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If you don't know your purpose, be patient, try out things, get feedback, and correct your course as the new opportunities unfold.Purpose is not something to be found, it's something to be developed.
Clayton Christensen, an extraordinary businessman, teacher and person, penned this self-help book (with the help of two co-authors) when (and after) he was reevaluating his life due to a bout with cancer - the same cancer that killed his father. It's a clearly written book with many stories and examples (YAY! I love stories) from both business and family events that illustrate his many points. Where people went right. Where people went wrong.This books poses a lot of interrelated questions for r...
The rare non-fiction book that isn't actually an essay parading as a book. This was a quick read in simple, clear language with good analogies and no unnecessary repetition. A summary of the career-focused bits:Find Your PurposeLikeness - who you want to becomeCommitment - to becoming that at every step. Actually spending your time and energy in ways that get you closer to your likeness.Metrics - to measure your progress towards becoming the likenessClayton’s LikenessA man who is dedicated to he...
I don't know how many stars to give--3 or 4--but it was a good, quick read that makes you think about what's important and how you make your life manifest that. Kindle highlights:two different types of factors: hygiene factors and motivation factors. On one side of the equation, there are the elements of work that, if not done right, will cause us to be dissatisfied. These are called hygiene factors. Hygiene factors are things like status, compensation, job security, work conditions, company pol...
This book is an effort by a well known Harvard Business School prof, notable for his work on the dangers of marginal thinking in innovative industries (The Innovator's Dilemma) that attempts to apply theories of motivation, management, and strategy to the task of self management. Apparently the author's experiences with illness, aging, and other aspects of his life combined to convince him that such an effort would be worthwhile. It is a short book and reads fairly quickly.I am giving the book t...
I was lucky enough to read ‘The Innovators Dilemma’ at a formative point in my Pharma R&D career. Like many others, I was captivated by the ability of Christensen’s ‘big idea’ (disruptive innovation) to explain the perplexing phenomenon whereby small startups were able to upend established players in industry segments where the latter should have held all the aces. I have read a number of other books he has put out over the the years. These have invariably given me much to reflect on as a busine...
2020 review: Even more meaningful this time, after several years working for a large corporation. I found the advice essential in some recent major decisions._2013 review: Outstanding advice in the smart, soothing voice of a man who walks the walk. Makes a fine gift that's sure to "disrupt" many lives for the better; anyone from a teenager to the most accomplished executive will benefit from its blend of high-stakes business expertise and humble common sense.
(3.5)1. Find your passion2. Follow a path but be open to opportunity3. Make sure your actions match your priorities, plans, goals, strategy4. Don't neglect family friends when all is well. They won't be there when you need them or want to enjoy those relationships5. Don't be cats in the cradle. Spend time with your family when you're young, when you can6. Figure out what 'job' your spouse and family need you to play to be happy and do that. Make sure you're right. (Analogy is a product fitting a...
This book made me think about how I "manage" my family and my own life and has made me actually define my purposes. My favorite excerpt is :"The challenges your children face serve an important purpose: they will help them hone and develop the capabilities necessary to succeed throughout their lives. Coping with a difficult teacher, failing at a sport, learning to navigate the complex social structure of cliques in school--all those things become "courses" in the school of experience. We know th...
I thought this book was great. Well worth the (very fast) read. I have heard many of his theories before from reading his other books so some of the stuff is repetitive here, but there is a different angle. CC takes business theories and applies them to life. Sometimes they work and sometimes I thought it was a stretch. In all, I learned from the book and would recommend it.
I had read articles that mentioned Clayton Christensen, and he was always described as a brilliant business consultant and professor at Harvard Business School, who is also LDS. Recently, he came and spoke at our quarterly department meeting, and I came to understand why people spoke so highly of him. While he was only scheduled to speak for an hour, I listened to him speak for 2 hours, and found myself wanting more. He told fascinating anecdotes from his days as a consultant, and applied the le...
Many in a time we get asked (or ask ourselves) what are our life goals? what do we want to be remembered for before we say goodbye to this world? How do we live a life of purpose and fulfillment? This book offers a way to deeply think about these questions, and perhaps chart some possible answers and directions that we need to take to achieve them.One interesting issue that Clay talks about revolves around parenting. As parents, we would want our children to be equipped with the knowledge and sk...
As I started the first chapter of this book, I let out a mental yawn.I had picked this book from my shortlist of books to read, a shortlist usually reserved for the best of the best as recommended by others and additionally evidenced by its ubiquitous recommendation on social media.So why did I tire at my first read of it, and why have I subsequently rated it 5 stars?It turns out I was very wrong. My habit of always finishing books I started absolutely came in clutch here. I've read books before...
Sometimes, I don’t mind the obvious being stated. But the way this author puts it makes me question my sanity. The ‘theories’ he claims to advance are nothing short of preposterous and self-evident in all conventional measures. The fact that every idea must have its echoing in business is mental straining for a guy like me. Not to mention the wannabe distillate that purpose is a process of “likeness, commitment, and metrics”. “Companies that aspire to positive impact must never leave their purpo...
Phenomenal little read replete with intense nuggets of vocational and personal advice. Intense nuggets. As the owner of a popular YouTube startup and poised at the brink of starting up a family with my wife, this book came at a great time. The central premise is that we need to pay attention to the process of decision-making in our business and personal spheres, not just our nominal end goals or whatever seems to be the most immediately rewarding way to invest our time and resources in the short...
This book blew my mind and heart. It fundamentally challenged me to think about my life choices. Is a fairly quick read though it took me a while to get into. This is not a self-help book, it does not offer a set path or any quick fixes. Clay draws on theories he has learnt in business and life effortlessly and interchangeably. I will refer to this book and its lessons again and again. Here's a snapshot of my 10 main takeaways:1. Theories are powerful tools. Without a plan or a theory you are at...
Greatly enjoyed this piece about not only finding meaning, but making meaning. I loved that Christensen talked about management as a service profession, because of the ways in which good management can help improve lives. So true:Favorite quotations:"the most powerful motivator isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute, and be recognized. That’s why management, if practiced well, can be the noblest of occupations; no others offer as many ways to help people...
This is one of the books that is going to shape the way I think from this point forward. We culturally learn to measure ourselves through the success in our careers. We celebrate CEO's, athletes, celebrities, who have gathered enormous wealth and fame. We consider people in top positions in companies with a large sum of salaries as the successful ones. But often behind the facade of their success, they are dissatisfied with their career, have failing marriages, or severely dissatisfied with thei...
I know many people have found the reflections and insights of contained in this extended essay by Clayton Christensen really profound and helpful--my father certainly thought they were; he bought copies of the book for all his children years ago, before he passed away, and I've only just gotten around to reading it. Unfortunately, my reaction to the book was a big "meh." His arguments about being willing to re-evaluate your goals as situations change, about trying to understand the actual meanin...
One of the best books I have read in my life for sure. Case studies of "personal life failures" (colleagues jailed for inside trading, a friend who failed in marriages 3 times, parents failing to raise their children properly, etc) and the "company failures" were most interesting to me. Another best message of the book was to never give up to the "Just this once" thoughts and "Live with Integrity". When you die, what will you leave behind? What is your legacy? What will your family and friends r...