The blogs I wrote over the last two days, Define Success and Set Goals, were the prerequisites to our course, The Straight-A Guide. I designed that course to help people carve a pathway through crisis, though it isn’t solely for people who are in crisis.
I apply the strategies from The Straight-A Guide every day in my quest to reach a higher potential. The program isn’t about me, but rather the lessons I learned from great leaders who mentored me and taught me how to think differently. I got through the challenges of 26 years in prison by learning how to lead a values-based, goal-oriented life. Influences from those leaders inspired me to define success clearly, set goals aligned with that vision, and pursue them with the right attitude.
What do I mean by the “right attitude”? I describe it as making a 100% commitment to success, however you define success for yourself. Whether someone yearns for success in family life, health, career, or something else, that person’s attitude toward pursuing that outcome can be the difference between stagnation and extraordinary growth.
I first learned this concept by studying leadership lessons, including those from Jim Collins. In his book Good to Great, he introduced two concepts that stood out to me:
- The flywheel, and
- The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).
Those lessons from Jim Collins guided me through my journey, including my time in prison, and they continue to guide me today. It’s evidence that we can find mentors regardless of what challenges we face. I never met Jim Collins, but I certainly learned a great deal from him by reading his books.
The Flywheel
Jim Collins’s concept of the flywheel describes how small, consistent efforts build unstoppable momentum over time. In his book, he asked readers to imagine a massive, heavy wheel balanced on a vertical rod. At first, pushing this wheel with the force necessary to make it spin would require tremendous force. Even with all that force, it would hardly seem to move at all. With perseverance and the right attitude, the wheel picks up speed. Eventually, the force you apply combines with the wheel’s own momentum. As it spins faster, it becomes easier to sustain.
During my prison journey, I focused on small, incremental steps: writing daily, studying successful leadership principles, and keeping my eyes locked on what I wanted to create for my future. Those small pushes eventually created a flywheel effect—each success making the next step more manageable, until my entire approach to life kept moving me forward.
The BHAG
Collins also wrote about the importance of having a Big Hairy Audacious Goal—an ambitious, long-term objective that both inspires and challenges us. He uses three concentric circles to illustrate how a BHAG arises from:
- Identifying what you’re deeply passionate about,
- What you can be best in the world at, and
- What drives your economic or resource engine.
Aligning those three areas helped me determine how I could bring unique value to the world. While in prison, I became passionate about learning from leaders and sharing those lessons with others. I believed I could become the best in the world at translating concepts from leadership books and applying them to crisis management and personal growth. Those lessons wouldn’t only apply to people in prison. Anyone could use them to reach a higher potential.
Since getting out, I show how I use them today, with the mission of our nonprofit. We strive to show people strategies they can use for personal development, or to overcome a crisis, whatever the crisis may be. By focusing on my BHAG, I nurtured a boundless sense of hope that continues to drive me forward today.
Those strategies helped me stay focused during imprisonment, and they still guide me. My commitment to the nonprofit, including my choice to volunteer my time without compensation, reflects the values and goals I’ve carried for years. My daily writing also shows that I never ask anyone to do anything I haven’t already done—and continue to do. Each day, I work to exemplify the right attitude, a 100% commitment to invest in the future, for others and for myself.
Self-Directed Learning Question:
- How can you apply the concepts of the flywheel and the BHAG to build your own momentum and define an inspiring, long-term goal—one that aligns with your core values and propels you toward reaching your highest potential?
