What is your long-term goal?
Imagine an organization where everyone knows where you are heading. Where not only is the strategy clear, but the energy is also right. That is exactly what you achieve with a BHAG and an OPSP. Sounds like management jargon? Perhaps it is, but culture creators, change agents, and entrepreneurs in particular can benefit from it. Because these tools are not meant to be kept in a drawer – they are there to make your culture work for your strategy (and vice versa).
BHAG: your bold dream as a cultural compass
The Big Hairy Audacious Goal , a term coined by Jim Collins, is your bold long-term dream. Not a safe KPI, but a goal that stimulates, connects, and unleashes energy. Think of:
- Nike :
“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.”
(*If you have a body, you are an athlete.)
➤ Culture: groundbreaking, inclusive, performance-driven. - Microsoft (original) :
“A computer on every desk and in every home.”
Culture: accessibility, scalability, technology for everyone. - IKEA :
“To create a better everyday life for the many people.”
Culture: affordability, simplicity, customer focus. - Swapfiets (implicitly):
“Becoming the standard for sustainable mobility in cities.”
Culture: young, circular, customer-oriented.
A BHAG does something special to your company culture. It challenges, gives meaning, and makes choices easier. Is something not working towards your BHAG? Then that is probably not where you should direct your energy. In this way, your dream also becomes your compass.
OPSP: from vision to action in one page
A One-Page Strategic Plan is the bridge between that long-term dream and what needs to happen now. No thick reports, but a single page in which you, as an organization:
- names your core values (culture!),
- makes your BHAG concrete,
- clearly sets your annual priorities,
- and clearly formulates your quarterly goals.
And the beauty of it is: because it is compact and concrete, teams can actually use it in their daily work. The OPSP does not become a strategic document that gathers dust, but a living part of your culture.
Culture as an accelerator of strategy
We often view strategy and culture as two different worlds: one rational, the other emotional. But in practice, they actually work best in tandem.
- Do you have a sharp strategy but a vague culture? Then it remains just plans.
- Do you have a strong culture but no direction? Then you run the risk of beautiful chaos.
By using your BHAG and OPSP as instruments for both, you make culture strategic and strategy human.
How do you use this in practice?
- Formulate your BHAG with your team . Let it be something that resonates, inspires, and is ambitious.
- Ensure that your cultural values are reflected in your OPSP . Not as a separate list, but as a touchstone for choices.
- Use your OPSP in your team rhythm . For example, as a starting point for quarterly meetings or feedback sessions.
- Check alignment : Are your priorities truly contributing to the BHAG? If not, adjust.
Workshop: from plan to practice
Did you know that at Great Humans we also offer workshops on BHAG and OPSP ? Not theory sessions, but energetic sessions where we get to work together with you and your team. Within one day, you will not only have clarity on your bold dream, but also the first outlines of your growth plan on a single page.
- Hands-on
- Culture & strategy in one
- Immediately applicable
Interested? Send us a message – and together we will plan the next step towards your growth.
Finally: dream big, act small
Curious how you can leverage this for your organization? Great Humans is happy to brainstorm with you .
Strategy doesn't have to be heavy. And culture doesn't have to be vague. With a well-formulated BHAG and a supported OPSP, you make both practical and powerful. Because where vision and values meet, flow emerges – and everyone feels it, internally and externally.
Workshop: What the BHAG