A regular column by Athletic Director Bill Husak.
BHAG versus DHAG
In Jim Collins' book "Good to Great" he refers to the term BHAG which is an acronym for Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Great organizations have great goals and frequently these goals to the common person seem almost unattainable. In my life time there have been many BHAGs that I have witnessed, but perhaps the one that sticks out in my mind is putting a man on the moon. For our country and those who were scientists, science fiction enthusiasts, engineers and adventurers placing a man on the moon was indeed almost unthinkable and only imaginary. But the visionaries saw that if we could take successful intermediate steps like getting a rocket off the ground, getting man into space, orbiting the earth and returning safely. If these steps were achieved then placing a man on the moon was indeed possible. During this whole process, challenges occurred to the space program. These challenges included funding, education, bad weather, and delays and setbacks of one form or another.
The organizations that we work within also have goals and ours within the Athletics Department are indeed BHAGs. We wish to win championships, graduate our athletes in four years and have them grow as people during their LMU experience so they may contribute to the world when they leave The Bluff. To make these goals a reality requires a culture and attitude for excellence, dollars for salaries, scholarships, operations, buildings and an institution and its fans that truly care about its student-athletes. Much like placing a man on the moon, progress in these areas will allow us to reach our ultimate goals. This progress, however, is also not without its challenges and setbacks.
I have labeled our challenges as DHAG's which is an acronym for Drugs, Hazing Alcohol and Gambling. The NCAA and its member institutions have identified these issues as contrary to the goals of collegiate athletics. These four issues are addressed every year on college campus including LMU. In particular, we have spent a great deal of time this summer and the beginning of this semester reviewing our drug and alcohol policy as well as having on-going discussions with our teams concerning hazing. When DHAGs raise their ugly heads, they set our student-athletes back and delay the achievement of our BHAGs.
There are many fronts upon which we can attack DHAG issues. Education is one and every semester we bring in guest speakers and create programs to inform. But cognitive understanding is frequently inadequate in changing behavior. So we address the affective domain that deals with attitudes and the resulting behavior. We attempt to model and create a culture of looking out for one another. We attempt to create a family atmosphere where we hold people accountable for their decisions and actions. In the end we hope that through our efforts and the efforts of all who support our student-athletes our BHAGs will become a reality and overcome the challenges of DHAGs.
Go Lions!
Bill Husak
