How will you measure your Life?

by Clayton M. Christensen
The Author
Clayton M. Christensen (born April 6, 1952) is the Kim B. Clark Professor of
Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, with a joint appointment in
the Technology & Operations Management and General Management faculty groups. He is
best known for his study of innovation in commercial enterprises. His first book,
The Innovator's Dilemma, articulated his theory of disruptive innovation.
Christensen is also a co-founder of Innosight, a management consulting and
investment firm specializing in innovation.
The Author
Mr. Clayton got an opportunity to work with Andrew Grove, the former chairman of
Intel Corporation, where he explained his disruption model and what it means for
Intel. The author didnt tell Grove what to think, rather he taught him how to
think and reach for a correct descision.
Disruptive Innovation??
A disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value
network, and eventually goes on to disrupt an existing market and value network
(over a few years or decades), displacing an earlier technology. The term is used
in business and technology literature to describe innovations that improve a
product or service in ways that the market does not expect, typically first by
designing for a different set of consumers in the new market and later by lowering
prices in the existing market.
Disruptive
Christensen defines a disruptive innovation as a product or service designed for
a new set of customers. "Generally, disruptive innovations were technologically
straightforward, consisting of off-the-shelf components put together in a product
architecture that was often simpler than prior approaches. They offered less of
what customers in established markets wanted and so could rarely be initially
employed there. They offered a different package of attributes valued only in
emerging markets remote from, and unimportant to, the mainstream."
Disruptive Innovations
Innovations
Downloadable Digital media

Disruptions
CDs, DVDs

Digital photography
Telephones Plastic

Chemical photography
Telegraphy Metal, wood, glass etc.
How will you measure your Life?
When people ask what they should do, the author rarely answer their question
directly. Instead, he describes how the process in the model worked its way through
an industry quite different from their own. And then, more often than not,
they'll say, OK, I get it. And they'll answer their own question more
insightfully than anyone can.
The Three Questions
First, how can I be sure that I'll be happy in my career? Second, how can I be
sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source
of happiness? Third, how can I be sure Ill stay out of jail?
Happiness in Career
Frederick Herzberg, who asserts that the powerful motivator in our lives isn't
money; its the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute to
others, and be recognized for achievements. Management is the most noble of
practiced well. No other occupation offers as many ways to help
professions if its
others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and
contribute to the success of a team.
Family, a enduring source of Happiness
Create a Strategy for your Life A company's strategy is determined by the types
of initiatives that management invests in. If a company's resource allocation
process is not managed masterfully, what emerges from it can be very different from
what management intended.
Family
Keep the purpose of Life in front and decide how to spend your time, talent and
energy. Figuring out the purpose of life is the most important lesson. Without
a purpose, lifes hollow.
Family
Allocate your resources The decisions about allocating your personal time,
energy, and talent ultimately shapes ones life's strategy. Family is the most
powerful source of happiness. Allocate your resources for your family and then
for your career.
Family
Create a Culture The underlying principle of most companies are that, the
intensity of agreement between the organization and its employees determines the
use of power tools-coercion, threats, punishments etc. Embracing the priorities
on the basis of assumptions rather than explicit decision making results in the
creation of a Culture. Culture defines priorities.
Family
Build the Culture from the very beginning, not build on the power tool.
Stay out of Jail
Avoid marginal cost mistakes Future is uncertain, and doesnt follow
mathematical certainties. Its NOT OK just this once. Circumstances shouldnt
make you to break your commitments. Cross the Line once, and you will do it over
and over in the years that followed.
Importance of Humility
Humble eagerness to learn from everybody. Feel good about yourself and help
those around you to feel good about themselves too. Acting abusive, arrogant, or
demeaning manner towards others show the symptoms of lack of self-esteem.Tending to
show someone down to feel good about.
Choose the right Yardstick
Money isnt the yardstick for life, its the number of individuals life one have
touched. Worry about the individuals whom you have helped to be better in life,
and not your individual prominence.
 Make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged
a success.