BHAG explained: how big hairy audacious goals drive success [2025]

Most organizations have a mission statement and quarterly targets. What’s often missing is the bridge between them — the long-term journey toward industry leadership. A big hairy audacious goal, or BHAG, provides the focus to connect today’s execution with a vision that stretches 10 to 30 years into the future.

In this article, we’ll walk through what makes a BHAG different from an ordinary goal and why it can drive breakthrough success. We’ll also outline the four main types of BHAGs, share examples from companies like Microsoft and Amazon, and highlight the steps to create one for your own organization.

Defining an ambitious long-term goal is only the beginning. The harder work is maintaining alignment and momentum year after year so that the vision doesn’t fade into the background. That requires a system that connects strategy with daily execution and keeps every team moving in the same direction. Read on and you’ll understand the fundamentals of what makes a BHAG powerful — and how it can provide the anchor needed to turn bold ambition into lasting achievement.

Key takeaways

• A BHAG is a bold 10–25 year goal with a 50–70% chance of success. It pushes organizations to think and act differently, and it works best when it’s specific, measurable, and emotionally compelling.
• BHAGs align teams around a shared purpose and encourage innovation beyond current capabilities. They help create durable competitive advantages while others focus only on short-term results.
• There are four main types of BHAGs: target-oriented (specific numbers), competitive (outperform rivals), role model (emulate another leader), and internal transformation (fundamental organizational change).
• To avoid common pitfalls, set goals that are ambitious but achievable, establish measurable milestones, and link day-to-day work to the larger vision through clear communication.
• Platforms like monday work management make it easier to sustain long-term progress. Real-time dashboards, automation, and AI insights keep teams aligned and motivated as they work toward ambitious goals over decades.

What is a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal)?

A BHAG is a big hairy audacious goal: a long-term target that challenges an organization to aim far beyond what feels possible today. These kinds of bold objectives are more than inspirational slogans; they’re widely viewed as essential to long-term success. In fact, one survey found that 82% of business executives consider strategic goals like BHAGs “extremely critical” or “very critical” to organizational performance. Typically, a BHAG looks 10 to 25 years into the future and carries about a 50–70% chance of success.

The concept was introduced by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Built to Last, after studying companies that sustained exceptional performance for decades. Their research showed that organizations willing to set ambitious goals that seemed almost out of reach were the ones that inspired extraordinary effort and achieved lasting results — especially when supported by a strong performance management system to track progress and maintain momentum over time.

The origin and meaning of BHAG

The term BHAG was coined to capture the kind of goal that forces an organization to think bigger and act bolder than it ever has before. Each word matters.

Big signals a target with the power to transform an organization or even an entire industry.

Hairy reflects the sense of uncertainty and discomfort that comes with aiming so high.

Audacious points to the courage needed to pursue something that others might consider out of reach.

One of the clearest examples comes from NASA in the 1960s. When President John F. Kennedy set the goal of landing a person on the moon, it became a unifying vision. Engineers, administrators, and contractors all rallied around a single definition of success, proving how a BHAG can align thousands of people behind an extraordinary objective

Effective BHAGs: the key characteristics

• 10-25 year timeline: Long enough to require fundamental change, short enough to feel relevant
• 50-70% probability of success: Challenging without being impossible
• Quantifiable and specific: Everyone can understand and measure progress
• Emotionally compelling: Inspires people to push through setbacks
• Aligned with core values: Fits naturally with what your organization believes

BHAG vs vision statements and regular goals

Vision statements describe what an organization wants to become in broad, aspirational terms. Regular goals, on the other hand, are usually tied to short-term performance, such as next quarter’s sales results or annual targets. A BHAG sits between these two. It is a long-term, concrete achievement with a defined timeframe that pushes the organization to evolve into something new.

For example, a sales team might set a regular goal to increase revenue by 15% next quarter. While important, that’s not a BHAG. A BHAG would be setting the ambition to become the dominant player in the industry within the next 20 years. Reaching that level of transformation requires more than incremental improvements—it demands creative ways of working, long-term planning, and often the adoption of new project management methodologies to sustain progress over decades.

Why BHAGs drive breakthrough success

A big hairy audacious goal has the power to change how an organization operates. It raises the stakes so that incremental improvements and business as usual are no longer enough. Teams are challenged to rethink their priorities, experiment with new approaches, and work together in ways they may never have before.

The impact goes well beyond achieving the goal itself. Pursuing a BHAG shapes culture, sharpens focus, and creates capabilities that make the organization stronger over time. Let’s take a closer look at why these ambitious goals unite people around purpose, fuel innovation, and build advantages that competitors struggle to match.

