Taking Action

A few weeks ago I posted about the impact the passing of Professor Clayton Christensen had on me from afar. At the end of the post I indicated that it would likely cause a change in my own career direction, and that I would update at some time in the future.

I didn’t think an update post would be required after only a few weeks, but given the impact his passing has had on me, I think it is warranted. Since that post, I have:

• Investigated and commenced applications to various post-graduate courses (PhD, MPhil, MRes) at universities in London, Cambridge, Oxford and Surrey
• Set up calls for March with the Clayton Christensen Institute in Boston (including Clayton’s co-author on the Prosperity Paradox)
• Reached out to various people in my network for advice including my former university lecturer (now Professor at Imperial Business School); my university boss who hired me to tutor Strategic Management and is now running learning programmes in Myanmar; a former managing director at Accenture – who I trekked Kiliminjaro with – who ran the not-for-profit consulting arm focused on emerging markets; a friend with extensive international development experience who runs a social impact consultancy to the financial investment sector.
• Read The Prosperity Paradox and How To Measure Your Life, plus purchased other Christensen books which I had not yet read
• Started initial research into other scholars, academics, and researchers who have studied the relationship between innovation, prosperity and economic development
• Brain-stormed and and continued to iterate on various research topics to explore during post-graduate studies
• Developed a new plan on how I want to spend the next decade professionally to provide more fulfilment and alignment with values
• Spoke to an executive coach to help me process my thinking and future actions

It is certainly amazing what can happen when life throws a curve-ball that lights an unexpected fire that provides long overdue focus and realignment with work that matters. Exciting times ahead.