What are you the best in the world at? Ode to the Hedgehog!

Hedgehogs are animals who lead simple lives. They look at a complex world and are able to focus on the single most important task – survival. The Hedgehog Concept, named after this modest animal, was developed by Jim Collins, in his book, Good to Great.  The concept allows us to analyze our business or organization and bring focus to decision-making by driving toward a deeper understanding about what we can be the best at in the world, what we are most passionate about, and what drives our resource/economic engine. And most importantly, finding the sweet spot where all three of these intersect.

Normally, the Hedgehog Concept applies to businesses, but I believe you can use it to achieve success in your personal life, as well. Whether looking for a new job, trying to find more happiness and success in your current position, or just curious about how you can emulate the hedgehog, I urge you to read on and create your own Hedgehog Concept.

Recently we have been working on putting together our Hedgehog Concept. So we wanted to share our key learnings:

1. The Hedgehog Concept is not the latest strategy or goal one can check off the list. It’s a deep understanding of what we can be the best at, and what is our unique contribution to the world.  It’s helps us get into the mindset of a hedgehog–focused.

2. Sometimes our current business model or position does not allow us to excel in what we are best at in the world. It may be hard to pass up the ‘opportunity of a lifetime’, but the hedgehog concept helps us to make strategic decisions based on our talents, passions and resource engines.  Sometimes what can seem like an ideal opportunity in business or life can simply be a distraction and pull us away from making our unique contribution to the world. We have to be clear about what is ours to do and what is ours to leave undone.
3. Getting to a refined Hedgehog Concept is a process. In the case of a business or organization, gather the strategic thinkers and begin to dig into the responses to the above questions. Ask for feedback and revise, revise, revise! Getting to a refined Hedgehog Concept takes time and many edits, after all, it is iterative.  If we are formulating our individual Hedgehog, it is best to ask the people around us for advice and guidance knowing that it is ultimately up to us to define what makes us passionate and what we can be the best at in the world. Sometimes it takes time to mull things over and that’s okay. Start the process today!Turn the complex world into a simple one. Today is the day to start emulating our little furry friend and be the Hedgehog! We’ve published our Hedgehog Concept and we are excited to share it with you!
   To check it out, visit our website here.