Set big, hairy, audacious goals

Part six of my Leadership on a tightrope (continued) series.

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced a bold and ambitious goal: to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade. This goal was incredibly audacious given the technological limitations at the time and the fact that the U.S. had only recently sent its first astronaut into space.

The mission was clear, captured the imagination of the world, and inspired a generation of scientists, engineers, and astronauts. Thanks to their concerted efforts, on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin fulfilled President Kennedy’s mission by landing on the moon.

In today’s disrupted world, with all of its distractions, accelerating pace of change, and succession of crises, “big hairy audacious goals” can help cut through the noise and provide the necessary focus to drive needed change. NASA’s moon mission demonstrates how such goals can drive innovation, teamwork, and speed to execution.

Some years ago, I was brought in to lead the restructuring of a global company in the automotive industry. The recently departed CEO had hung a gargantuan sign from the top of the 7th floor atrium in the corporate head office, which said “BHAG”—a daily reminder for staff of his big hairy audacious goal to dominate a sector. The company not only failed to reach the stars, but it also fell far short of the moon. The company restructured, but it never achieved its lofty goals.

So, are BHAGs good? Well, they can be. But they require strong leadership, a strong balance sheet, and for the stars to align in your favor.

Look at SpaceX. When the space shuttle program ended over a decade ago, who would have thought the leader in space exploration would turn out to be a private company? Our other-worldly ambitions appeared constrained. Then SpaceX, with Elon Musk at its helm, set a true BHAG of making human life multiplanetary by enabling the exploration and eventual settlement of Mars. To that end, working with NASA, they are developing the tools and technologies to enable us to do just that, and in the process, they have reduced the costs of launching payloads by over 95%, mainly through their innovations around reusable rocket technologies. Whether they will be successful in establishing a colony on Mars remains to be seen, but their achievements are already truly amazing. All thanks to one truly audacious goal.

Most of us will never help put a person on the Moon or Mars, but ambition, leadership, and reaching for the stars are essential ingredients of success for every CEO.

As my two middle school children love to say (quoting Mae Jemison, the first female African American astronaut): “If you can dream it, if you believe in it, if you work hard for it, anything is possible.” I’m with them!

Here’s to BHAGs!

Read more:

• Part One: Leadership on a tightrope (continued)
• Part Two: Death of the celebrity CEO?
• Part Three: Don't hire a dog and expect to do the barking
• Part Four: Be your own chief communications officer
• Part Five: Now. (There's a good idea.)