***Special Blog Entry***
This week I had planned to plan. I had really tried hard to block off some time to sit in seclusion, just myself, a pack of post its, markers, and a lot of caffeine. Unfortunately, some other things came up. Fortunately, however the “outlook is good” that I have some days coming up in the future that will allow for this planning.
As I planned to plan, I came across a blog article on the Hedgehog Concept. The Hedgehog Concept was made famous in the book “Good to Great”. In the book, author Jim Collins asserts that the strategic “sweet spot” of your work’s direction should be in the place where what you are deeply passionate about, what you are best at, and what drives your (organization’s) economic engine intersect.
Working in Extension and 4-H can be an embarrassment of riches. We have so many opportunities. This coupled with the relative autonomy we have in choosing what to pursue means our real difficulty lies in choosing what to say NO to. This is a great tool when making these types of difficult decisions.
Read more about the Hedgehog Concept at:
Florida 4-H: Northeast District 
This was really interesting and helps keep the ever growing list of priorities in perspective. Thank you for sharing1
Kelsey Irvine Extension Agent I/ 4-H Youth Development Nassau County Extension Office: 904-530-6353 Mobile: 904-570-5390
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Two cool ideas in the audio book talk about for organizations like 4-H to consider resources vs economics; which consists of money available, time, and brand or reputation. The second cool idea related to the hedgehog concept is that it can be either a process concept or a content hedgehog.