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What I Learned from Kobe Bryant’s Death and Clayton Christensen’s Life
I’ve been in a very reflective and existential mood this week, meditating on the nature of life, love and ambition.
This reflection was caused by the loss of two giants, both literally and figuratively.
First, Clayton Christensen (6’6”), the father of modern disruption, fell victim to cancer at the age of 67.
When I first launched Collective Campus, back in early 2015, I gave a talk that was inspired by Clay’s teachings. I was enamoured by his work, whether it was the seminal The Innovator’s Dilemma, or all that followed, such as The Innovator’s DNA, The Innovator’s Solution, How to Measure Your Life and Competing Against Luck.
While I was never lucky enough to meet Clay, I was fortunate enough to speak with his long-time co-author, Karen Dillon, as well as his co-founder at his Rose Park innovation fund, Whitney Johnson, for episodes of the Future Squared podcast.
To say I learned a lot from Clay’s work would be an understatement, but perhaps the biggest thing I took away from him was the idea that being small and resource-strapped can actually be a strength, especially in a fast-moving and uncertain environments.
It’s one of the reasons why I backed my boutique firm to go out into the world and…
