Don’t Be a Fox: Short-term Savings vs. Long-term Results, Paper360º March/April 2025

Years ago, I spoke at a conference in Australia about successful maintenance organizations and the “Fox versus the Hedgehog” approach. Jim Collins’ book Good to Great, published in 2001, may sound old today; but the message is a great and timeless one. A hedgehog is simple, focused, and driven by a singular vision or goal; a fox is clever, adaptable, and knows many strategies to achieve its goals.

The fox also lacks focus and often gets distracted by its pursuit of multiple goals or strategies. So, while foxes tend to spread themselves too thin to excel in any one area, hedgehogs excel because they recognize their unique strengths and core competencies, they understand what drives their economic engine, and they know what they are deeply passionate about, which fuels motivation. The concepts of the fox and the hedgehog

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