I am a Hedgehog!
“Simple Truths Good-to-great leaders understand three simple truths: If you begin with the “who,” rather than the “what,” you can more easily adapt to a changing world. If you have the right people on the bus, the problem of how to motivate and manage people largely goes away. If you have the wrong people, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction—you still won’t have a great company. Great vision without great people is irrelevant.”[1]
I can remember over 10 years ago, when I first read Good to Great by Jim Collins. I had received this book with a red cover and black letters in my SWAG bag at a corporate event. I was a young business professional who had carved out her path and wanted so earnestly to make her own pathway forward. Many of the principles and truths outlined in the book were so motivating and aspirational leadership objectives. As I re-read this book, I felt challenged in a new way as a leader. My career is not in the same place as it was when I first read this book. Fast forward to where I am today. I have seen the ins and outs of business as well as the highs and lows of leadership. It goes without saying that leadership in any capacity is not easy. It takes work. By work I mean you must have an intentional foot forward. Being honest and upfront is the top priority. It sets the tone for how your organization will align and follow suit with your vision. By no means do I want to minimize the complexity of leadership. It is not as simple as books or people make it seem. It takes work and motivation to continue. Catching hold of a company’s vision and working diligently to propel it forward is a lofty goal.
In my experience, it is all about investment. I am not solely referring to monetary gains but in a solidified commitment to see/set the vision, implement strategy and invest in the people who work day in and day out to make it happen. All of us in leadership bear the responsibility to forge the pathway forward and ignite the passion while encouraging the fortitude of those who catch the vision and desire to see it through. I could write for days on what it means to be a “Level 5” leader. What I do know is that it takes a special individual to understand their leadership capacity and furthermore, invoke the passion of others that permeates the organization in a way that motivates them to see and seize opportunities.
Despite what professional sector you find yourself in, it is imperative that you understand the core and basic governance for successful leadership. Many people settle for what comes easy. Their core strength or competency is what motivates them. Few people allow themselves to be challenged and stretched. Reading the Jim Collins text, although I have already read the first piece, I am even more invigorated to expand the ideals, concepts and methods of how I lead. I am in a new space and building a new team. I am elated at the opportunity but humbled by the fact that this is not a simple endeavor. My selections and how I choose to lead set the tone for our future and the future of this platform.
As I was reading, I came across this text which stood out to me. “Many companies think that putting their best people in bad situations will help turn the bad situation around. While this sometimes works to everyone’s advantage, managers who do so fail to grasp the fact that managing your problems can only make you good. Building opportunities is the only way to become great.”[2] In my tenure in corporate, I cannot tell you how many times this quote has reigned true! I have had management advocate for problem resolution as a professional growth opportunity. Unfortunately, I have colleagues who have been pigeon holed as “the solutions fix it managers”. Meaning that, they only are put on sinking and problem projects. For one, I have seen this work against the organization. Their morale is lost in the shuffle, and secondly, they never discover their greatness because it is measured by how well they fix or resolve something that was already set down a failed pathway.
So why am I a “Hedgehog”? It has taken years to come to this resolve but I have adopted the simplification of idea way of life in business. Meaning, I am fully aware that life and this world is complex; however, I do not strive to solve every complexity. Instead I choose to align my passion with a set of goals or metrics that will produce forward progress in the near and long term. I remove all other “noise” which does not pertain to our short or long term goal. This is a fine balance because life and business is fluid. Things are not always linear in nature. So you have to be perceptive and flexible.
In our past spring term, we read Herman Millers CEO’s approach to business. He stated that Maintaining Momentum was so important. I believe Jim Collins would assert that it is the momentum of vision and opportunity and not of the mundane. To maintain something that will not propel you forward is useless. As leaders, we have to take the time and space to understand ourselves, the context from which we are called to lead and the position we have graciously been placed in. There is no simple formula that we can follow. I do believe we must be vigilant in our pursuit of purpose and caring for those we have been entrusted.
[1] David Campbell . Summary: Good to Great Summarized for Busy People Kindle Edition. Wilson Publishers, 2013.Kindle Location, 89.
[2] IBID. Kindle Location 118.
About the Author
Christal Jenkins Tanks
12 responses to “I am a Hedgehog!”
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Christal, after knowing you for a year and respecting you as a leader in business and ministry I couldn’t wait to read your comments on this book.
I appreciate the credit you give the book for the wisdom you have already put in place in your job. So you are a “Hedgehog”! Well, that is great, but I also see you as a Level 5 leader. You have lots of valuable experience to share but one thing stood out for me, ” All of us in leadership bear the responsibility to forge the pathway forward and ignite the passion while encouraging the fortitude of those who catch the vision and desire to see it through.”
Christal, you have the business and corporate experience that I don’t have and so I always appreciate your perspective. It helps me see more fully and clearly from a very important perspective.
