Play a Bigger Game

This is a tribute to the late, great Sir Michael Hill, who sadly passed away on 29 July 2025.

Sir Michael gave us some of the best ads in New Zealand history (you still remember them, don’t you?). But more than that, he was a business icon, philanthropist and an inspiration to many. About 14 years ago, I had the privilege of hearing him speak at a conference. His message was simple: every successful business and leader needs a big, long-term goal that inspires people to play a bigger game.

He shared examples from his life. At 40, Sir Michael said he was living a mediocre life, working in his uncle's jewellery business in Whangarei. Then tragedy struck when his house burnt down and he lost everything. That was his turning point. He wrote down a goal: to go into business for himself and build a jewellery empire. Without that goal, he believed he would have remained mediocre and never made the impact he went on to have.

In his speech, he challenged everyone in the audience to think bigger. He spoke about having a 30-year goal. The idea itself wasn’t new - Jim Collins had written about the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) decades earlier. What inspired me was Sir Michael’s age at the time. He was 72.

At 72, he had already achieved more than most of us could dream of. Yet he still had a 30-year goal.

As Bill Gates famously said, "People overestimate what they can achieve in the short term, but underestimate what they can achieve in the long term." Since Sir Michael’s passing, I’ve been reflecting on his Think Bigger challenge. I realised I’d been aiming too low, settling for mediocre - and it’s time for me to play a bigger game.

What about you? Do you have a 30-year goal? Are you aiming for mediocre, or are you thinking bigger? I would live to hear your thoughts.

Mark Windust is an influential Thought Leader in the areas of Sales Strategy, Sales Leadership and Sales Performance. Since launching his consulting practice in 2007, Mark has worked with 1000's of business leaders, salespeople and entrepreneurs’ to help them transform their sales results.