Disrupt Yourself

August 17, 2015
Johnson (Dare, Dream, Do), a Merrill Lynch equity analyst turned entrepreneur, shows how and why to upend a career in this practical, concise work. Becoming a “disruptor,” whether by changing positions within a company or industry or entering an entirely new field, is vital to career and personal growth, she states. As someone who has made the leap herself, she sees disruptive innovation—defined here as “an innovation at the low end of the market that eventually upends an industry”— as a pathway to new levels of success. She employs E.M. Roger’s S-curve model, used to study the diffusion of innovation, to explain the psychological effects of personal disruption, such as increased dopamine levels. Focusing on how to overcome the initial frustration of being at the low end of the curve, she recommends “understanding the job-to-be-done” and “identifying the job you want done,” thereby determining the “right risks” to take. She also shows how to draw on one’s strengths and figure out how they can be applied to the unmet needs of potential customers and clients. Johnson astutely highlights the value of constraints, the dangers of entitlement, and the necessity of changing plans when circumstances call for it. Her chapter on learning from failure contains particularly wise advice that everyone should embrace. In Johnson’s closing chapter, she emphasizes the value of a “discovery-driven career” and the possibilities it offers. Savvy and often counterintuitive, this superb book offers the tools, mind-set guidance, and rationale for avoiding complacency and embracing a new career path.