Hedgehog's and Fox's

Isaiah Berlin wrote a philosophical essay in 1953 that basically divided the population of the world into two groups.  Those who are a hedgehog, and those who are a fox.  In fact the basic idea goes way back to the Greek poet Archilochus, but I first heard of this after reading Jim Collilns' book "Good to Great" where he relayed the story in a business perspective.  Archilochus writes, "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”  Collins put it this way, "Those who built the good-to-great companies were, to one degree or another, hedgehogs. They used their hedgehog nature to drive toward what we came to call a Hedgehog Concept for their companies. Those who led the comparison companies tended to be foxes, never gaining the clarifying advantage of a Hedgehog Concept, being instead scattered, diffused, and inconsistent."

In this weeks lesson the lessons we learned were bent towards becoming hedgehogs rather than being a fox.  It is much better to focus on one thing, and to become a true master of that thing, than being good at many things.  You can do this by finding what your calling in life is.  What were you born to do?  What truly makes you happy, and what is it that truly drives you?  If you can find this, and if you can find a way to get paid to do this, then it's likely you have found your calling.  When you have discovered what you were born to do then stick with it.  Practice, practice, and practice some more.  Enjoy the practice, not for the prize, but for the practice itself.  This is how one becomes a master of a subject, and quite possibly the best in the world at that one thing.  

Get Your Education

In an effort to pursue part three of the success formula, I've done a little research to seek out educational pursuits.  I discovered Edx several years ago when they started offering free classes based on technology.  I knew they were really beefing up their course curriculum so I decided I'd check them out again, and POW!  They now offer a plethera of business classes, and I found one I was really interested in, CTL.SC1X SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS FUNDAMENTALS.  They offer three courses in Logistics Management, so I have enrolled to deepen my understanding of Logistics.  Getting an education will of course give you greater knowledge and prepare you for a successful career.  With this behind my belt I hope to use it to apply for an ops manager position, and eventually a GM position in logistics, and much further from there.  If you're interested in seeking a career in logistics I'd give EdX a try.  Also, check out these books:

• Inventory Management and Production Planning and Scheduling
• Business Logistics: Supply Chain Management
• Matching Supply with Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management
• Supply Chain Management (3rd Edition)
• Logistics Systems Analysis
• Production and Operations Analysis, Seventh Edition

I look forward to this class, and will keep you updated with how it is going.

A Hero's Journey

This week we read Chapters 1 - 4 in "Mastery ".  I really enjoyed what I have read as it has really opened my eyes to the progressive destruction of those who sink into the trap of instant gratification.  After reading these chapters I have been especially cognizant  of how media is playing a part in this.  It's everywhere around us.  Fame, fortune, everybody's dream, all with little work or effort on the part of the recipient.  Who wouldn't be attracted to this.  The temptation of putting off hard work when the easy life is seemingly right in front of us ready for the taking is becoming more enticing every second.  I can see in my own life how I have taken shortcuts because I have been too impatient to run the long plateau of hard work and practice.  Knowing this I have become empowered to make a huge difference in my own life.

Another highlight from this week was watching "The Hero's Journey" by Brian Carter.  Brian emphasized again the importance of mastery.  We must become an expert in something.  We can do this though diligent effort, and faith.  We can find our  our mission in life by understanding what special talents we have been blessed with, what truly makes us happy (when we "flow"), and what need can we satisfy.  When these three things mesh we have likely found our mission in life, the thing we were born to do.  This is similar to the hedgehog concept.  I'm not sure who first coined this term, but I heard it first by Jim Collins in "Good To Great."

Do What You Love

Do What You Love

I felt inspired by this weeks video, "Do What You Love".  From the video Francis Coppolla is quoted as saying, "do what you love, not because you will be self interested, but because you will be better at it."  You are happier and motivated to do better work naturally when you feel good about what you are doing.  From the video we learned about an exercise, an experiment if you will, to help you find out what it is that makes you happy.  We have to ask ourselves, "What was I born to do, what about me am I the best at?"  The experiment involves a little self reflection, well a lot of self reflection.  Buy a Notebook, and in the notebook you will keep a daily journal wherein you will answer the questions, during the day when did I feel at my best, when did I really Flow, when was I at my happiest? After some time you will begin to recognize, what it is that truly makes us happy, and likely what it is that we are truly born to do. I feel like this will be a great exercise so I am taking on the challenge.

The formula for success

One of the biggest take aways from this weeks lesson was the formula for success, as presented by Jim Ritchie, author of "The Ministry of Business."  The formula is this:

1. get up early
2. work hard
3. Get your education
4. find oil
5. Make your mark
6. Prepare to serve

Get up early. No matter how early you wake up, your future competitor is already at his or her post. Rise early and get the day started right. There's no time for wasting the day by sleeping in, your competitor certainly isn't so why would you.

Work hard. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden into the world in which we live in now they were counseled that they should acquire the things they needed by the sweat of their brow. They were to provide for themselves by hard work. There are no shortcuts to a happy successful and fulfilling life, and anyone who says there is is either deceiving or being deceived.

Get your education. Education is the key of success. This should be a lifelong pursuit, and not just a four year endeavor with a degree attached to it that says you're ready for a job. We must always be learning and seeking opportunities to improve. We must never become satisfied with where we are at life because we can always become better. By aspiring to become better through learning we set ourselves up for success.

Find oil. Find your passion, your niche, your oil. What is it that makes you amazing. Everyone has something. Find it, and let it flow.

Make your mark. Make your mark on the world by being you. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box, to be different, or to do it you're own way. Those who fit in are invisible and don't make any marks. Don't be afraid to stand out. You will take criticism for being different, but so did all of the great men and women in the world who left great marks on the world.

Finally, prepare to serve. Prepare to give back to the world. Give back in charitable service. Don't die with your music still in you. Give back and serve your community, your family, your world, and your God. A thousand or even a hundred years from now your careers and titles will fade into insignificant nothingness. What will remain will be how you served those around you.

Create a Life of Meaning

This week I really enjoyed our reading assignments.  We started reading “The Ministry of Business”, and I was really impressed by what I read.  I was particularly impressed with the principles taught.  I really enjoyed what was written about “coincidences” and would like to start keeping track of those things in my life one might consider a “coincidence”.  Another principle taught to us in chapter 2 is the importance of covenant making, and covenant keeping.  “Just as crops need water to grow, our entrepreneurial, professional, and other life efforts need divine guidance and aid to succeed.”  From chapter 3 I learned the importance of including, not excluding, my wife in my career decisions.  You cannot separate work from home, and anyone who tells you differently is lying to you, themselves, or both.  This has opened up entrepreneurial ideas that I haven’t considered before.

Randy Pausch’s last lecture was very interesting.  He spoke about achieving your childhood dreams.  Something he said really stood out to me about the doors that close in our lives, or the brick walls that “block” our dreams.  Walls are just there to show us how hard we are willing to work for something.  Those who want it hard enough will put forth the effort to overcome any obstacle.  This is how Randy was able to achieve so many of his own dreams.

It’s important to dream, because it gives us something to go after.  Dreaming allows us to stretch ourselves and reach our greatest potential.  As a child I dreamt about becoming an inventor.  I feel like I have lived that dream at least partially.  I have always wanted to work with my hands, and have found great enjoyment in fixing and creating things.  I have even blogged about some of the things I have created in an attempt to experiment with affiliate marketing with some success.  In the future I would like to continue to live this dream and see where it takes me.