Hedgehog For The Win!

We’ve been encouraged to apply the metaphor of the Fox and the Hedgehog to our endeavor but, I’ll have to admit I was a little lost in my understanding.

My guide asked me about hedgehog v. fox. I said I tend to be very much more like a fox. (She probably already knew my answer before asking). That was Thursday.

The very next day I needed to go to my bank to do some business inside, so we parked and I went in to the counter. Well, I noticed there was a 2” hedgehog sticker on the Plexiglas divider in front of me and I had to stand there for at least 10 minutes with only the hedgehog to look at. Subby WILL NEVER FORGET THAT!

I finally asked the banker what it was a picture of, because it was kind of a cartoon, and might have been anything. But it did have a strong resemblance to a hedgehog. I really didn’t think it belonged to the person I asked about it and I was correct.

It belonged to a banker that was not in that day. (Now I will have to keep going back, or maybe make a phone call or several, to try to find out why she likes hedgehogs so much, and then tell them about the hedgehog vs fox question).

I kind of took that experience as a sign I should develop my understanding of the metaphor.

What is the question, “Are you a hedgehog or a fox?” actually getting at? The basic idea is that a hedgehog is more narrowly focused on the (single) most effective way to reach a goal, whereas the fox seeks to reach his goal in a more diffuse manner.

In considering all the things that are involved in taking a trip from point A to point B, for example, some actions are more critical than others and those should be the main focus of our time and effort.

Hedgehog planning is laser focused (definiteness of purpose). Hedgehogs plan their work and work their plan. A plan thrives when it is in the area of overlap of passion, excellence, and activity that drives the economic engine of the enterprise. Simplicity and focus rule the day as much as possible.

A highly functioning Hedgehog succeeds in this process by analyzing all the activities involved in his enterprise, finding the top two most important or essential and allocating 50% of time to the one most important, and 25% to the second.

Another way this principle can be seen is in the design of assembly lines. Each station consists of a person with specialized training to complete a particular step in the assembly or process. Henry Ford was able to reduce the time involved in chassis assembly from 12 hours 8 minutes to 1 hour 33 minutes, which allowed him to produce more cars and sell them for a lower price.

The Hedgehog is highly motivated to continue his plan because his activity focuses on what he is passionate about, provides excellent service or product and the economic engine of the enterprise.

The speed and likelihood of reaching one’s goal is a result of efficiency in the process and these tips for becoming more efficient are not merely a style of working, but more of a choice. We can choose to be a Hedgehog and utilize the power of this approach to reaching our goals, or we can keep doing it in a haphazard manner, which exhausts our resources and our energy.

I will be a Hedgehog every day, beginning today. I always keep my promises. See more about what I have learned in my Master Key Experience by clicking here.