Business Core Focus: “Imagine a Hedgehog in a Wrestling Outfit.”

Recently I was powder and mogul skiing in Alta, Utah with an EOS client and friend from Dallas Texas. My friend, Bob, had been a 3 time Texas High School State Wrestling Champ and rode a wrestling scholarship to Duke.

We were riding the lift talking about the components of the EOS Vision Traction Organizer, VTO, yes, we are EOS nerds.

The Jim Collins reading assignments from Good to Great came up and Bob brought up one of the “head scratchers” that I and many of my teams share, = Jim Collins’ Hedgehog Concept. While we both agreed that the Collins’ Venn diagram: intersection of What you are deeply passionate about? + in What can you be best? + What is the economic engine? makes perfect sense, we scratch our heads with the Hedgehog as mascot.

Bob, me, and many people are hung up on the Hedgehog as an example move, in North Carolina we call it a Porcupine. When a Hedgehog is in danger it rolls up in a ball and sticks out its tines. Bob argued: “While this is clearly effective for defense, not many business people I know rely on stopping and defending…, it just does not fit.”

Later we were talking about skiing, being in shape, what muscles we use… I made some comment about how Bob was “all thigh”. He is 5’7” with each thigh as big as his waist, you can imagine him, kind of gross, but, in one of those wrestling unitard/singlets with those ear cup things…

Bob went on to explain how his powerful legs and big thighs were his secret advantage in wrestling, he could depend on his powerful legs to Always get him out from under his opponent. In a three round match, he was always able to count on at least one point from an escape and he was able to count on reversing a lost point for a takedown by escaping quickly. He always won by one. His escape more was his Hedgehog.

Bob said once he Discovered this in 9th grade and Believed in it, he built everything around it, it was his Core Focus and he won every match by not loosing focus upon it, period.

Take-aways: 1.Once you Discover your core move(s), you fold it/them into your Core Focus never losing sight of this critical awareness that allows you to win. 2. It is discovered over time, some discover it faster than others.

Bob said: “One of my core business moves now-a-days, a Hedgehog move, is we stay focused on EOS Purity. I know if we “do” EOS Pure, me and my team will arrive at a sharper answer and plan than the other guy. I win every time.”

Well said Bob!