One thing you said stood out to me. “Many people settle for what comes easy. Their core strength or competency is what motivates them. Few people allow themselves to be challenged and stretched.” This is an excellent point and a necessary component of being a leader, certainly a great leader. The challenge and stretching can feel so uncomfortable that many good leaders stop growing and stretching before they have had the time to fully develop. As you mention, some never allow this to happen at all. Thanks for sharing your insights and experience. Enjoyed your post.
Jim,
Yes agreed. Being challenged and stretched is something many leaders do not want to do. I believe it is because they are seen by others that they serve as having it all together. Which we all know is not TRUE! That is not a reason to be a leader nor choose a leader. Leadership development is so important. Growth and maturity is necessary for any leader in any organization.
“As leaders, we have to take the time and space to understand ourselves, the context from which we are called to lead and the position we have graciously been placed in. There is no simple formula that we can follow.”– These are wise words and key to understanding the ‘art’ of leading.
I guess, though, that I’m still little unclear about how you yourself are a hedgehog. Can you explore more about the three circles and how the characteristics you listed about yourself could be shaped into that?
Katy,
I would say the Hedgehog concept is a framework for organizations to to consider when operating in a manner that can produce succeess. By me saying that I am a hedgehog, I am saying that in my leadership tactics in my current and past roles have had to discover on a daily basis how to remain in the “sweetspot”. Determining what we as a company are best in the world at or honing in on our core compentencies to drive a path forward. However, I also understand that with that you must also foster an environment that maintains momentum and fuels passion. Finally, within any for profit business we have key metrics and profit targets that we must achieve. All of these must be held in tandem and that takes leaders who see the “Sweet spot” as important and are willing to be challenged daily to discover it and remain in it.
Side Note: I was also look for something catchy and slightly discussion worthy to title my post and drive my discussion on leadership based on the books. No one wants to be the Fox LOL 🙂
“I remove all other ‘noise’ which does not pertain to our short or long term goal. This is a fine balance because life and business is fluid.”
Crystal, I believe that you have identified a crucial issue for church leaders. In church work, there is a lot of noise.
* The church member who always complains.
* The ‘big giver’ who wants open access to the pastor.
* The dysfunctional family who want staff to play ‘referee’ in their personal issues.
* The busybody parent who wants to critique everything about the youth ministry.
* The church member who continually makes bad financial decisions then wants the church to bail them out.
Need I go on?
It would be wise for church leaders to establish their values and goals on paper. That helps them make decisions when things get noisy.
Stu, I agree that it is so important to write down the vision and goals. There is something to be said about getting them out and being able to see them. It allows everyone to be able to understand what the organization/ church, etc. are working to accomplish. It will also allow for leaders to quickly identify gaps and determine a strategic approach to closing those gaps.
Stu – you picked out an important part of Christal’s post – and I think an important element of what often makes for successful – great – leaders: a single minded focus on the goal.
One of the challenges, however, of this kind of laser focus, which I really do think is a common thread of great organizations and leaders – is that it often comes at a cost.
Stu – your illustrations highlight many of the ‘distractions’ that can detract from the ‘mission’….. but of course, for the church those people (even the cranky, whiny ones) are also – at least part of – the mission too.
It is a delicate balance.
“Unfortunately, I have colleagues who have been pigeon holed as “the solutions fix it managers”.”
I have mixed feelings about this, Christal. I was the “fix it” manager in our department for about 15 years. It matched my personality and work style because I had a huge challenge put before me that drove me and, when it was “fixed,” I got to move on before I was bored. This was growth opportunity for me. On the other hand, there were times I had to go to my directors and say, “This is unfixable as it is so we need to do (xxx) or It will be a waste of my time and your money.” That, to me, is where the difference lies between just throwing your good people at a bad situation and placing your people where they work best. This ties to Collins’ idea of having the right people on board and remaining focused almost ruthlessly on the vision.
Kristin,
I understand your perspective. I am was not necessarily talking about that scenario but I have seen the morale of great business professional go down because they do not always want to have to be the fire fighter and put into the problematic situations all of the time. They feel as though they are not fully being utilized and providing value. I can see both sides 🙂
Christal, I so enjoyed your post and hearing how you apply these leadership principles in your business. Having these concrete examples makes the reading come to life. Great statement: “All of us in leadership bear the responsibility to forge the pathway forward and ignite the passion while encouraging the fortitude of those who catch the vision and desire to see it through.” It saddens me when I see Christian leaders comfortable with doing shotty work as leaders with no integrity to advancing the vision of their company or encouraging their employees to excell. This feels counter-cultural to the work of Jesus who worked tirelessly to complete the work He came to do with purpose and commitment, ultimately sacrificing His life in order to improve our quality of life and our eternity. Pretty great role model we have.
I like how you reduce the “noise” to be able to concentrate on what’s the primary focus. I often encourage my clients to do this so they can become psychologically soothed to make the changes they need to improve their quality of life. I tell them to put “ear muffs” on to the past thoughts, lies, and distractions keeping them from meeting their life goals.
Jen I have found that eliminating the noise is so fundamental! It is difficult especially in certain life seasons. I completely agree with you that when making a life decision all distractions must be minimized.