Keep It Simple—Understand Your Hedgehog Concept
by Jonathan Jones
In his bestselling book Good to Great, Jim Collins introduced The Hedgehog Concept—a simple yet powerful framework for building a great company. Inspired by the ancient fable of the fox and the hedgehog, Collins explains that while the fox is cunning and chases many strategies, the hedgehog focuses on one simple, winning approach: rolling into a protective ball. For businesses, this means identifying and committing to simplicity
To apply The Hedgehog Concept, you must answer three critical questions:
1. What are you deeply passionate about? Passion fuels long-term success and resilience. If you and your team don’t love what you do, staying motivated through challenges becomes difficult.
2. What can you be the best in the world at? Focus on your core strengths. What do you do better than your competitors? Avoid distractions that pull you away from this strength.
3. What drives your economic engine? Identify the key metric that defines your profitability. Understanding this number is crucial. It is a ratio where the denominator is profit. Examples are “Profit per Project”, “Profit per Employee”, “Profit per Foreman”, or “Profit per Customer.”
Only do what fits in all three of these categories. This understanding should be shared with all employees to focus and strengthen the culture.
The key to success isn’t doing everything—it’s doing the right things well, loving it, and being profitable enough to “fund your passion”. Too many small businesses spread themselves thin, chasing every opportunity. Instead, focus on what you do best and simplify your strategy. Avoid chasing trends that don’t align with your strengths.
Small businesses can create a sustainable, profitable, and engaged company culture by committing to The Hedgehog Concept. Are you operating like a fox or a hedgehog? The answer may define your future.
Jonathan Jones (Jonathan.jones@vistagechair.com or 314-608-0783) is a CEO peer group chair/coach for Vistage International.