Whitney Johnson

High-growth organizations need high-growth individuals. Startups, growth-stage companies, and private equity-backed companies all have one thing in common: They need high-growth individuals to execute high-growth plans. As a leader trying to achieve ambitious organizational goals, you need people who can do more than just keep up; you need people who can set the pace. You need high-growth individuals. "Disrupt Yourself" helps high-growth individuals--and those trying to attain this… Show more

High-growth organizations need high-growth individuals. Startups, growth-stage companies, and private equity-backed companies all have one thing in common: They need high-growth individuals to execute high-growth plans. As a leader trying to achieve ambitious organizational goals, you need people who can do more than just keep up; you need people who can set the pace. You need high-growth individuals. "Disrupt Yourself" helps high-growth individuals--and those trying to attain this status--learn the tools and frameworks necessary to make changes that matter. This book helps you understand how these frameworks of disruptive innovation can apply to your particular path, whether you are: A self-starter ready to make a disruptive pivot in your business; A high-potential individual charting your career trajectory; A manager looking to instill innovative thinking within your team; A leader facing industry changes that make for an uncertain future. Whitney Johnson used the theory of disruptive innovation to invest in publicly traded stocks and early-stage private companies, and now she applies the framework to the personal and professional growth of individuals. We are living in an era of accelerating disruption, and no one is immune. Johnson makes the compelling case that managing the S-curve waves of learning and mastery is a requisite skill for the future. If you want to be successful in unexpected ways and achieve your wildest goals, follow your own disruptive path. Dare to innovate. Do something astonishing. Disrupt yourself. Show less

Leader to Leader, the France Hesselbein Institute's award-winning quarterly journal, offers cutting-edge thinking on leadership, management, and strategy written by today's top thought leaders from the private, public and social sectors.

Articles include "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail," by John P. Kotter; "Choosing Strategies for Change," by John P. Kotter and Leonard A. Schlesinger; "Cultural Change That Sticks," by Jon R. Katzenbach, Ilona Steffen, and Caroline Kronley; "The Network Secrets of Great Change Agents," by Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro; "Decoding Resistance to Change," by Jeffrey D. Ford and Laurie W. Ford; "The Innovator's DNA," by Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Gregersen, and Clayton M… Show more

Articles include "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail," by John P. Kotter; "Choosing Strategies for Change," by John P. Kotter and Leonard A. Schlesinger; "Cultural Change That Sticks," by Jon R. Katzenbach, Ilona Steffen, and Caroline Kronley; "The Network Secrets of Great Change Agents," by Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro; "Decoding Resistance to Change," by Jeffrey D. Ford and Laurie W. Ford; "The Innovator's DNA," by Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen; and "Disrupt Yourself," by Whitney Johnson. Show less

A compilation of essays about people who mentored and inspired them.

Have you always wanted to run your own business but not known where to start? Or perhaps you've already begun and need a healthy dose of inspiration? In this course, I build on my experience as the founder of an investment firm, and Wall Street analyst to provide an in-the-trenches view of entrepreneurship. Take a look at how to vet your idea, find your customers, launch lean, grow and scale, and look for funding to expand.
Topics include:

Finding your idea/problem to solve
… Show more

Have you always wanted to run your own business but not known where to start? Or perhaps you've already begun and need a healthy dose of inspiration? In this course, I build on my experience as the founder of an investment firm, and Wall Street analyst to provide an in-the-trenches view of entrepreneurship. Take a look at how to vet your idea, find your customers, launch lean, grow and scale, and look for funding to expand.
Topics include:

Finding your idea/problem to solve
Finding your first customer
Writing a business plan
Deciding on a legal structure
Building a team of employees and advisors
Marketing your business
Building a website
Minding cash
Managing stress
Funding growth
Balancing entrepreneurship and life

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Culled by the editors of Harvard Business Review from the magazine's rich archives, these articles are written by some of the world's leading management scholars and practioners.

HATE THE IDEA OF SCHMOOZING AND GLAD-HANDING TO SUCCEED? Most of us feel that way. But you don't have to be slick and indiscriminate to create and sustain a strong network. In fact, you're much better off being yourself and connecting selectively--that's how you'll build relationships with real value. The "HBR Guide to Networking" will give you the tools and confidence you need to get your ideas off the ground, draw on others' expertise, scope out business opportunities, and land coveted roles.… Show more

HATE THE IDEA OF SCHMOOZING AND GLAD-HANDING TO SUCCEED? Most of us feel that way. But you don't have to be slick and indiscriminate to create and sustain a strong network. In fact, you're much better off being yourself and connecting selectively--that's how you'll build relationships with real value. The "HBR Guide to Networking" will give you the tools and confidence you need to get your ideas off the ground, draw on others' expertise, scope out business opportunities, and land coveted roles. Whether you're a new professional or an experienced one, this guide will help you: (1) create and maintain the right ties in a way that feels authentic, (2) nourish relationships through give and take, (3) share--and spread--ideas, (4) use social media tools to network, (5) manage your image online, and (6) reach out after losing touch. Show less

Disruptive innovation has been a pioneering concept in business since 1995. Johnson, a founding partner at Clay Christensen’s investment firm, explains how you can apply disruptive thinking—responsible for the success of many products, companies, and even countries—to your own career. Using the stories of highly successful personal innovators, including herself, she articulates four principles of self-disruption:

1. Target a need that can be met more effectively. Playing in a market… Show more

Disruptive innovation has been a pioneering concept in business since 1995. Johnson, a founding partner at Clay Christensen’s investment firm, explains how you can apply disruptive thinking—responsible for the success of many products, companies, and even countries—to your own career. Using the stories of highly successful personal innovators, including herself, she articulates four principles of self-disruption:

1. Target a need that can be met more effectively. Playing in a market where no one else is or wants to be might mean leaving your comfortable career perch for an amorphous role. But it will enable you to head off the competition and could generate rewards you’d never envisioned.

2. Identify your disruptive strengths. Think about what you do exceptionally well that most others can’t. Then use that discovery to make an innovative transition.

3. Step back (or sideways) in order to grow. Personal growth can stall at the top of a classic S curve. Avoid that problem by jumping to a new plane and putting yourself on an entirely different growth trajectory.

4. Let your strategy emerge. Don’t hesitate to be flexible and inductive in your approach to personal innovation. Disrupters take a step forward, gather feedback, and adapt accordingly.
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Dare, Dream, Do is a a huge departure from my Wall Street reports where the language was technical and involved downgrading or upgrading a stock. It is instead a very personal piece, one that started out as a blog in 2006 when I discovered that many of the supremely capable individuals I knew, especially women, were not dreaming. I wanted to build the case that dreaming was their privilege and birthright, and also persuade myself that what I had accomplished to date wasn't a one-off… Show more

Dare, Dream, Do is a a huge departure from my Wall Street reports where the language was technical and involved downgrading or upgrading a stock. It is instead a very personal piece, one that started out as a blog in 2006 when I discovered that many of the supremely capable individuals I knew, especially women, were not dreaming. I wanted to build the case that dreaming was their privilege and birthright, and also persuade myself that what I had accomplished to date wasn't a one-off. Eventually I invited women to share the stories of their dreams. If you are looking for a traditional business book, this is not it. If you are looking to dream in the midst of the messiness of your life, and in the face of competing dreams, I invite you to read Dare, Dream, Do. Show less

This is a compendium of articles on how to manage up from the archives of Harvard Business Review.