Page 102 - The Way to the Top

Mark HELLERSTEIN

Chairman, CEO, and President of St. Mary’s Land & Exploration
Company

In Good to Great, Jim Collins shows that all great companies define and
pursue a hedgehog strategy. That’s the intersection between what the

company can be best at in the world, what it’s passionate about, and what
makes money.

What is good for a company is equally good for the individual. Many
years ago, I discovered my own hedgehog, allowing me to springboard my
career from an independent public accountant, to treasurer, to CFO, to

President and CEO of one of the most successful independent exploration
and production companies in the United States.

Talent is the seed for passion, since you tend to like the things you are
good at. Once that seed is nurtured with some success and positive

feedback, you are motivated to practice or learn more about your field of
endeavor. With effort, your talent grows, as does the reward and
motivation, and soon you find that you are extremely passionate as well as
motivated to the point where someday you believe you may become the

best in the world at it. If the talent and passion can be used to make money,
it is a hedgehog. If not, it is a hobby.

After taking a bookkeeping class in high school, I entered an intern
program and worked for a small non-CPA accountant. I built a foundation

of knowledge that gave me an edge when I took accounting classes in
college. I was always good at understanding numbers and mathematical
relationships. Once I had a base of experience and knowledge it moved me
to the top of my classes. Because I understood the material so well, I
became passionate about it and worked that much harder and received