Posted by Most people think they’re playing to win. They work hard and put in the hours. But working hard isn’t the same as playing to win. For that, you need a goal worth playing for.
Think of it like playing Monopoly. If you go in without a strategy, randomly picking up properties here and there, maybe the odd station, you might do OK, but you’re really just leaving the win to the roll of the dice.
Now, imagine you start the game with the intention to buy and build on Mayfair and Park Lane, you’ve got a plan of how you’re going to do it. Ballsy, right?
That’s where Big Hairy Audacious Goals come in.
Enter the BHAG
Thought leader Jim Collins introduced the concept of a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” or BHAG (pronounced bee-hag) in his book “Built to Last.” A BHAG isn’t just a target or objective; it’s something that forces you right out of your comfort zone, challenging everything you thought possible. It’s like declaring that you’ll own every station and utility on the Monopoly board within ten turns: ambitious, perhaps a stupid idea to some, but, if you manage it, a total game changer.
A proper BHAG should make you nervous. It should be the kind of goal that makes people sit back a little and ask if you’re really serious. Think historically: Kennedy’s declaration to put a man on the moon within a decade, or Microsoft’s vision of putting a computer on every desk. These goals weren’t just challenging; they were nearly inconceivable until they actually happened.
Not all goals are BHAGs
A BHAG isn’t just a bigger version of your regular goals, like saying you’ll do 20 push-ups instead of 10, or that you’ll save 20% of your income instead of 10%. Those are nice enough plans, but they’re incremental. They don’t push your boundaries.
Saying you’re going to be rich one day, or that you’re going to own a nice house, isn’t a BHAG: it’s just something you want. A BHAG has specificity, a timeline, and a clear vision of what it looks like when it’s done.
Most importantly, a BHAG isn’t something you’re guaranteed to achieve. In Monopoly terms, landing on Mayfair on your first go round is luck; methodically acquiring a set of houses and developing them into hotels to take everyone’s money is strategy. A BHAG needs the latter: a bold vision backed up by deliberate action, not just fortunate circumstances or wishful thinking.
Building your BHAG
Setting a true BHAG needs some introspection to start with. What would fundamentally change your life or business if you achieved it? What’s the Park Lane of your own personal Monopoly board? Once you have that vision, you have to be able to articulate it clearly. Saying you want to be the top salesperson in your company is too vague; saying that you want to double the previous sales record within 18 months has the specificity and boldness that makes a proper BHAG.
The next step is to work backwards. In Monopoly, if you want those high-ticket properties, you need enough money first. What steps will get you from where you are to where you want to be? Break down your BHAG into phases or milestones that serve as checkpoints along your journey.
Chunking the steps makes things feel more achievable. But remember, you can’t always plan for when it inevitably gets hard.
Why most people give up
There’s a moment of truth that comes, usually when you’re halfway to your BHAG and the initial excitement has worn off. Maybe the road ahead seems longer than it first seemed, or you find that doubt is starting to creep in. It’s like landing on Go To Jail just when you’ve saved enough money to start building: a setback you didn’t expect, and can’t immediately get out of.
There are predictable reasons for people failing to achieve their BHAGs. Maybe they’ve underestimated the commitment required. A BHAG by its very definition pushes you beyond your current capabilities, so you should expect to feel stretched and uncomfortable. A lot of people give up when they hit the first major obstacle, conveniently ignoring the fact that obstacles should be part of the journey, not deviations, or a reason to give up.
Don’t go it alone
Another common reason for failure is isolation. Trying to achieve something monumental without support is like playing Monopoly against yourself: there’s none of the energy that comes from competition and collaboration.
Accountability helps here. Tell someone about your BHAG, preferably someone who won’t let you off the hook when things get tough. Better yet, find a mentor who has achieved something similar and can help you course correct if you need it. Make sure it’s someone who understands what it is that you’re going after and why it’s so important to you.
Having the right people around you deals with the isolation problem. But there’s one pitfall that’s harder to plan for, because it doesn’t feel like failure at all.
Perhaps the most damaging reason for failure is the complacency that comes from partial success. Yes, you started out wanting hotels on Mayfair and Park Lane, but you got a different set, built some houses and decided that was good enough.
Recognising where things can go wrong doesn’t mean you should abandon your BHAG altogether. What you should do instead is approach them with a better strategy and awareness. So, if the traditional BHAG approach isn’t working for you, what should you do instead?
Adapt, don’t abandon
If you find yourself consistently falling short of your BHAGs, the answer isn’t just to set a smaller goal, it’s to change your approach. Instead of one massive target, break it into smaller challenges that gradually get harder: milestones that build on each other until that big goal is within reach. Develop a system that makes progress inevitable, and daily habits and routines that align with your BHAG. They’ll carry you forward even when you’re struggling to stay motivated.
Learn to celebrate progress but don’t get complacent. Each milestone deserves acknowledgment, but it’s not the final destination. Don’t settle for Bond Street when it wasn’t part of your original plan.
Most importantly, you have to work on developing your resilience. A BHAG will test you in ways you just can’t anticipate. The person who succeeds isn’t necessarily the one with the best initial plan but the one who adapts best when that plan goes sideways. Be prepared to pivot, to learn from your failures, and to persist when others would give up.
You’ve won the game… so what’s next?
So, you’ve landed on and purchased both Mayfair and Park Lane, built hotels on them, and now you’re raking in your opponents’ money. What happens next?
Take some time to genuinely acknowledge and appreciate what you’ve accomplished. Some people are so focused on the next challenge that they don’t fully appreciate the victories. Reflect on the journey, the obstacles you faced, and the growth you experienced.
Think about the people around you who are still at the start of their journey. You’ve got hard-won experience now: the obstacles you hit, the adjustments you made, what actually worked. That’s worth passing on. Be the mentor you wish you’d had.
Then, set a new BHAG! You don’t just play Monopoly once and that’s it. Life is a series of games and the skills and confidence you’ve gained make you ready for even more audacious goals… so why stop at just one?
The path to greatness is paved with BHAGs. Some will say you’re aiming too high: prove them wrong. No one remembers the player who stopped after buying Old Kent Road. They remember the one who cleaned up with Mayfair and Park Lane!