“When everyone orients their work around a shared goal, the silos start to melt away.”
In his book Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars, one of my favorite business authors Patrick Lencioni wrote about how a BHAG (Big Hairy Ass Goal) gives everyone something big they can buy into — a unifying purpose. When people orient their work around that shared goal, those turf battles and silos start to melt away.
Watch this 6-minute video in which Dave and I share examples of this, and talk about how to put this into practice.
Now here’s your homework:
What big hairy audacious goal can you set — for your team, your department, or even yourself — that people (or you) can get passionate about?
(If you’re pressed for time and just want the transcript,
send me an email with the subject line “BHAG”.)
A collaboration with David C Miller, Author of The Influential Actuary
I just started watching the video, but I hit pause – I will wait for my husband. He has been forming and leading teams for decades across the world. It will be interesting to watch it together. I’m curious if he has read the books you are mentioning. Maybe we will be setting goals together!
Sounds good – let me know what he thinks! I’ve found several of Patrick Lencioni’s books to be insightful, and interesting reads. Also Seth Godin (more about branding than leadership, but great insights).
My BHAG is to help 50 professional women become the CEOs of their lives (work-life integration) through my Health and Well-being coaching program. Since I work with individuals and small groups, my goal is to get this done by the end of 2027.
That’s terrific, Kim! I’d think about also breaking that down a bit, so that you have chances to course-correct if needed. What is a goal you could set for this last quarter of 2025, and then for 2026, that would show you are on track to get there?