Unite organizations around shared purpose

BHAGs eliminate confusion about priorities. For example, when Amazon declared its mission to become “Earth’s most customer-centric company,” every department knew how to make decisions. Engineering focused on reliability. Logistics optimized for speed. Customer service prioritized satisfaction over cost savings.

This alignment happens naturally when everyone understands the overarching mission. Research even shows that when employees are excited about their company’s direction, its earnings margin is twice as likely to be above the median, allowing teams to spend less time debating priorities and more time delivering results.

Inspire innovation beyond current capabilities

You can’t achieve audacious goals with conventional approaches. Teams must experiment, fail, learn, and try again, leveraging productivity software to streamline their efforts. This creates a culture where innovation becomes normal, not exceptional.

The capabilities you develop while chasing your BHAG often become competitive advantages in unexpected areas. The discipline, creativity, and resilience built into your culture benefit every aspect of your business.

Create lasting competitive advantage

While competitors focus on quarterly earnings, BHAG-driven companies invest in capabilities that compound over time. The 10-25 year timeline allows you to build advantages others can’t quickly copy.

These advantages emerge in unexpected ways. The processes you create, the talent you attract, and the culture you build as you scale all contribute to sustainable success.

The 4 types of BHAGs that transform organizations

Not all big hairy audacious goals look the same. Some challenge you to chase hard numbers, others push you to outpace competitors, and some demand a reinvention of who you are as a company. Jim Collins, who first introduced the BHAG concept, identified four distinct types that organizations can use to stretch beyond their current limits.

Each type serves a different purpose depending on your strategy, industry, and long-term vision. Understanding these categories can really help you hone in on the right kind of goal to rally your teams and sustain focus over the next 10–25 years. Let’s break them down:

1. Target-oriented BHAGs

Target-oriented BHAGs are all about hard numbers: revenue, market share, or company size. They give organizations a clear finish line to aim for. Walmart, for example, set a bold target of becoming a $125 billion company by the year 2000. That single number gave every employee something concrete to rally around, making progress easy to measure and motivation easy to sustain.

This type of BHAG works best when your industry has:

• Reliable data.
• Relatively predictable growth patterns.

In those environments, setting an ambitious but quantifiable goal can align efforts across the business and keep teams energized over the long term.

2. Competitive BHAGs

Competitive BHAGs channel the energy of rivalry into growth. Nike’s early goal to “Crush Adidas” is a well-known example, turning competition into a source of motivation that drove innovation and market expansion.

These goals work best when you have a clearly defined competitor and a way to measure progress. By setting the challenge in direct relation to a rival, they give teams a clear, motivating target to rally around.

3. Role model BHAGs

Role model BHAGs are built on the success of others. Instead of starting from scratch, organizations look to admired companies and set a goal to emulate their achievements in a different market or context. For example, a cycling brand might aim to “become the Nike of cycling,” drawing on Nike’s reputation for innovation and brand power while tailoring the approach to its own industry.

This type of BHAG provides clear inspiration without prescribing every detail. It gives teams a recognizable benchmark to strive toward whilst also leaving room to adapt execution to their unique strengths and circumstances.

4. Internal transformation BHAGs

Internal transformation BHAGs focus on reinventing the very foundation of an organization. They go beyond chasing market share or rivals and instead commit to reshaping how the company operates at its core. For instance, a traditional manufacturer might set a goal to become a tech-driven enterprise, a shift that demands new skills, fresh processes, and a completely different mindset across every department.

These goals are really powerful when a company faces industry disruption or recognizes that its current culture is holding back future growth. By setting this type of BHAG, organizations commit to long-term change that redefines who they are and how they compete.

BHAG examples from industry leaders

It’s helpful to talk about BHAGs in theory, but the best way to understand their impact is to look at organizations that set audacious goals and then stuck with them for decades. These companies didn’t just declare big ambitions: they aligned strategies, resources, and culture around them until the impossible became achievable. From tech pioneers to retail giants, the stories below highlight how a clear and compelling BHAG can shape decisions, inspire teams, and ultimately redefine entire industries.

Technology giants that achieved their BHAGs

Some of the most ambitious BHAGs have come from the tech world, where bold visions often look unrealistic at first but end up reshaping everyday life. Take Microsoft in the 1980s: the idea of “a computer on every desk and in every home” felt almost laughable when most machines were bulky, expensive tools for businesses. Yet this single goal steered Microsoft’s strategy for decades, influencing everything from product development to pricing to partnerships, and ultimately turned personal computing into a household reality.

