Find The Right Career With The Hedgehog Concept

Find The Right Career With The Hedgehog Concept

Do you have what it takes to be a [whatever career you’re thinking of]? What should you do with your life and how do you figure that out? This Venn diagram, based on 3 questions from the “hedgehog concept” can help you find the perfect career.

Picture: OMHG

The hedgehog concept comes from Jim Collins’ book Good to Great, in which Collins describes the qualities that make some companies super-successful and others just good. The concept is based on an ancient Greek fable that describes a conflict between a fox (a “Renaissance man” or jack-of-all trades good at everything) and a hedgehog (who does one thing well), with the hedgehog winning.

Using this parable, Collins came up with the hedgehog concept, or the three questions you can ask yourself if you’re on the right path:

  • What are you deeply passionate about?
  • What can you do better than most others? (or Can you get better at it?)
  • What can you do that will earn you money?

The intersection of the answers to these questions is your sweet spot — the one thing you can do best and earn a living from.

For example, you might be deeply passionate about playing the piano, but lack the musical coordination to do it well and earn a living as a pianist. On the other hand, maybe you’re also crazy about baking — and you’ve developed your own award-winning recipes and there’s a market for your unique homemade goods.

This is a simple formula for testing if a career is truly right for you, since it considers your skills, passion and income (we mentioned this Venn diagram before, but it should be attributed to Collins’ hedgehog concept and it’s worth reviewing!).

The Hedgehog Concept [Jim Collins via Copyblogger]


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