By: Andy Canales, Principal and Operating Partner at Broadtree Partners
acanales@broadtreepartners.com
At the Business Transitions Summit, a premier event providing business owners with the knowledge and connections necessary for successful business planning, Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s lunch keynote left a lasting impact.
As an Organizational Psychologist, Leadership Trainer, and Author, Dr. Hardy shared the inspiring story of Matt, a property management company owner who set a bold Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) to increase managed properties from 60 to 500 within just two months. Although Matt’s team didn’t quite reach 500, they achieved a remarkable 320 and eventually soared to 1,500 within a few months, representing a staggering 2400% change!
Having been introduced to BHAGs 15 years prior as a Teach for America teacher, where I learned to set ambitious goals with my students, Dr. Hardy’s talk reframed my understanding of BHAGs and their potential to dismantle limiting mindsets and systems that lead to average performance.
Key takeaways:
- We all have a floor of consistent actions and behaviors
- The system — and our routine way of doing things — are designed to defend the status quo (comfort)
- To achieve remarkable change, we must consciously shock the old system (discomfort) and design a new one
- Use the future to shape the present, not the present to shape the future
- Effectively frame the past as an asset, not a liability
- Impossible goals break assumptions and mandate creativity
- Give your team goals beyond what they think is impossible & allow space to truly reimagine the present way of doing things (this is harder than it sounds)
- Embrace a mindset of continuous learning, unlearning, and rethinking
Dr. Hardy’s talk served as a reminder that BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) are not just about setting ambitious targets, but also about challenging our assumptions and requiring creative solutions to achieve the extraordinary. It’s not necessarily about doing more, but rather re-examining traditional approaches to achieve unprecedented performance. This involves reassessing outdated methods (most of which are no longer effective) and replacing them with innovative and revolutionary new ways to accomplish what was previously thought impossible.
So, what if you made your goals insanely bigger? How would that change your approach and outcomes?
To learn more about Dr. Hardy’s work on this topic, check out the book “10x Is Easier Than 2x” by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
#BHAGs #GoalSetting #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #Innovation
