Clayton Christensen, Thank You

On January 23, 2020 Clayton Christensen died at 67 years old. My first thought was that he wasn’t that old. By modern standards, he was young. Based on his impact, he lived an extremely full life. My heart goes out to his family who must surely feel the loss and would have welcomed many more years with such a great husband, father, and example.

As many others will, I’d like to give thanks and honor his life with a personal story. In 2015 I was searching for answers. I wanted more from my career. I wanted to change careers. No stone was left unturned. In addition to reading and studying about my options, I was considering a return to school. An MBA has helped many professionals transition to new careers. As a CPA, I was feeling trapped by my current and previous job descriptions. It was during this time that I discovered a paper published by the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. The paper co-authored by Clayton Christensen is titled “Hire Education.” The paper discusses the problems in education and the gap between traditional education and employable skills. The paper starts with concepts familiar to anyone who followed Christensen’s work—disruptive innovation and jobs to be done. From that perspective, and to Clayton’s credit, this paper took decades to write. Published in 2014, it’s an excellent summary and criticism of the state of education and what is being done about it. It references an institution I never knew existed, WGU. Western Governors University is an online only, competency-based school. Instead of sitting in a desk for credit hours to receive a diploma, students demonstrate a required level of competency to pass courses. This reference at that point in my life came as a revelation. A flash of lightning illuminated possibilities I couldn’t imagine. It is the source of inspiration for my most successful published writing to date. Pareto Guide started with a detailed learning journal of how I earned an MBA in 300 hours. This experience changed my life. Suddenly I could apply for jobs that weren’t previously open to me. Recruiters and employers looked at me differently. In less than six months I was no longer just a CPA stuck with a numbers-centric corporate view. My MBA changed the way others saw me. More importantly, it changed the way that I looked at me. If I could earn an MBA, while working long hours, in less than six months, what else could I do? What else did I already hold that I could share with the world? The answers quickly followed, and my life benefited immediately.

I’m not sure I would have found any of this without Clayton Christensen’s work. His dedication and willingness to share with the world extended to everyone. I never met him or attended any event with him. Yet his work touched my life and changed it forever. Christensen demonstrated the expertise of a master, yet the humility of a novice. He continually refined his ideas always dedicated to truth. It’s quite the statement in an era where the words ‘truth’ and ‘facts’ have been dragged through the mud. Even as a bestselling author and recognition as one of the greatest business thinkers ever, Christensen continued learning. He continued teaching and sharing his insights with anybody willing to listen. He may have solidified his position at Harvard, one of the world’s most prestigious universities, yet he made his greatest lessons and insights available to the world. He didn’t withhold these ideas for only the richest or most fortunate who could manage to attend his classes. As a result, he gave me a soft referral to a different MBA, not Harvard’s. I didn’t want to give up two years of work to incur sizable debt for an MBA. I thought if I was going to quit working for two years it had to be for an elite MBA like Harvard. I was mentally preparing myself for such an endeavor. The alternative I found thanks to Clayton Christensen was better for me and my family. In an era where student debt is ruining lives, I found a better path. It was around this time that I’d read Clayton’s book, “How Will You Measure Your Life?” He helped me see that it wasn’t prestigious pieces of paper or fancy job titles that I wanted. He helped me see that truth was my aim. Like him, I’d never be done learning and that was a good thing. Clayton gives a promise in the epilogue of that book. “Clarity about purpose will trump knowledge of activity-based costing, balanced scorecards, core competence, disruptive innovation… and other key business theories we teach at Harvard.…If you take the time to figure out your purpose in life, I promise that you will look back on it as the most important thing you will have ever learned.” Many of us may still be working on our purpose, but Clayton Christensen delivered on his. I’m confident that just as he promised, he realized his purpose and was able to look back on his life with satisfaction and gratitude for how it measured up.

learning is a mindset

When I finished college I thought my education was complete. No surprise there. Our academic institutions convey this false narrative that everything good in life will come with a college degree. Kids are told to do well in school and learn their subjects, so they’ll be prepared to go to work. As most of us found out, college courses didn’t teach us much that was practically applicable in the real world. Learning isn’t a concept tied to your first 20 years of life. Learning isn’t a goal you accomplish. Learning is an attitude. Learning is a mindset. With a learning mindset, every day presents opportunities to succeed by gaining valuable insight and growing personally.

know your solution before letting others adopt it

When you are an expert on a team, don't rely on the opinions of others less informed in your discipline. If you propose a solution that others quickly adopt, be sure of the solution. If the solution is incomplete or lacking in some way, the others on your team may simply reply that they relied on the expert in accepting the solution. They were understandably ignorant. You, on the other hand, are the expert.

start your message by listening

I was struggling with my approach to a conversation. I didn't know which approach was right for the customer. My information was limited. This is not unusual. The pending conversation was approaching quickly and I expected the customer to be highly analytical and detailed when receiving my message. Along with my presentation I had a couple of solutions I could offer them. I didn't know what they do today. The solution to my problem was hiding in this realization. If I didn't know what their baseline for the conversation was, why not ask them? That's what I did. After brief introductions, I asked them what they do today. A dialog emerged from this that continued throughout the presentation. With just a few minutes of listening to them I was able to tailor the next thirty minutes to the message they needed.

