Clayton M. Christensen (1952–2020)

As a teacher, collaborator, partner, colleague, role model, and, most important, friend for twenty-five years, Clayton Christensen did more to shape my way of thinking than anyone else. This book would never have come to be without our close and profound association.

For me, Clay embodied what it means to lead from the future. His seminal theory of disruption stems from a fundamental understanding: that when business leaders develop and utilize good theory, their efforts in strategy and innovation (and, indeed, in managing the dynamics of their whole industries) can become much more predictable. I think of the theory that undergirds Lead from the Future in much the same way. Leaders can use it to put themselves in an envisioned future, frame its circumstances as a “situation I’m in,” and then develop clear-eyed views about the most effective ways to innovate within it.

Clay also taught me that the strength of his theories is not simply that they make businesses more predictable, and hence profitable. The nonconsumers that disruptors serve and benefit are often the less fortunate in society. At root, business disruption enables, as Clay put it, “a larger population of less-wealthy or less-skilled people to do things for themselves in more convenient, less centralized, less expensive settings.” Clay was onto something way ahead of his time—that good business is not just about making more profits for shareholders but serving stakeholders of every kind—that the best-run companies, in the words of the Business Roundtable’s recent statement on the purpose of a corporation, deliver value to customers, invest in their employees, and support the communities in which they work.¹

But disruption theory is even more profound than that. Ultimately, it is not just about democratizing products and services but empowering people to grow and flourish. Clay’s book How Will You Measure Your Life? provides the most fascinating application of its transcendent power as it moves from helping companies to helping individuals achieve better outcomes in their lives and relationships, one by one.

Our present and future are as challenging and indeed as frightening as they’ve ever been; we have a desperate need for visionaries. Clay Christensen was such a one—a prophet ahead of his time, who mastered the doctrine of management from the future.

I honor his life’s work and dedicate this book to him.

Mark W. Johnson

Belmont, Massachusetts

January 2020