The Measure of a Manโs Life
3 Life Changing Lesson from Professor Clayton Christensen.
Here is a brief review of Professors Clayton Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillonโs book, How Will You Measure Your Life. Professor Clayton authored business bestsellers like The Innovatorโs Dilemma and The Innovatorโs Solution, but this title is my all time favorite. The authors dissect high sounding economics and business terms to the practical understanding of the uninitiated.
Following in the steps of his other groundbreaking bestsellers on innovation and other subjects, this book, to say the least, will be highly appreciated by all.
Granted that life is not all about business, he (and the co-authors) used simplified and yet highly practical language to propose what should and ought to be the most important measure and approaches to life in general.
The first two takeaways;
- Deliberate (or planned) strategy
- Emergent Strategy
These two strategies and their typical life applications are briefly explained below.
The authors explained how readers can use deliberate (or planned) and emergent strategy to discover their lifeโs purpose, goal, pursuits and what might eventually work for them in life. The likelihood of the success of any of these strategies been tested along the way with the statement, โWhat has to prove true for this to work?โ
Going further, according to them, people in all cadres of life can use the theory of full costs and marginal costs when taking decisions that have overreaching long or short term repercussions in business and in situations that call for moral choices. They explained thus, that โThe marginal cost of doing something wrong โjust this onceโ always seems to be negligible, but the full cost will typically be much higher.โ
Unconsciously, we all naturally tend to employ the marginal cost doctrine in our personal lives. A Voice in our head says, โLook, I know that as a general rule, most people shouldnโt do this. But in this particular extenuating circumstance, just this once, itโs okay. And the voice in our head seems to be right; the price of doing something wrong โjust this onceโ usually appears alluringly low. It suckers you in, and you donโt see where that path is ultimately headed or the full cost that the choice entails.โ
This book did not set out to just simply teach us morals. But, in our world and times where people see morals as relative especially in the age where new and ever increasing โalternative truthsโ are the other of the day, I find the authorsโ emphasis in this area towards the end of the book a highly reassuring guide.
Never lower your morals in other to please others or meet their expectations. Do not debase yourself or go contrary to what you know to be your true inner convictions and what is the right thing to do. Why? For, โit is easier to stay true to your convictions 100% of the time than it is to stay true to them 98% of the time.โ Because, you never can tell where or how far you will go down the drain after that first, initial, โJust this one time onlyโ act of compromise.
SOURCE
ยฉClayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, Karen Dillon; How Will You Measure Your Life?
