.

Goal: Create a company to sell amazing blue apples.

BHAG: Create a company that will sell 20,000 bushels of amazing blue apples.

SMART BHAG: Create a company that will sell 20,000 bushels of amazing blue apples per year within five years of production.

So our statement above is a SMART because it is:

• Specific: Sell amazing blue apples

• Measurable: 20,000 bushels

• Attainable: within five years of production

• Relevant: selling the product of our company

• Time-Based: per year

And it is a BHAG because no one has sold amazing blue apples before, but at 20,000 bushels per year we would be selling the average amount of apples that traditional apple producers sale each year within 5 years of production.

Make your BHAG SMART

Thanks for the Read and if you have not already don’t forget to subscribe!!!!! And check out my business website New Leaf Consulting

~Alyshia A.