{"id":27624,"date":"2018-03-07T16:34:16","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T22:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesv4.aligntoday.com\/blog\/how-to-identify-your-bhag\/"},"modified":"2023-09-01T06:51:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T11:51:57","slug":"how-to-identify-your-bhag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aligntoday.com\/blog\/how-to-identify-your-bhag\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Identify Your BHAG"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s a BHAG? BHAG refers to a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, a term coined by business consultant Jim Collins and organizational theorist Jerry Porras in their 1994 book\u00a0Success Built to Last: Creating A Life That Matters.<\/i><\/p>\n

Why should this matter to you? Company leaders across the world claim that choosing the right BHAG, a goal your company should strive for 10-25 years in the future, is immensely important. If you identify your BHAG early on in your planning process, you can set your company up for lasting success down-the-line.<\/p>\n

Scaling Up author Verne Harnish notes that\u00a0identifying the right BHAG is a crucial step to achieve company success.<\/a><\/p>\n

Harnish suggests that the BHAG may be your company\u2019s\u00a0most important long-term decision,\u00a0driving your day-to-day business and main overall priorities.<\/p>\n

So how should you go about identifying the right BHAG for your company?<\/p>\n

Align With Your Company’s Purpose<\/h2>\n

Your BHAG needs to align with your overall company strategy<\/a>. Consider your core values and purpose before identifying your BHAG. Your BHAG should serve as a unifying force for your employees, so it\u2019s important that it aligns with your overall strategy and mission.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s one example of a BHAG that directly corresponded to the company\u2019s core purpose. BHAG coiner Collins notes that Sony\u2019s core purpose in the 20th\u00a0century was \u201cto experience the joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the public.\u201d Aligned with this purpose, Sony developed the following BHAG in 1950: to become the company most known for changing the worldwide poor quality image of Japanese products.<\/p>\n

See how the purpose and BHAG directly correlate? Make sure to identify a BHAG that aligns with your overall vision moving forward.<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Develop a BHAG You Can Visualize<\/h2>\n

A BHAG should be lofty, but realistic. It\u2019s important that your team can visualize achieving the goal, even though it\u2019s far in the future. It should be tangible and highly focused.<\/p>\n

However, a BHAG that\u2019s too easily in reach won\u2019t inspire your employees. A BHAG needs to be a motivating force, driving engagement and challenging your team to perform above-and-beyond.<\/p>\n

One notable example of a BHAG guiding a company\u2019s vision was Microsoft\u2019s early BHAG: \u201ca computer on every desk and in every home.\u201d In the early 1980s, this goal seemed extremely ambitious, since few people even had computers at their workplaces, let alone at home. Yet, the BHAG was highly visual. Its specificity helped the Microsoft team imagine their desired outcome. Microsoft didn\u2019t know exactly how they would accomplish their goal, but they used it as a driving force, impacting their business decisions.<\/p>\n

By the end of the 20th century, nearly all office workers had a computer on their desk and most homes in the developed world did have computers, demonstrating that a BHAG which seems insurmountable can in fact be reached.<\/p>\n

A BHAG that\u2019s too easy to accomplish will drive your company into complacency. Collins recommends a BHAG with a 50-70% chance of success. Although that might seem like a low percentage, Collins reiterates that the BHAG should\u00a0act as a \u201cmountain to climb\u201d, stimulating progress and empowering your team to strive for the best. Check out his\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0for more resources to identify the right BHAG for your company.<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":14206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[268,63,269,66,270,88,77,92],"tags":[91,71,68],"class_list":["post-27624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alignment","category-bhag","category-execution","category-goal-alignment","category-goals","category-leadership","category-strategy","category-track-progress","tag-goal-setting","tag-leadership","tag-strategic-planning"],"yoast_head":"\nBHAG How To Identifying Them & Our Guide to Setting Them<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the significance of a Big Hairy Audacious Goal and its impact on long-term success. 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