A Foxy Hedgehog

August 4, 2007

One of the most well known of the analogies from Good to Great is that of the fox and the hedgehog. 

The gist of it is that the fox is really smart. He can hunt… he can strategize… he can dominate with his physical prowess and intellect. 

What can the hedgehog do? He basically can curl up completely in a ball where only his spines stick out .  That is his only and best protection.

The reference goes back to a poem from ancient Greece which states  “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing”

In business and in life you can see these general patterns playing out.  You hear about people who knew what their career would be in elementary school and people who work in a field for decades.

Then there’s people like me.  I’m creative and curious.  My sister said to me when I was talking about one of the new hobbies I had just discovered, ”You never just stick your toe in the water to see what it is like.  You always jump all of the way in.”

There are aspects I love about being a fox, but the reality is that I’m unproductive. I can’t get projects finished, I can’t focus, and I have a cluttered mind.  Hence, my pursuit of my inner hedgehog.

I have other things to add to my distracted mind such as diabetes, sleep disorders, and a 3 year-old underfoot, but the struggles I have get their roots in my do-it-yourself, know everything, perfectionistic approach to life.  Couple that with a fear of working with other people and I’m pretty much shot.

One thing about foxes is they are very intelligent.  In many ways intelligence can be a barrier to success.  I’m not saying intelligent people aren’t capable of being successful, but there are several struggles that intelligent people face. 

One is overthinking things. I do this all of the time.  When I was in seminary, I had to take the bus for a couple of weeks while my car was being repaired.  Before my initial trip I agonized over how to ride the bus.  How do you know where it’s going? How do I let them know I want off?  Where do I put the money/ticket? and on and on. 

Then I realized.  Why am I making this so hard? It’s the city bus for goodness sake. I did figure it out and always made it to class and home without incident.

In the 6th book of the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore told Harry that since he was “cleverer” than most he made much bigger mistakes that were harder to get over. 

That is the plight of the fox.  The more complicated things get, the greater chance they have to crash and burn.  Simplicity and focus with an eye on developing workable systems is the way to go.  I can see that future even though I’m not there yet.

I never want to completely quit being “foxy”.  I just want to nurture that little hedgehog so I can actually enjoy the fruit of some of these great ideas I have.

To your best,

Deborah 

Posted in 7 Figure Code