Before, if were to look for a book about finding purpose, I might scan the religion, spirituality, or (egads) self-help shelves, or perhaps search for something in philosophy or psychology. Maybe if I was thinking really big picture and I didn't mind ending up feeling that the search was utterly futile, I would read popular physics or cosmology. But I would be least likely to seek out such a book from the business section. I would not think that theories on how businesses ought to run would have much to say to me about how I ought to run my life.
But I would be wrong.
Harvard Business School Professor Clayton M. Christensen's book, "How Will You Measure Your Life?" which he wrote with James Allworth and Karen Dillon, describes, in short chapters illustrated with work and home anecdotes, several tested and tried business theories. These theories are for the most part clearly presented, and their application to other aspects of life apropos; on first reading I less well understood the section on marginal thinking, but that was my sole stumbling moment.
One might not think that the way upstart steel mini-mills ("disruptive attackers") so upended the business that most of the major steel mills went out of business--the topic of Christensen's earlier book, "The Innovator's Dilemma"--would have much applicability to everyday life. I think it takes someone like Christensen to carry that off: his life, it would appear, is very much organically interconnected. His faith, his family, his teaching, and his business analysis and theories are all integrated. Striving to live a purpose-driven life, Christensen naturally sees applications of his theories to the various dimensions of his life.
Christensen illustrates, for instance, "The Greek Tragedy of Outsourcing" (see chapter seven). Analyzing where companies have gone wrong in outsourcing, Christensen posits that a company must first understand its capabilities, as defined by its resources (including, people, technology, cash and relationships), processes (how things are made, how the employees are compensated, market research), and priorities (how a company makes decisions). A company must never outsource its future capabilities, Christensen says. Take, for example, the case of Dell Computers: the once thriving company gradually outsourced its computer manufacturing and design--its processes--to Taiwan's Asus, until that company took what it learned from Dell and created a rival brand of computers. Christensen then applies this theory to parenting, suggesting that parents should not "outsource" their children's "processes" by "flooding their children with resources" (p. 133), i.e., filling their lives with busyness with which the parents are not directly involved, and in which the children are not given the opportunity to figure things out for themselves.
Christensen and his associates designed the book so that the theories would logically connect. For instance, in chapter three, Christensen talks about the two types of strategies that businesses and individuals should develop: deliberate plans (what you plan to do) and emergent alternatives (possibilities that emerge over time and which may become deliberate). Then, in chapter four, Christensen discusses resources allocation, which funds the "deliberate and emergent initiatives." This linked-chain style organization is much more effective than "the string of pearls" approach of so many business and self-help books.
Occasionally, though I found myself tripped up applying the business illustrations to the personal-life interpretations of the theory. In the example cited above of Dell's problems: are the parents Dell, or the children? In the section on marginal thinking, which tells the story of Blockbuster and Netflix, should I be wary of being Blockbuster, or try to be like Netflix?
This is not the right way to approach this book: the business anecdotes are not illustrations for one's personal life, but rather, illustrations of the business theories that can be applied to one's personal life; in other words, it's the theory, not the business stories, that apply to the rest of life. Another way to look at it is that the business stories are like parables: short tales whose significance to one's life isn't always readily apparent. They're intended to make you think.
At times I found the business aspects of the book just as compelling as the personal development side of it. I liked what Christensen had to say about a company's culture, for instance; he quotes Edgar Schein of MIT in defining it as "a way of working together toward common goals that have been followed so frequently and so successfully that people don't even think about trying to do things another way" (p. 160). I was edified, too, by Christensen's honoring of management as "among the most noble of professions if it's practiced well." He continues, "No other occupation offers more ways to help others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and contribute to the success of a team" (p. 198). What a super way to look at a management career, which so many, including managers, would look at as simply a way to get ahead.
This is a highly useful and thought-provoking book. Only a couple of hundred pages in length, the book holds one's attention throughout. Christensen's faith plays a role in these pages, but it is not the subject of the book; still there may be some for whom that is unappealing. Personally, I found his willingness to put his faith out there refreshing. This would make a great gift for the person who is thoughtful about his or her life, and particularly for someone open to centering his or her life on what's essential and important. It's a book that I see coming back to in the years ahead. Still, I don't think I'll often head to the business section of the book store or Amazon for help on improving my life, unless, of course, I hear that Clay Christensen has a new book out.
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Popular Highlights in this book
In order to really find happiness, you need to continue looking for opportunities that you believe are meaningful, in which you will be able to learn new things, to succeed, and be given more and more responsibility to shoulder.Highlighted by 10,437 Kindle readers- People often think that the best way to predict the future is by collecting as much data as possible before making a decision. But this is like driving a car looking only at the rearview mirror—because data is only available about the past.Highlighted by 7,972 Kindle readers
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“How will you mensure your life?”
I just finished reading the book “How will you measure your life?” by the late Professor Clayton Christensen and James Allworth and Karen Dillon.The book is amazing. Very suited for this #covid19 retreat times.I must say that the book made me think about my own life, the way I balance my family with my work as an executive in a leading company, my work as an academic and the way I live may faith in God, in the Holly Church and in my activity in my local community.The book is full of spirituality, different from my own but very deep and admirable.The authors aim, and succeed, to make us readers to look back on our choices and values and what do we put first.This book reminded me of my grandfather, José, who was also a carpenter, who once told me that marriage, family is the most important deal of a person’s life. Not knowing it, he was telling me in 1994 the same that Professor Christensen and his coauthors told me now.I can only recommend the reading.Any leader, academic, student at any age must read this book, it will change the way you look at your life and, hopefully, will change your life for the better.
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Lucas OkimotoReviewed in Brazil on February 19, 2021
Este livro é simplemente incrível!
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