You Set the Big Hairy Goal… Now What?

So you’ve got your Big Hairy Audacious Goal, your BHAG.
The wild, inspiring statement that makes everyone sit up a little straighter and say, “Whoa. That’s big.”

The question is, what do you do after you’ve set it?

Because setting a BHAG is the fun part. It’s blue-sky dreaming, full of energy and possibility. The hard part is turning that dream into something that actually guides your organization.

Step 1: Anchor It in Reality

A BHAG isn’t meant to sit on a plaque or collect dust on a strategy slide. It should connect deeply to who you are and what you actually do. If it feels too detached from your purpose, your team won’t buy in.

Think of your BHAG like a North Star. You might not actually get there, but it helps you navigate and aspire to attain the seemingly impossible. It also ensures that the direction you’re moving is the one you truly want to go.

Step 2: Define Its Role

Ask yourself: What do we want this to do for us?
Is it meant to spark innovation? Build momentum? Unite the team?

If you’re a small, nimble organization, maybe your BHAG encourages risk-taking and experimentation. If you’re large and established, it might challenge you to stay relevant or reimagine your impact.

But the point is to be intentional. Don’t create a BHAG just because someone said you should.

Step 3: Connect It to Strategy

Your BHAG doesn’t live in isolation. It should link to your purpose and vision, influencing the objectives you set and the choices you make.

Every initiative, investment, and innovation should have a thread that ties back to that audacious goal. If it doesn’t, ask why you’re doing it.

Step 4: Make It Cultural

The best BHAGs show up in everyday conversations. They influence the way you prioritize projects, celebrate wins, and even decide what not to pursue.

If your BHAG is about making something more accessible, sustainable, or human, you should see that spirit reflected in how your teams operate, how you design products, and how you engage customers.

Step 5: Hold the Line

A great BHAG also helps you make trade-offs. Sometimes you’ll turn down opportunities that don’t align, even if they look profitable, because they pull you off course.

It takes discipline to stay true to your North Star. But that’s the point. The BHAG helps you define what you are and what you’re not.

The Takeaway

Your BHAG isn’t a box to check; it’s a compass.
It reminds you why you’re here and what you’re chasing, even when the path gets messy.

So, you’ve set your big, hairy, audacious goal. Now the real work begins: aligning your people, strategy, and culture so that every move brings you just a little closer to it.

Because even if you never fully reach it, you’ll grow in ways you never imagined.

A Thought to Close

A BHAG isn’t for everyone, and that’s completely fine.

Some organizations are guided by a clear purpose. Others by a vision of what they want to accomplish and become. A BHAG is simply another tool in the strategy toolbox, a way to set direction and inspire your team toward something big.

If it fits your organization’s culture and ambitions, use it. If not, focus on the tools that do — purpose, vision, or mission. What matters most is clarity and alignment.