The Hedgehog Concept and Our Futures

This weeks reading of Jim collins’ Good to Great brought us the Hedgehog Concept. The Hedgehog Concept is not a goal, strategy, or intention, it is an understanding. It is an understanding of what your organization can be the best at, not what it wants to be the best at. The book consistently uses the term “best in the world”, but if you aren’t already the head of an established company, etc. you will have to break down this lesson to relate it to your own life. The Hedgehog concept is the convergence of hat you can be the “best in the world” at, what you are deeply passionate about, and what drives your economic engine. If an organization reaches this understanding, and proceeds upon it rather than on pure bravado, it will find true success. The book compares good-to-great companies with failed companies with an analogy of hedgehogs and foxes. The Good-To-Great companies were like hedgehogs, simple and focused that knew “one big thing” and stuck to it. The comparison companies were more like foxes, as in they were crafty, cunning, and knew many different things yet lacked consistency. To be a successful hedgehog, stay focused on few things and be the best at those things, rather than spreading yourself too thin.

Regardless of the fact that this lesson is directed to up-and-coming business people searching for success in their various industries, it is also a timely concept for all of us seniors as we make our college decisions and eventually our career decisions. Now that we have gotten accepted to the schools we are going to be accepted by, the following month is our time to make our final decision that will lay the groundwork for the backdrop of the next four years of our lives. In this process we can take into consideration the Hedgehog Concept. We have to come to an understanding of what we want out of college. If it is your desire to be a big fish in a small pond, then you would consider going to the college where you could be the best. But you also must take into account how passionate you are about each of your options, no one wants to be bored for the next four years. The concept of finding “what drives your economic engine” has two iterations in this context. First you must consider how much the school is going to cost you, as an economic component to your fiscal future after school a daunting debt can be a real detractor. One could also consider the average salary of the school’s graduates after 10 years as well as the general ROI of attending the school. Taking these aspects into consideration will truly set you up for success in and after college.