The Long Reach of Clay Christensen

Like millions of others, I’m stunned and heartbroken over the passing of a truly great man, Clayton Christensen. His contributions as a management guru and spiritual leader are well known. CEOs around the world sought his counsel, and he inspired millions to think deeper and live better. I’m one of these people and stand witness to the depth of his kindness.

I was not a world-class CEO or a noted thought leader. I was just a middle-aged executive in a Fortune 50 company pursuing a Ph.D. and trying to answer a gnawing question, “Why is it that after 20 years of research and practical examples of disruptive innovation, the Fortune 500 is turning over at a record pace?” Since disruptive innovation would be the focus of my dissertation, I thought I would at least try to talk to the man who coined the term. I thought I had a 5% chance of hearing from him. I was wrong.

I found Clay’s email address on the Harvard Business School (HBS) sight and sent him a note explaining who I was, my motivation, and why I wanted to speak with him. About a month later, I received an email from Clay’s Chief of Staff with a few times to have a phone conversation. I took the first time listed.

That first call in late 2017 led to Clay’s participation on my dissertation committee. I did not spend a lot of time with Clay, but the time I did spend with him was invaluable. In one of our early conversations, he said, “Alan, you need to realize that God didn’t create data. It would be of great service if you could teach other executives that the greatest source of their future success is the data that has not been created yet.” My dissertation and current writing are a direct response to this challenge Clay gave me. 

And so, this great man is no longer with us in body, but his ideas and spirit live on in the people that he has touched. What he did for me, someone he had never heard about or met before, reveals his character in a profound way.  As I sit in disbelief that Clay is gone, the only way I can think to repay all he has done is to attempt to spend the rest of my days living the example he has set.