Be a Hedgehog, Not a Fox

Anthony Rudine -- As I promised some time ago, it is now time to delve into Jim Collins' "The Hedgehog Concept," included in his most recent book, Good to Great. Basically, Mr. Collins and his research team identified factors that separated those companies that outperformed the market and sustained their growth from similar companies in the same markets, faced with the same challenges, that did not sustain growth that beat the market. One of the key factors, according to Collins, is The Hedgehog Concept.

He illustrates the point by telling the story of the hedgehog and the fox -– the fox is smarter and quicker than the hedgehog, but the fox never prevails with a hedgehog for dinner that evening. Why? Because the hedgehog, as slow as he is, knows what the fox doesn't –- all he has to do is curl up in a ball, and the fox can no longer attack; he is protected. So as the fox devises all of these magnificent plans each day, the hedgehog simply does what he is good at –- curling up -– and beats the fox every time.

Now comes the interesting part: According to Collins, without a clear Hedgehog Concept one cannot "beat the market," as all decisions for the company must revolve around this. The Hedgehog Concept consists of three circles: What can you be the best at? What are you passionate about? And finally, how do you measure your success?

As I was reading this, I was thinking to myself –- what is my Hedgehog Concept? Can it apply to people, or is it only businesses? Lest you forget, dear friends, a physician could be considered a business, and to be successful, must be considered a business. So applying the concept to medicine -– What can you be the best at? For me – emergency physician. What am I deeply passionate about? Treating all patients from all walks of life. But how would I measure success? Treated patients per hour? Lives saved per day? Smiles created per family? What? I think I would measure success as patients correctly treated per day.

The point is, if you are not passionate about being a physician, if you cannot find a measurement of success, and if you cannot truly dedicate yourself to the treatment of patients –- to be the best at that time -– then why be a physician at all? If you define your Hedgehog Concept as something else, maybe you have become the fox, and that friends, is a futile battle. The hedgehog wins every time.