Google’s BHAG is equally ambitious: “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible.” Way more than just a slogan, this mantra continues to guide how Google approaches search, cloud services, and even emerging technologies. Every new product connects back to this overarching ambition, keeping the company aligned on a mission that is still evolving today.

Retail BHAGs that redefined industries

In retail, long-term goals have reshaped entire markets. Walmart set its sights on becoming a $125 billion company by the year 2000, and the focus on scale drove disciplined logistics, low-cost operations, and relentless efficiency. That clarity turned Walmart into a global leader and set new expectations for how retail chains could grow.

Amazon took a different path with its commitment to become “Earth’s most customer-centric company.” Customer focus guided every decision, from investing in delivery networks to building Prime membership. Over time, that single goal fuelled innovations that spread far beyond retail, touching everything from entertainment to cloud computing.

Service companies with game-changing BHAGs

Southwest Airlines transformed air travel with a goal to make flying affordable for everyday Americans. Lower fares opened an entirely new market of travellers who had previously relied on cars or buses.

The strategy shaped operations at every level. Standardizing on one aircraft type reduced complexity, while building a fun, people-first culture kept employees engaged and costs down. This combination created a sustainable model that competitors tried to replicate, and it forever changed customer perceptions and expectations for what air travel could be.

How to create a BHAG that drives success

Creating an effective BHAG requires honest assessment, bold thinking, and careful calibration. Here’s how to develop one that actually transforms your organization.

Step 1: Evaluate your starting point

Start with reality. What are your current capabilities? What unique advantages do you have? What constraints must you overcome?

Gather perspectives from across your organization. Different departments see different opportunities and challenges. This diversity strengthens your BHAG development.

Step 2: Envision your 10-25 year future

Think beyond current limitations. How might your industry evolve? What new technologies could emerge? What would wild success look like?

Use scenario planning to explore possibilities. Consider best-case and worst-case futures. This range helps you calibrate ambition appropriately.

Step 3: Apply the BHAG success criteria

Test your potential BHAG against the key characteristics. Is the timeline right? Does it have that 50-70% probability sweet spot? Will it inspire your team?

If success seems certain, you’re not thinking big enough. If it seems impossible, people won’t sustain effort. Find the productive tension that drives innovation.

Step 4: Build leadership alignment

Your BHAG will outlive individual leaders. Build deep commitment across your leadership team, especially when you manage multiple projects that contribute to a common BHAG. Address concerns early. Create genuine buy-in, not just compliance.

Document the reasoning, assumptions, and success criteria. This helps maintain consistency through leadership transitions.

Step 5: Cascade throughout your organization

Different audiences need different messages, but everyone must understand how their work contributes. Connect individual roles to the audacious goal, a critical step since research shows individual contributors are the least motivated group of employees.

Use multiple communication channels. Some people respond to data, others to stories. Effective BHAG communication appeals to both.

5 elements every successful BHAG needs

A well-crafted BHAG can shape the trajectory of an organization for decades, but setting one requires more than ambition alone. The process calls for clarity about where you are today, foresight about where your industry is heading, and the discipline to connect long-term aspirations with practical steps that people can rally around.

The following five steps provide a framework for developing a BHAG that is both bold and actionable, guiding your teams toward meaningful transformation over the next 10 to 25 years.

1. A specific, unambiguous end goal

A BHAG has to be crystal clear so that everyone knows what success looks like. Ambiguity kills motivation. NASA’s moon landing goal worked because it was simple and binary — either humans would set foot on the moon, or they wouldn’t. That clarity gave people across thousands of roles a shared destination to work toward, no matter how different their daily tasks were.

2. 10-25 year timeline

The right timeframe strikes a balance between vision and urgency. A decade or more forces organizations to think in terms of transformation, not just short-term performance. But it’s not so far out that the goal feels disconnected from reality. Less than 10 years often keeps you in the realm of incremental gains, while more than 25 years risks drifting into abstraction that no one can truly connect with.

3. 50-70% achievement probability

A strong BHAG should feel challenging enough to stretch your organization but not so unrealistic that people lose faith. If the chances of success are too high, the goal likely doesn’t require breakthrough thinking. If they’re too low, effort collapses under the weight of impossibility. The sweet spot is that 50–70% range, where the tension between ambition and achievability pushes teams to innovate.

4. Quantifiable success metrics

Over a 10–25 year journey, you need tangible markers of progress. Clear metrics allow leaders and teams to track whether they’re moving closer to the goal or veering off course. Without them, a BHAG risks becoming a lofty slogan instead of a rallying point. Measurable outcomes create accountability and give people the confidence that their hard work is truly making a difference.

