Identifying your World-Beating Speciality
The fox, renowned for his cunning, has many strategies for killing the hedgehog.
On the other hand, the hedgehog has only one strategy for defending itself. Whenever the
fox attacks, from whatever direction, the hedgehog rolls itself into a ball of spikes. It works every
time. The hedgehog is supremely good at one thing, and it survives by sticking to its winning strategy.
In a study of the most consistently successful companies, Jim Collins identified that each of these companies
uses the Hedgehog Concept. They have identified the one thing at which they can be world-beaters. And then they
have focused on this speciality to consistently beat the competition.
Identifying your own organisation's Hedgehog Strategy flows from a thorough and objective understanding of:
1. What you can (and cannot) be best in the world at (not what you would like to be, but CAN be best at).
2. What 'drives your economic engine', ie how value is created. Ideally this should be crystallised into a single financial measure.
3. What you are deeply passionate about. (Not what you would like to be passionate about, but what innate passion can you draw on.)
Your Hedgehog Strategy is derived from the intersection of the three factors above.
See Marketing Consultancy and Workshops for details of how I can work with you to
devise winning competitive strategies.
Note: This web page is not intended to provide comprehensive coverage of the subject, merely a brief introduction to provoke thought and to lead to a more in depth understanding and application of the topic, either through further reading - or from me as your management consultant, executive trainer or personal coach in a consultancy project, training course, workshop or seminar.
References and Further Reading
Collins, Jim. Good to Great. Random House. 2001.