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Recently, I've taken to using 1.25 reading glasses when taking up my favorite habit of reading. They make the words just a little bigger and a whole lot clearer. I guess it also means the coach's body is showing some wear and tear.
Reading glasses help sharpen up-close images, but what do you use when clarifying distance? Obviously a stronger lens. But what if you're looking even further? In that case, I'd say look within.
I know it doesn't make sense, but I'm speaking here of a personal vision. A major goal that's far off but certainly within your reach if you're dedicated.
In 1994, Jim Collins wrote a book entitled
Built to Last – Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.
In that book, he
examined companies that were successful for decades, and in some cases,
centuries. These were companies that withstood economic issues, changes in
culture, and even distaste in public opinion and yet always managed to survive.
He gave many reasons for this longevity and backed them up with research. One
reason companies in Collins’ book succeeded was that they set really good
goals. Now these weren’t just ordinary old goals, in fact Collins made the
point that these goals far exceeded expectation and in some cases, common
sense. His term for this type of goal was the Big Hairy Audacious Goal
or the BHAG. As a career coach, I like this concept!
BHAGs defy logic because they’re so darned grandiose. They give us something really BIG to shoot for and they define a roadmap for us to follow. They’re more than just end-states. A BHAG that says “I want to be wealthy” or “I want to be happy” isn’t specific. How much money is wealthy enough? How happy is happy? My thought is to define a condition or position that gives you the end-state and make that your BHAG.
The hard part about BHAGs is that they’re difficult to achieve. If they were easy, we couldn’t call them BHAGs. In my case, there’s no straight shot to getting my dream realized so I simply envisioned the BHAG as the pinnacle of a mountain and started my journey through a series of switchbacks – diagonal trails that inch up a mountain.
So how are you doing? Can you identify a BHAG? If so, have you mapped out a process to achieve it? I know plenty of people who can talk a good game and wow us with their dream, but this is only valid if you believe you can do it and you have a plan (which you work) to actually achieve it.
Oh yes, and since we're still focused on the topic of building morale of those around you, how are you doing in encouraging others to hit their BHAGS?
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