BHAG -or- BHAV?
This one acronym has come up more than once for me in the past week...
BHAG.
(Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal)
Maybe you've got one?
(pretty sure you do :-)).
Maybe it's a new role. Maybe it's a promotion.
The question is...how's it coming along?
Even if you're on target with it, I've found one thing to be true with us high performers...
we're seldom content with where we are.
It's the dark side to our superpower. The very thing that fuels your success is the same thing that can sabotage it.
That can get even more compounded when you have a BHAV.
(Big, Hairy, Audacious Vision)
The Founders and Entrepreneurs with whom I work 1:1 have them and they are impressive...
- Helping one-of-a-kind digital therapeutics get into the market to save and change lives.
- Revolutionize affordable, urban housing in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
- Show burned-out professionals how to take their area of brilliance and create a life they love.
- Helping Military Veterans (and their families) connect with purpose driven work after serving their country.
- Creating a program of professional mentorship and support for young adults from under-served communities.
- Developing and deploying a technology that provides a verified trust badge for the gig economy to keep our families and loved ones safe.
- and those are just a few...
Here's the thing I've found executing on more than a few BHAGs and BHAVs, myself...
1) Stay connected with your "why." Knowing and having a daily relationship with your purpose is paramount. Money is great and solves a lot of problems. It might support a short term goal, but it won't feed a long term vision.
2) Thought Leadership. This is particularly important for your BHAV (also professional BHAGs). Building advocacy, relationships and recognition around what you do (and want to do), requires a consistent voice. If that voice stays in your head, it's difficult for others to get excited about it, much less share it.
3) Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Like I said earlier, you'll seldom feel as if you're moving fast enough. Building mechanisms for documenting progress also provide valuable perspective when you start getting down on where you "think" you're supposed to be (journal, blog, vlog, etc.).
4) The company you keep. Being around like-valued professionals and peers only accelerates your evolution to accomplishing your BHAG or BHAV. Shifting a paradigm and/or creating something new with those who don't value our goal or share our vision can not only slow down success, but often kill it all together.
5) Fortune favors the bold. In the book "The Formula," author Albert-Laslo Barabasi compared those who were Ivy League graduates with those who applied and got rejected. He found that in time, both the graduate and the reject ended up earning the same amount of money.
I'm curious...what's your BHAG or BHAV?
Kevin
For more articles, let's connect on:
Senior Marketing Executive | Bilingual Connector | Expert in Integrated Campaign Management | Visionary Leader | DEI Advocate
4 年Great article, & great tips that anyone can incorporate into their life to move ahead.
Author| Business Operations Officer| Human Resource Professional who leads collaboratively to enhance the people and business growth agenda and deliver extra-ordinary results.
4 年Hi Kevin, my first time hearing about BHAV. I'm used to using the acronym "SMARTER" in my goal setting - ER represents "Extending & Rewarding." Having given it some thought - my BHAV is to be a member of a niche market where I can play an integral role/be it support or leading, in building that brand's affinity and increasing brand visibility and awareness. When vision is in concert with purpose the result has to be great.
National Operations Director at Church Army USA
4 年I feel a vision is much more powerful than a goal. A vision you can immerse yourself in. You can get present with. Make it a very detailed vision! Down to the color of paint on your new car or boat! Live inside of your vision. I am much more emotionally attached to a vision than a goal. Many organizations have a Purpose, Mission, Vision Statement. For a reason.
Project & Operations Executive | Conductor of Strategy | Cross-Functional Leader
4 年Kevin Kermes this is a good question. I have never heard of a BHAV before. My BHAV is to help executives find the rhythm of their business in order to realize their vision, improve operation, and achieve growth. The BHAG that goes along with that is finding my tribe, professional and personal, just like you said in your article, "the company you keep".