Microwins

CHAPTER 9Family

Clayton Christensen was an academic and best-selling author of 10 books, including the widely acclaimed The Innovator’s Dilemma. In 2010, the graduating class at Harvard Business School asked Christensen to provide advice on how they should approach their post-graduation life. In a talk to the class, Christensen said, “People who are driven to excel have this unconscious propensity to underinvest in their families and overinvest in their careers—even though intimate and loving relationships with their families are the most powerful and enduring source of happiness.”¹

Just as we expanded the world of possibility beyond the traditional notion of work, we are going to apply the same principle to family.

First, answer this question honestly and without too much deliberation: What comes to mind when you read the word family?

Take some time and think.

What did you come up with? There are traditional concepts of family that encompass the people with whom we share blood ties. Your mind may have gone to your mother, brother, or an aunt. These are some of the first humans that we form bonds with as we enter the world. Beyond sharing some strands of genetic code, we also share time. Summer trips, reunions, bat mitzvahs, quinceañeras. These are the adolescent life moments that strengthen the bonds among family members.

But what about that one college buddy who has been in your corner since freshman year? The one who you never hesitate to call whether you’re experiencing ...