5. Emotional pull that inspires action

Numbers and timelines alone won’t sustain decades of focus. People need to feel deeply connected to the goal. A powerful BHAG taps into pride, purpose, or even a sense of legacy: it makes people believe they’re part of something larger than themselves. That emotional pull is what keeps momentum alive through the inevitable setbacks along the way.

How to set your BHAG up for success

Coming up with a BHAG is the exciting part. The harder part is keeping it alive for years, sometimes decades. Many organizations lose momentum not because the idea was wrong, but because they didn’t anticipate the challenges that come with such a long-term goal. A BHAG will naturally test your people, your systems, and your ability to adapt. Without guardrails, it can drift into being either too safe to inspire real change or too unrealistic to rally behind. A well-thought-out risk management plan helps you stay balanced, avoid common pitfalls, and make sure your big goal keeps driving progress rather than fading into the background.

Don’t set goals too safe or impossible

The 50 to 70 percent probability guideline exists for a reason. When a goal feels too safe, people don’t have to stretch beyond business as usual, which means you miss out on the innovation and growth a BHAG is meant to spark. On the other hand, if the goal feels completely out of reach, employees are more likely to dismiss it as unrealistic, leading to frustration or cynicism rather than motivation.

The sweet spot lies in creating a goal that feels daunting but still possible with extraordinary effort. That balance keeps teams engaged and fosters creative problem-solving. Regular reassessment is also critical. Circumstances shift, industries evolve, and technology opens new doors.

Creating measurable milestones

A 20- or 25-year goal can feel abstract if there are no markers along the way. That’s why measurable milestones are essential. They break the long horizon into achievable stages that give teams something tangible to aim for and allow leadership to track whether the organization is still on course.

Well-designed milestones do more than mark time. They challenge teams to stretch, provide moments to celebrate progress, and highlight when strategies need to shift. Without them, momentum can fade, and people may lose sight of how their day-to-day work connects to the larger vision.

A project tracker makes this process far easier. By keeping intermediate goals visible and tying them to specific metrics, it allows teams to see progress in real time, identify bottlenecks, and adjust course when needed

Connecting daily work to the BHAG

One of the biggest risks with a BHAG is letting it live only at the executive or strategy level. When the goal feels distant from day-to-day responsibilities, employees may understand it conceptually but struggle to see how their own efforts matter. Over time, this disconnect can sap energy and reduce commitment.

The solution is to create clear, visible links between individual contributions and the larger BHAG. Research shows that employees who understand how success is measured are 2x more likely to feel motivated. That means leaders need to consistently translate the big picture into practical, role-specific outcomes and reinforce those connections through communication, recognition, and progress updates.

Track and achieve your BHAGs with monday work management

Big goals are exciting, but staying on course over a 10- to 25-year timeline takes discipline and the right tools. Inspiration can spark momentum, but systems keep it alive. With strong business process management in place, your organization can stay focused on the long game while still adjusting to the twists and turns along the way.

monday work management gives you that structure. It bridges the gap between high-level strategy and daily execution, helping leaders see progress clearly while giving teams the clarity and support they need to contribute with confidence. The result is a platform designed to keep BHAGs moving forward, year after year.

Visualize progress with real-time dashboards

Dashboards make long-term goals tangible by showing progress as it happens. With monday work management, you can:

• Track at every level: Executives monitor high-level metrics while teams follow the milestones linked directly to their daily work.
• Spot trends early: See when progress is stalling or accelerating before it becomes a bigger issue.
• Act in real time: Adjust strategies on the spot instead of waiting for quarterly reviews or annual reports.

By turning your BHAG into visible, measurable progress, dashboards keep everyone aligned and momentum consistent across the organization.

Align teams with transparent workflows

For a BHAG to gain traction, people need to see more than the big-picture vision — they need to understand how their own work moves it forward. Transparent workflows make that connection clear by showing how individual tasks, team projects, and department initiatives fit together.

This level of visibility also helps teams anticipate dependencies and spot potential bottlenecks before they slow progress. When everyone can see how their contributions align with others, collaboration improves, accountability increases, and momentum builds across the organization. Over time, these clear connections between daily work and the long-term goal help transform the BHAG from a distant idea into steady, measurable progress.

Automate updates to maintain momentum

With monday work management, progress tracking doesn’t rely on manual updates. Automated workflows keep information flowing in real time, so teams spend less time reporting and more time executing.

AI-powered features add another layer by surfacing patterns and risks early, giving leaders clear signals to adjust strategy before issues grow. The result is steady momentum toward your BHAG without the burden of extra admin work.