New book report: help your humor, creativity, and writing

A new book report has been added discussing Scott Adams' book The Joy of Work. The book has some great instruction to help you improve your humor, creativity, and writing skills. In addition to improving your quality it also gives great ideas for increasing your output in these categories. Check out the book report for tips on gaining the most from this guide.

Book report: The Joy of Work

test your knowledge of regular skills and gain mastery

I completed some work procedures from memory the other day. This struck me as a great tool for personal development. Prove you know something to yourself by performing it from memory. You will gain confidence and uncover weak points that may remain in your understanding.

double your learning effortlessly by applying the same inputs to a different system

I was learning a process in an application. After receiving several errors, I opened another application to attempt the process. The transaction processed without problems and I demonstrated my own learning while testing the system. Trying one more solution instead of giving up when the process didn’t work uncovered application errors and increased my technical proficiency simultaneously. My learning was at least doubled with negligible additional effort.

two tries told me all I needed to know

I wanted to try a hair product so I purchased it at a local store. I used it twice before deciding that it just didn't work for me. Because I kept my receipt I was able to quickly return the used product for a full refund. This allowed me to try a product at no cost to me and return it easily. Often an official trial or sample is not available for a product. Get creative in testing a product before committing to it. One or two uses of the product gave me all the insight I needed. No amount of online research or asking others could give me that quick and complete insight.

heed smart advice

I listened to a colleague on how to approach some involved training just rolled out to the organization. Access problems were happening with the system and she provided notes and links to put me on the fast track to completion. With her tips I finished in less than half the time required by others.

be the person others can't do without

If someone wants a reason to cut you they will find one. I know a guy that was rookie of the year for a large company one year and for business reasons had his position cut the next. You must give people stronger reasons to work with you than without you. Finding what makes you indispensable is essential to protecting yourself. Even once you've found it, it's not a guarantee.

cement your learning by summarizing it

I needed to learn a responsibility at work. By sticking to the instructions and persisting through several software errors, I learned the proper steps of the process. During this process I took notes on how I understood each step. Writing down the steps as I understood them helped solidify the process in my mind and gave me greater comfort that I both understand and have learned it. The additional touch point of writing and summarizing can be enough to memorize a new process after the first exposure.

beat guessing with rapid testing

Recently I bought a new HD antenna. In theory it comes with a reusable adhesive that sticks to walls and other surfaces. I hypothesized endlessly about the probability of the adhesive solution holding the antenna to the wall and the associated TV reception.  My words multiplied but never provided any verification on the key question. Will it work? Nothing proved more effective than simply testing it. When it arrived, the antenna fell off the wall repeatedly because the texture didn’t allow the proper hold. I improvised with some small adhesive hooks and moved on. Instead of the endless debate, just test quickly and move forward.

learn by doing

Do you need to learn how to use an app? Are you trying to understand a multi-step math problem? Do you want to memorize a recipe? You'll gain more insight and better memorize the content by also physically doing and not just reading the instructions.

debrief with the team for additional insights

By going through a debrief of my first demo with colleagues, I discovered that I have a wealth of knowledge I can share even with more experienced colleagues. Going through the process can reveal learnings you would not get otherwise.

leverage your team

If it's a team effort, make a team showing of togetherness. In one meeting some questions didn't get answered because certain team members left early. As an added bonus, you can learn more by paying attention to the other portions of the team project than just your own.

learn by doing

Go and do. A live performance or competition will show you exactly what you know and where you stand in your abilities. Put yourself in front of a real audience who will judge you. You will learn things no study or practice test can teach you.

summarize your key points in writing to improve mastery

Write down what you want to say. I memorized and learned more of my presentation by spending time writing out my thoughts. I memorized the concepts faster than if I'd copied key messages from somewhere else.

ask the necessary question

I asked a question about a point that was unclear. The resulting conversation realigned the focus of the team and increased my understanding of my responsibilities. It also gave me insight into how I might address the subject going forward. Sometimes you don’t understand, not because you’re less capable, but rather communication has not been sufficient.

before you throw away a solution, make sure you're using it correctly

I bought a new chair, the HÅG Capisco. The first time I sat on it I felt like the included hydraulic seat post was too tall. The sitting angle was unlike any chair I’ve ever used. Honestly, it felt wrong. I started down the path of ordering a shorter stem sold for the chair. Before going through that bit of trouble I decided to check the instructions for further adjustments. I found an instruction booklet under the seat. It showed how to adjust the chair for proper height and gave a key explanation. Reading the instructions to understand proper design and use of the chair prevented me from spending money or time on obtaining a new piston for the chair. It's supposed to be that tall.

know how your brand compares to the competition

To understand how you and your environment come across on video, compare your video to similar examples from peers. If you make videos for YouTube, spend some time seeing how your peers or competition are presenting. This directly influences your brand and communication style.