From Good to Great

Are you a hedgehog or a fox?

What does the business book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, which examines why some companies make the leap from good to great and others do not, have to do with yoga or you? Well, you know by now I find yoga everywhere, even in the most inconspicuous of hiding places. Turns out those concepts which make for good business are similar to the philosophical themes and alignment principles we visit on our mats each week.

Take, for instance, the Hedgehog concept, with roots in a Greek myth about the hedgehog and the fox. The fox knows many things, is cunning, able to devise a myriad of sneak attacks on the hedgehog, whereas the hedgehog knows one big thing. And you guessed it, the hedgehog always wins! When the fox thinks he’s found a way to pounce, the hedgehog responds the same way time and again—he rolls into a ball, and extends his spikes to successfully ward off the fox.

The gist of the hedgehog concept is that no matter how complex, it’s mastered the ability to reduce all challenges and dilemmas to a simplistic idea, a single organizing concept, or basic principle that unifies and guides everything. Think, Einstein’s theory of relativity E= MC2, where the simplicity is born of deep understanding and complexity. Or, per the authors, Wells Fargo's move from a disperse Citicorp wanna-be to one of the best performing banks in the world (as of 2001).

On our mats, the Anusara style of yoga does much the same. It boils things down to five principles of alignment, so no matter the pose, no matter our ability to master its full expression, we apply the same principles again and again, and it too works.

Set the foundation and Open
Muscular Energy
Inner Spiral
Outer Spiral
Organic expansion

The author (who I now suspect is a yogi too) suggests that these brilliantly simple hedgehog-like business concepts flow from the intersection of:

1. What you can be best in the world at (and equally important what you cannot be the best at)?

Likewise your yoga practice is an invitation to get really good at being an authentic version of you with a deep understanding of your gifts, choosing honest alignment and application of the five principles first over grasping for the external ideal of a pose.

2. What drives your economic engine?

There are three energetic focal points—the pelvis, bottom of the heart, or upper palate—one of which will be the key place of power for any asana. Knowing what focal point fuels an asana helps us expand and experience its full value.

3. What are you deeply passionate about?

Yoga has all types of tools (asana, meditation, pranayama, mantra) to help you do the hard work to discover what you truly desire, so you too can make what you love what you do.

This hedgehog concept is an iterative process not an event. Einstein groped through the fog to uncover the theory of relativity. Businesses who want to move from Good to Great are encouraged to do the same, constantly revisiting the three questions above, until clarity reveals itself.

It’s no different on our mats, and I think the reason we come back time and again. In a smilar way, yoga's long and storied history of trying to make sense of our experiences, created a mala theory, where malas are like dust covering the mirrors of our heart. The dust doesn’t taint or alter the perfect clarity of the mirror, but rather covers it up, and so too a consistent yoga practice can help clear away the haze.

So, this week we practiced being a hedgehog!
• Relentlessly applied the five alignment principles
• Leveraged the focal points to expand our asanas
• Reflected on what were are really (really) good at
• Asked ourselves what it is that we truly desire

Note: As our foxy ways revealed themselves in handstand, you pointed out that the fox may be getting a little bit of bad wrap. Probably right, maybe a theme for another class!

In closing…

Hedgehogs are simple dowdy creatures that are brilliant in their unwavering commitment to know one big thing, the thing that they can do best. In the same way, we come to our mats time and again, and work just five principles of alignment, and instead of monotony, always seem to find there is more.

The Hedgehog concept reminded me that so often I or I see others seeking something outside, something new, different, “foxy”, wanting the cutting edge angle, until…it wears off. At the risk of sounding like a “bumper sticker”, it may be just this simple: whether a business or an individual, what you’re seeking is already inside.

It’s what only you can be best at

It’s what you’re passionate about

That moves you from Good to Great.

To uncovering our gifts and passion, making decisions relentlessly consistent with them and ultimately moving from Good to Great both on and off our mats, Namaste!