The Hedgehog Concept: "The Fast & The Furry"

I always wanted to do a blog about “knowing thyself” – the great Latin phrase “Temet Nosce”. Found over the doorway in the Oracle’s kitchen in The Matrix, the simplicity of the phrase has profound meaning. Although my original intent for such an entry was to cover aspects of the 16 personality types – it will have to wait.

Chapter 5 in Good toGreat starts with the phrase Know Thyself. The opening paragraph asks the question “Are you a hedgehog or a fox?” If asked suddenly and given little time to respond, I would probably say I’m a fox. Sly, swift and cunning creature. Unless it’s Sonic the Hedgehog, who is more than just fast, he’s awesome.

  

             Sonic the Hedgehog & a real hedgehog... Where's the concept?

In reality, hedgehogs are rather small & cute looking critters. So – why is it dubbed the “Hedgehog Concept” ? Stemming from Isaiah Berlin’s essay The Hedgehog and the Fox, the bottom line is that a fox knows many things, and can see all the complexities of the world. However, a hedgehog knows one BIG thing – and thus can simplify the complex world. It’s almost as if the fox is that “jack of all trades master of none”. In that regard, I am like a fox. I know a little about a lot of different things, but not focused. Although I have not read the essay yet, per Jim’s summary, no matter what new attack strategy the fox may come up with, the hedgehog will do what he is best at: curl-up into a perfect sphere with spikes pointing in all directions and always win the confrontation.

I got the gist rather quickly. However, the concept has a great deal of depth that would require more time for me to wrap my head around. In fact, I didn’t mind rereading the chapter to find if there was a personal application to the hedgehog concept. I believe there is. However, I digress. Jim brings in great examples of good-to-great companies, what they did and what the comparison companies did not do. The differentiator? Good-to-great companies’ strategies where founded on three key dimensions:

Not blue, fast, furry or cute... but if grasped, it can change everything.

Just as important as knowing what you can be the best in the world at, is what you cannot be the best in the world at. Jim elaborates that “just because you possess a core competence doesn’t mean you can be the best in the world..”. It may very well be something never considered. Unfortunately, I do not believe this is something that would be easily applied in either personal or corporate arenas. I believe most of us focus our time either “putting out fires” or strategizing for growth rather than finding what we can be the best at. Once again, remember Habit # 3? Put First Things First ? We spend most of our time in Quadrant 1 and 3. Who has time for Quadrant 2? Things that are not urgent, but important. The place where we could potentially find answers – as to what we could be the best at.

As far as what drives your economic engine, the question of “What is your denominator?” comes up. Strangely enough, it not a “one-size-fits-all” answer. It will greatly depend on what your business is. Even Jim calls it “unobvious”. Not the typical dollar-per-transaction or profit-per-customer. One great example is that of Abbott, where they shifted from “profit per product line” to “profit per employee” – which was in-line with their strategy of providing cost-effective health care.

Trying to become deeply passionate about what you do is one thing. What you are deeply passionate about is something completely different. Jim simplifies it as follows: “You can’t manufacture passion or “motivate” people to feel passionate. You can only discover what ignites your passion and the passions of those around you.” Just like Dr. Covey would say: “you can buy a man’s hands back, but not his heart and mind”.

In closing, the most important take-away to this chapter is as follows:

“A Hedgehog Concept is not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be the best at. The distinction is absolutely crucial.” 

I want one.