What's Hairy and Audacious?

Very few businesses succeed without good old fashioned hard work but that is only part of the success equation. Hard work alone is no longer the only piece of the puzzle. Strategic planning is an important element that is key to businesses success, and all companies great and small should engage in regular and proactive planning to ensure their business is going where it should, and that they have the resources in place to get them where they want to go.

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At HR Staff n’ Stuff, we heed our own advice and take time out of the ‘doing’ to make sure we are on the right path.  It’s not always easy because there is always something urgent, clients need support, there are emails in the inbox, reports need writing, team members need mentoring – the list of ‘doing’ is endless and the actions are important to the ongoing success of your business, in fact, they underpin it!  The thing is though, if we don’t make the space to look at our business in detail and determine whether or not our current goals are still relevant and if the resources we have in play are appropriate, or if our team have the required skillsets to deliver great work we will end up like a one armed rower going around and around in circles because we aren't being clear on what we’re doing, where we’re going and why we want to go there!

JIM COLLINS - A GREAT TEACHER
The HR Staff n’ Stuff team are big fans of Jim Collins and his teachings around leadership and what processes and strategies will assist in the sustainability and growth of a company.  Applying his concepts can be challenging because it means you truly have to take stock of where your business is at and look at where you really want to go.  Sometimes the truth bombs that come from such reflection can be hard to swallow but if you are up for the challenge, they can be the difference between a business that is stagnating and one that takes the next steps to extraordinary growth and success.

WHAT IS YOUR BHAG?
A BHAG is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal and it is a fantastic mechanism that Jim Collins explains companies use to stimulate progress.  Not every company uses them but Jim and his team looked at 1435 companies over 5 years and the businesses that they deemed truly visionary had themselves a BHAG. 
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Sure, you say, I’m all good because I’ve got myself some business goals in place and we are ticking them off.  BHAGs are not your run of the mill goals – these are take you to the next level, butterflies in the stomach, single focus, time driven, uniting challenges that provide real clarity as to where you want to take your business and when you want to get there.  Jim Collins uses the example of the moon mission in the 1960s.  In 1961 Kennedy stated that "that this Nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth."  That right there is a BHAG.  He didn’t mince words and come up with something fluffy like let’s invest in space travel and see what happens.  No.  He flat out clarified exactly what the enormous goal was and put it out there for everyone to work towards with unified focus and determination.  That BHAG truly was ‘One giant leap for mankind”.
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Every business needs to start somewhere so let’s take a look at some big achievers and what their BHAG was when they were daring to dream:

So what’s your BHAG?  The goal that may take you out of your comfort zone but the one that will give you and your team focus and motivation and the desire to achieve big?  A BHAG doesn’t necessarily need to be achieved and you can adjust it as internal and external forces change and impact your business – but it does need to be a unifying goal that the whole team knows about, believes in and works towards!

Give HR Staff n’ Stuff a call if you want a facilitated session on BHAGs and strategic planning that will take you and your business forward.  And look out for an upcoming article on the Hedgehog Concept that will help support your BHAG.

CONTACT HR STAFF N' STUFF FOR MORE INFORMATION