The following contains a paraphrased excerpt from Jim
Collins' brilliant book, "Good to Great" (2001,
HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY). Here Collins
discusses Isaiah Berlin's famous allegory about certain
types of people. Even if you've heard it before, it bears
repeating.
Once upon a time, there was a fox. This particular fox was
a very sly and cunning creature and a rather intelligent
one as well. Each day he schemed, invented and reinvented
complicated strategies - all devised to outwit and attack
the hedgehog. Then, as soon as he was satisfied with his
latest brilliant plan he would pay a visit to the
hedgehog's den and circle it continuously... until the
perfect moment arrived for him to pounce. And from an
outside vantage point, he had every reason to be confident.
After all, he was fast, sleek, crafty, sure-footed and
striking. He looked like a champion; especially compared to
his prey.
The hedgehog, a funny creature with an odd appearance (part
porcupine and part armadillo) enjoyed his simple life...
waddling around searching for food, taking care of his home
and resting.
One day the little hedgehog crossed directly in front of
the fox - who waited in cunning silence - as he went about
his daily routine. "Aha" the fox thought, "I've got you
now!" With that, he leapt out and with lightening fast
speed ran straight for the hedgehog. The hedgehog, sensing
danger, saw the fox and thought, "Here we go again. Will he
ever learn?" Rolling up into a perfect sphere, he became a
ball of sharp spikes, with daggers in all directions. As
the fox drew closer he saw this and called off the attack,
and vowed to devise a new plot to get the hedgehog.
Each day for the rest of their lives some form of this
battle took place and despite all, the hedgehog always won.
What Does This Story Have To Do With Marketing Your
Business?
Everything.
Berlin argues that, like the fox, some people choose to
chase too many things at the same time. Because they view
the world as excessively complex, they can never shape a
single unified philosophy or vision. So, they operate on
too many levels and simply cannot manage it all.
For example, these are the folks who:
- Waste precious time unnecessarily reinventing the wheel
whenever they're called upon to perform a task
- Use ten words when three would suffice
- Avoid making decisions because it never seems like the
exact right time
- Worry excessively about "what-ifs" down the road
- Over analyze things until they feel paralyzed
- Jump at every opportunity instead of focusing on their
most important strategies
The end result? They're confused, overwhelmed, distracted,
frustrated and stressed. Their personal lives take a big
hit and their businesses suffer. In short, they are
opportunist instead of true entrepreneurs.
In contrast, "hedgehogs" are adept at taking complicated
concepts and condensing them into their most elemental
parts. Their methodology for unraveling any challenge is
therefore, quite simple. They identify the most important
components needed to solve their problem (i.e. ingredients
and procedures) and focus their efforts there. They
understand that true genius ' and the ability to get things
done ' relies upon making things simpler, not more complex.
(And what better example of this is there than Einstein's
Theory of Relativity formula, "e=mc²"?) As a general
rule, "hedgehogs" do not value anything that doesn't
materially add value to their focused ideology and thus,
are masters at shortening their learning curve by
developing dependable problem-solving methods and tools.
So next time you find yourself overwhelmed, stop, take a
deep breath and think like a hedgehog... you'll be glad you
did.
Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful
purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it. James Allen
----------------------------------------------------
Ms. Scarborough is the co-author of two books, ("The
Procrastinator's Guide to Marketing" and ("Mastering Online
Marketing"), former mktg. executive, award-winner speaker,
and certified Guerrilla Marketing coach. She holds a BA in
English from the Univ. of MD and a MS in marketing from
Johns Hopkins University. Log onto her website:
StrategicMarketingAdvisors.com for free articles,
templates, tips, tools and more.
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