Make the leap from good to great

According to the Greek parable: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing." If you want your research program to have impact, then you must think like a hedgehog, according to Jim Collins (Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t). Collins makes the case that what separates those who make the biggest impact from all the others who are just as smart is that they’re hedgehogs. Hedgehogs see what is essential, and ignore the rest.

Collins of course thinks it is possible for any program or organization to make the leap from fox to hedgehog. The strategy is based on deep understanding of three intersecting circles: 1) what you are deeply passionate about, 2) what you can be the best in the world at, and 3) what best drives your economic engine.