Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work

by Whitney Johnson Narrated by Cyndee Maxwell

Overview

Are you a high potential charting your course within your current organization, a leader trying to jumpstart innovative thinking in your company? Or are you ready to do something new? Consider this simple yet powerful idea: disruptive companies and ideas upend markets by doing something truly different-they see a need, an empty space waiting to be filled, and they dare to create something for which a market may not yet exist. An expert in driving innovation via personal disruption, Whitney Johnson, will help you understand how the frameworks of disruptive innovation can apply to you: if you want to be successful in unexpected ways, follow your own disruptive path. Dare to innovate. Dream big dreams. Do something astonishing. Disrupt yourself. In this book, you will learn how to apply these frameworks to building a business, career-and you. We are living in an era of accelerating disruption-those who can manage the S-curve waves of learning and maxing out will have a competitive advantage. But this is a skill set that needs to be learned. Disrupt Yourself will help people cope with the unpredictability of disruption, and use it to their competitive advantage.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

08/17/2015
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. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

“Johnson, a Merrill Lynch equity analyst turned entrepreneur, shows how and why to upend a career in this practical, concise work. Savvy and often counterintuitive, this superb book offers the tools, mind-set guidance, and rationale for avoiding complacency and embracing a new career path.” – Publishers Weekly

“Playing it safe is not safe in today’s fast-paced marketplace. Disrupt Yourself is a must-read for anyone looking to stand out from the crowd and pursue innovation in our highly uncertain business climate.” – Eric Ries, bestselling author of The Lean Startup

“I have used the word ‘disruption’ to understand how some companies blossom while other wither. Whitney has applied the word in a different context – to understand why some individuals succeed in remarkable ways. Enjoyed this book!” – Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business School, NYT best-selling author of The Innovator’s Dilemma

“Too often we're told that to be successful in leadership or business, we must fit a certain mold. Whitney Johnson knows better. Applying the lessons of disruptive innovation to personal growth, she shows us how to pursue roles suited to our own strengths, to follow our own unique way of thinking and doing—and to dramatically increase our productivity, creativity, and happiness.” – Susan Cain, NYT best-selling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

“Wow! Disrupt Yourself wins the "plain English" award--which is to say I've seldom if ever read a better written business/career development book. The advice is compelling, clear-as-bell, research-based, and actionable. And it'll work as well for a forty-something as a twenty-something.” –Tom Peters, bestselling author, In Search of Excellence

“Disrupt Yourself reads like a handbook for innovation: it shows the incredible value of recognizing what you are good at and finding unexpected ways to apply those strengths to the marketplace. The dramatic ‘jumps’ that Johnson encourages us to take truly form the basis of creativity and success.” – Steve Wozniak, co-founder, Apple, Inc. and Chief Scientist, Primary Data

“A motivating, compelling case for shifting gears right when we’ve reached our peaks. Whitney Johnson not only explains the why and how, but cheers us on along the way to greater meaning, learning, and innovation.” – Adam Grant, Wharton professor and NYT best-selling author of Give and Take

“If you have gone through your career thinking that it is smarter and safer to “stick with what you know,” get ready to have Whitney Johnson change your mind. Often what we already know can get in the way of what we don’t know. Disrupt Yourself will inspire you to make the jump onto new learning curves, innovate, and stay at the top of your game.” – Liz Wiseman, best-selling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts

“You already know that to have the career—and life—you always wanted, you'll need to be innovative, take risks, and spot and seize opportunities. Luckily, Whitney Johnson knows exactly how disruptive innovation gets done, and her brilliant new book is the how-to guide you've been waiting for." – Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson, Columbia Business School, best-selling author of Nine Things Successful People Do Differently and No One Understands You and What to Do About It

“Whitney Johnson’s Disrupt Yourself provides clear guidance that will help you both boost your career and become a driving force in market evolution. Her innovative approach proves that staying true to your own strengths can be groundbreaking, and often take you further than following established paths. I highly recommend this book.” – Michelle McKenna-Doyle, Senior VP, CIO, National Football League

“Leaders at all levels are often reminded that continuous learning and personal growth are key to successful careers and meaningful lives. In Disrupt Yourself, Whitney Johnson shows how to pursue them, purposefully building a foundation to keep oneself and others learning, changing, and thriving in the long term.” – Gianpiero Petriglieri, Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour, INSEAD

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170168507
Publisher:	Ascent Audio
Publication date:	11/01/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	897,780

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