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Many years ago, during my first startup experience, my co-founder and I coined the term “hedgehog mode” in reference to the way we worked while building the company. The problem was no one else knew what it meant. When we brought in new team members or spoke to investors, we had to explain our methodology all over again.
Years later, Eric Ries wrote “The Lean Startup” and gave a universal definition to a number of the strategies we had been using for years. Suddenly, our team had an easier way to create a shared language that deepened our communication, and we gained even more insights into our strategies than we’d had before.
Since then, by reading business-centric books and more, I have greatly benefitted by utilizing the ideas and definitions in them to accurately describe an activity or practice that I felt was important for everyone on my…
