READING 2 - How Will You Measure Your Life? – Clayton Christensen

Question 1

Core Message

Answer 1

Clayton Christensen encourages leaders to apply management theories to personal life decisions—not just business. Drawing on insights from his Harvard course and personal experiences, he provides frameworks for career fulfillment, meaningful relationships, and moral integrity. The article integrates theories from OB, strategy, and ethics to guide reflection and purpose.

Question 2

Key Ideas and Concepts

Answer 2

1. Career Fulfillment: Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

• True motivation comes from intrinsic factors: learning, responsibility, contribution, and recognition—not just money.
• Management is a noble profession when it helps others grow.
• Deals and external achievement are less fulfilling than building people.

2. Strategy for Life: Resource Allocation Theory

• Like a firm, individuals allocate time and energy (resources) among “businesses”—family, career, community, etc.
• Many professionals overinvest in careers because results are measurable and immediate.
• Underinvestment in family leads to long-term regret and unhappiness.
• Actual strategy = where resources go, not what you say.

3. Family Culture: Tools of Cooperation Model
   - From early on, parents must build a culture of trust, respect, and responsibility—not rely on coercive tools.
   - Just like in organizations, culture develops from repeated patterns and shared assumptions.
   - Families and firms both require intentional culture-building early to guide behavior later.
4. Ethical Integrity: Marginal Cost Thinking Trap
   - The temptation of “just this once” compromises moral standards.
   - Holding your principles 100% of the time is easier than 98%.
   - Ethical erosion occurs when short-term rationalizations override core values.
5. Humility and Learning
   - True humility = high self-esteem + respect for others.
   - Arrogance is often a sign of low self-esteem.
   - Be open to learning from everyone, not just those more “qualified.”
6. Life Metrics: Choose the Right Yardstick
   - In the face of mortality, impact on individuals matters more than professional success.
   - Success = helping others become better people—not status or wealth.

Question 3

Relation to Unit 3: Personality, Values, and Emotions

Answer 3

• Personality & Self-Knowledge: The article stresses the importance of aligning your actions with your values, recognizing personal priorities, and knowing your purpose—key to authentic behavior.
• Values: Emphasizes value-driven decisions, especially in resource allocation and ethical behavior.
• Emotions: Implicitly touches on emotional self-regulation—e.g., resisting temptation (“just this once”) or the value of humility in emotional intelligence.
• Motivation: Strong link to Herzberg’s theory, showing how intrinsic motivators lead to real fulfillment.
• Ethics and Leadership: Moral judgment and consistency are key to maintaining credibility and character in leadership.

Question 4

Prediction Questions (Based on Unit 3 Content)

Answer 4

1. How does Christensen’s use of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory explain career satisfaction?

He emphasizes that intrinsic motivators—growth, responsibility, recognition—lead to happiness, not extrinsic rewards like money.

2. What role do personal values play in Christensen’s life strategy advice?
   Values determine how you allocate time and energy. Misalignment between stated values and actual choices leads to regret.
3. How does the marginal cost trap illustrate ethical decision-making and emotional regulation?
   It shows how emotions and rationalizations can lead to compromising integrity unless one is firmly grounded in values.
4. How does humility relate to emotional intelligence in the context of leadership?
   Humility fosters openness to others and learning. It is linked to high self-esteem and emotional maturity.
5. What are the OB implications of the ‘resource allocation’ analogy for personal life?
   It shows that behavior (not intentions) reflects real priorities—paralleling how culture and strategy work in organizations.