The Hedgehog Good to Great Dental Practice

The Hedgehog Concept is the intersection of three factors. It is more than a strategy, it is an understanding. Good-to-great companies set their goals and strategies based on understanding; comparison companies set their goals and strategies based on intuition, ego, and shooting from the hip. Understanding is gained by evaluating and honestly looking at the brutal facts. This means confronting your personal or practice demons. It may be forcing you to look at solutions that you previously avoided. The level 5 leader gets out of the way of the facts, looks for the truth and adjusts to it. You must engage and empower your team, your patients, and your mentors, in order to gain the understanding of what your practice is, and needs to be.

The good to great companies are more like hedgehogs; they know "one big thing" and stick to it. The comparison companies are more like foxes; they know many things but lack consistency. Hedgehogs, however, are slow and steady, and people often overlook them because they're quiet and unassuming. But, unlike the fox, they are able to simplify the world and focus on one overarching vision. It's this principle that guides everything they do and helps them succeed against all odds.