How Will You Measure Your Life? A Critical Analysis

Introduction

Clayton M. Christensen's essay "How Will You Measure Your Life?" offers several ideas and strategies that are genuinely helpful to a reader, along with some that are more difficult to apply in practice. It is interesting — and perhaps ironic — that the principal leader who launched the faith Christensen follows (Jesus Christ) is spelled out in his very name. He is a Christian, and he lives by that faith, which he shares with his students and those who read his books and essays.

Teaching Philosophy and the Purpose of Life

Christensen shares a striking example of his teaching philosophy on the first page of his essay, describing his visit to Intel and Chairman Andy Grove's insistence that Christensen explain how disruptive technology could help Intel. Rather than telling Grove what to think, Christensen taught him how to think — and Grove then figured out his own strategy. That example echoes the well-known saying: "Give me a fish and I eat for a day, but teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime."

The professor's central point concerns solving problems, measuring one's ability to conduct a meaningful life, and applying theories that work in both business and personal contexts. He insists, for instance, that those who leave college with a degree believing that making money will make them happy are missing the point entirely. Managing, he argues, means "building up people" — not merely making deals or accumulating wealth.

Reading through the essay, it becomes clear that Christensen's Christian faith has an enormous influence on his business and social concepts. He emphasizes the quality and purpose of life repeatedly, and he expresses genuine sadness when former students fail to "keep the purpose of their lives front and center." He admits that he applies the tools of econometrics a few times a year, but because he also applies his knowledge of life's purpose every single day, he feels fulfilled as a human being.

Faith, Family, and Career Priorities

For Christensen, living a purposeful life means not undervaluing one's relationships with family or a spouse by directing too much energy toward one's career. The things that matter most — family, faith, and friends — often get set aside, he warns, because the driven professional spends too much time and effort seeking immediate gratification.

Christensen's Christian faith shapes not only his personal priorities but also the lens through which he evaluates professional success. His framework consistently positions spiritual and relational well-being as the proper measure of a life well lived, a perspective rooted in his longstanding religious commitments. Readers interested in the broader relationship between faith and professional ethics may find Christensen's original Harvard Business Review essay a valuable primary source.

Conclusion

This is not a flaw in Christensen's sincerity, but it does represent a limitation in the universality of his advice. His strategies are most powerful for readers who already share — or are open to — a values-centered, faith-informed approach to life. For those without that foundation, some of his guidance may feel abstract or difficult to operationalize. Understanding Christensen's background as a Harvard Business School professor and devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helps contextualize why faith is so central to his framework.

It is impressive that Christensen refused to play in a championship basketball game scheduled on a Sunday, because doing so would have violated his faith. The Bible instructs, "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy," and for Christensen, Sunday was his Sabbath. Not even the glory of a championship — or his teammates' urgent appeals — could cause him to change his mind. That act of personal integrity is a fitting illustration of his essay's core message: that living by clearly defined values, even at personal cost, is what gives a life its true measure.

Christensen, Clayton M. "How Will You Measure Your Life?" Harvard Business Review. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://hbr.org.