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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
Fox and hedgehog
Hi,
Of course, successfully picking the leader of a big public company has always been tricky, because the job requires at least two quite different skills. Like the fox, a chief executive must know lots of little things, must manage successfully the key day-to-day aspects of the business. But like the hedgehog, he must also know one big thing: every three or four years, he will have to take a substantial strategic decision, which may mortally wound the business, if he gets it wrong. Plenty of giants, such as Cable & Wireless and AT&T, have had leaders who passed the fox test but failed the hedgehog one.
I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? Why?
Of course, successfully picking the leader of a big public company has always been tricky, because the job requires at least two quite different skills. Like the fox, a chief executive must know lots of little things, must manage successfully the key day-to-day aspects of the business. But like the hedgehog, he must also know one big thing: every three or four years, he will have to take a substantial strategic decision, which may mortally wound the business, if he gets it wrong. Plenty of giants, such as Cable & Wireless and AT&T, have had leaders who passed the fox test but failed the hedgehog one.
I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? Why?
Top answer
[nq:1]I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? [/nq] See The Hedgehog and the Fox, an essay by Isaiah Berlin.
- [nq:1]I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs?
- Big things for hedgehogs?
- [/nq] See The Hedgehog and the Fox, an essay by Isaiah Berlin.
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33 Answers
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[nq:1]I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? Why?[/nq]
See The Hedgehog and the Fox, an essay by Isaiah Berlin.
See The Hedgehog and the Fox, an essay by Isaiah Berlin.
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[nq:1]Of course, successfully picking the leader of a big public company has always been tricky, because the job requires at ... failed the hedgehog one. I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? Why?[/nq]
It's not 'big things for hedgehogs' it's 'one big thing for hedgehogs'. Big difference.
The metaphor is commonly used and other animals
It's not 'big things for hedgehogs' it's 'one big thing for hedgehogs'. Big difference.
The metaphor is commonly used and other animals
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[nq:1]Of course, successfully picking the leader of a big public company has always been tricky, because the job requires at ... failed the hedgehog one. I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? Why?[/nq]
Aha! This must be why big companies always seem to hire big ****** as their CEOs.
Peter Moylan (Email Removed)
Aha! This must be why big companies always seem to hire big ****** as their CEOs.
Peter Moylan (Email Removed)
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[nq:2]Of course, successfully picking the leader of a big public ... but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? Why?[/nq]
[nq:1]Aha! This must be why big companies always seem to hire big ****** as their CEOs.[/nq]
M'learned friend will surely know the difference between a hedgehog and a Landrover / SUV?
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply
[nq:1]Aha! This must be why big companies always seem to hire big ****** as their CEOs.[/nq]
M'learned friend will surely know the difference between a hedgehog and a Landrover / SUV?
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply
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[nq:2]I know foxes for their cunning, but I don't understand hedgehogs? Big things for hedgehogs? Why?[/nq]
[nq:1]See The Hedgehog and the Fox, an essay by Isaiah Berlin.[/nq]
Where you'll find that it's a quotation from the Greek poet Archilochus. "The fox knows many things; the hedgehog knows one big thing." Archilochus didn't know from skunks.
Are you a fox or a hedgehog? Try
.
[nq:1]See The Hedgehog and the Fox, an essay by Isaiah Berlin.[/nq]
Where you'll find that it's a quotation from the Greek poet Archilochus. "The fox knows many things; the hedgehog knows one big thing." Archilochus didn't know from skunks.
Are you a fox or a hedgehog? Try
.
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[nq:1]Are you a fox or a hedgehog? Try . If your college-application days are as far in the past ... to answer. (As usual, some are hard to answer anyway.) I'm more fox (score of 12), but I knew that.[/nq]
I got the following odd report:
With a score of 7, you are more hedgehog than fox. Be a fox.
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
I got the following odd report:
With a score of 7, you are more hedgehog than fox. Be a fox.
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
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[nq:2]Are you a fox or a hedgehog? Try . ... I'm more fox (score of 12), but I knew that.[/nq]
[nq:1]I got the following odd report: : With a score of 7, you are more hedgehog than fox. : : Be a fox.[/nq]
[nq:1]I got the following odd report: : With a score of 7, you are more hedgehog than fox. : : Be a fox.[/nq]
With a score of 9, you are more fox than hedgehog.
Be a fox.
If you're passionate to know, if you love to learn, if you're interested in developing all of your abilities,
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[nq:2]Are you a fox or a hedgehog? Try . ... I'm more fox (score of 12), but I knew that.[/nq]
[nq:1]I got the following odd report: : With a score of 7, you are more hedgehog than fox. : : Be a fox.[/nq]
Here's mine:
[nq:1]With a score of 11, you are more fox than hedgehog. Be a fox.[/nq]
Your puzzlement is probably about "Be a fox." The explanation is simple: they are selling edu
[nq:1]I got the following odd report: : With a score of 7, you are more hedgehog than fox. : : Be a fox.[/nq]
Here's mine:
[nq:1]With a score of 11, you are more fox than hedgehog. Be a fox.[/nq]
Your puzzlement is probably about "Be a fox." The explanation is simple: they are selling edu
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[nq:2]Aha! This must be why big companies always seem to hire big ****** as their CEOs.[/nq]
[nq:1]M'learned friend will surely know the difference between a hedgehog and a Landrover / SUV?[/nq]
ROTFL! Your hint was sufficient.
One popular brand of SUV in Australia is the "Pajero". Is it true that that word means "******" in colloquial Spanish? My French-Spanish dictionary (I don't hav
[nq:1]M'learned friend will surely know the difference between a hedgehog and a Landrover / SUV?[/nq]
ROTFL! Your hint was sufficient.
One popular brand of SUV in Australia is the "Pajero". Is it true that that word means "******" in colloquial Spanish? My French-Spanish dictionary (I don't hav
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Specifically, a liberal-arts education, as it appears, since a fox is supposed to be one who knows a lot of little things and a hedgehog one big thing. I'm currently very much a consumer of education, but in training to be a hedgehog rather than a fox - i.e., in an academic PhD program.
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom
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