Clay Christensen: How Will You Measure Your Life

I am going to use today's posting to refer you to one of the most brilliant people I have ever met and had the pleasure to listen to: Clay Christensen.  When I attended the General Management Program at the Harvard Business School he taught two class sessions for us and was mesmerizing.  Many of you have probably (hopefully) read his various classic books on innovation starting with "The Innovators Dilemma"  (note: if you are in a leadership position in a company and have not read this book, you do so at your own peril).

He has now written a business / life book entitled "How Will You Measure Your Life".  I am attaching two videos here.  The first is him speaking about this book and the innovation topics in a detailed, entertaining and profound talked at the Linkedin Headquarters.

The second video is his much shorter but also impactful "Tedx Talk" in Boston on this topic.

I will be back to logistics later and I wanted to ensure I did my part to share the wealth of this brilliant man.

Leadership in Logistics is As Important as The Technical

I have always believed leadership in the logistics field is as important, and maybe more important, as the technical aspects of the job.  As a logistics and supply chain executive you will be responsible for leading many people and, in fact, what you do will be far more about leadership than about your technical expertise.  The people you lead will have the technical expertise and the question is can you get them to do what needs to be done and have them use their ingenuity and innovation to go beyond anything you may have thought imaginable.  Some of this was discussed in detail in Adrian Gonzales' article:  Putting Leadership Development Back on Your Calendar.. and Your Budget!  He makes a lot of great points showing how important this is to the logistics and supply chain professional.

There are also many great development programs where you can "sharpen your saw" (Stephen Covey) such as the Executive Masters for International Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy (EMIL-SCS) at Georgia Tech.  This will help you gain technical expertise and help you gain leadership expertise.

Having said all of this, I love to listen to Clay Christensen of Harvard University speak.  He is brilliant in business (The Innovator's Dilemma), he is a moral and good man and he is a great leader.  His new book How Will You Measure Your Life is a "Must Read".  Listen to Professor Christensen speak on leadership, a moral compass and a direction to take in life.  As yourself what makes the "measure of a man"?  How will you judge your life? Will it be by money or by status or will it be by the good you do and what you leave to the rest of the world upon your passing?  I ask you, especially if you are starting out, to think deeply about this topic and question. This is the core question to answer.

When answering, don't forget the great words of John Bogle, Founder of Vanguard Group: "Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted".