Good Is the Enemy of GreatSample

The Hedgehog

Jim Collins in his book Good to Great defined the Hedgehog Concept as the intersection where three circles met. These circles were questions that, when answered, would lead to each organisation’s Hedgehog concept:

What can you be the best at, in the world?; What are you passionate about?; What drives your economic engine?

In the jungle, the fox comes up with various cunning schemes to get the hedgehog as its prey. But, the hedgehog knows only one thing that it is good at. That is to curl up into a ball. Its spikes scare the fox away every time, no matter how cunning the schemes of the fox may be.

David was a shepherd boy. He was not used to battlefield weaponry. King Saul put his armour, helmet and sword on David to fight Goliath. For teen David, Saul’s weapons may have been over-sized to begin with. David trusted in the Lord more than those weapons and he believed in the skills that he had mastered as a shepherd boy. Thus, he put the hedgehog concept to best use, earning a mighty victory for his country that day, for the glory of God.

It is important to identify the things we can truly excel in. By focusing on these, we become much more effective in our lives and work. As managers, we may be good in some areas because of the natural talents given by God. It may be thought leadership or financial planning or strategising solutions or crisis management or mergers and acquisitions, etc. that we had mastered through our career. Let us rely on these skills like the hedgehog.

In business and in management of corporate affairs, this also means that we should build effective teams keeping in mind the key skills we lack. For example, if financial planning is not one of our basic hedgehog strengths, it is important to build a skilled finance team that we can rely on when we face challenges. Thus, we can go from good to great, for good is the enemy of great.

Father, enable us to use the talents and skills You have endowed us with, to excel in whatever we do. Amen