Actionable Books

Planet Google

Published by Free Press

---

In Good to Great, author Jim Collins coined the phrase ‘BHAG’ – Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals. In Planet Google, Randall Stross outlines Google’s BHAG – To organize the world’s information; a BHAG to end all BHAGs.  It is the purpose of this In Flight workshop to help you and your team define your own “BHAG”, and to teach you how to work to accomplishing it in a way that holds true to your values, and follows some of the examples Google has set.

Exercise Overview

1 Lecture (5 minutes)   |   “The Quest”

A recap of the article and brief discussion on the delicate balancing act Google maintains of growing as a corporation yet maintaining the approval of the public at large.

2 Team Discussion (10 minutes)  |   “Audacious Goals”

While defining goals can (and should) be an entire workshop unto itself, the purpose of this activity is simply to get your team to pick a personal milestone they are working towards.  Some of them may already have a goal in mind.  This exercise is a primer for the following two.

3 Solo Activity (35 minutes)  |   “Public Persona”

This exercise is designed to help your team recognize that they way in which we are perceived by our clients (and potential clients) is almost always under our control. This exercise also walks through the specific key actions and languages that your team members can take to improve their own public persona.

4 Final Thoughts (5 minutes)  |  “Beyond Today”

A quick wrap up discussion around the importance of staying true to your BHAG; not getting distracted by the tactics but rather, focusing on the big picture.

Key Deliverables

Upon completion of this workshop, your team members will understand the importance of crafting a specific and focused public persona, one that is in line with their personal, and your team, BHAGs.  This workshop is designed to inspire, focus and motivate your team into a unified sense of purpose.

This workshop requires that you bring your personal calendar, as well as the standard Pen and Paper.  This is a standalone workshop, and no additional follow up work is required.