Book Review: The Innovator’s Solution

For me, reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I always read in a wide variety of genres, sometimes even picking up multiple books at the same time. Though I often prefer to venture outside my comfort zone in my reading adventures and go beyond reading only materials that pertain to my line of work, I’ve found that reading books specifically on business leadership is essential to becoming a better CEO and ultimately a better person and critical thinker.

There are many books that I consider to be essential reading material for leaders and entrepreneurs in every field, and one of these is The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth, by Clayton Christensen and Michael Raynor. It’s a follow-up to another great read by Christensen, The Innovator’s Dilemma, which was based upon the idea that many businesses fail because they strive to do everything right.

The Innovator’s Solution identifies the core ideas behind disruption, and how companies should constantly seek out new ways to become disruptors themselves. A disruptor can be defined as a company or form of technology that causes a radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation, and it’s a concept that I’m very interested in when I look at my own company and our trajectory.

The authors do an excellent job of laying out how disruption can lead to growth and how it can be harnessed to create a “disruptive growth engine” to propel businesses forward while helping them succeed. They also offer valuable insight into the best ways of looking at options in the decision-making process, which is essential knowledge for any leader. To sum up the argument, disruption leads to innovation, and it has to become a constantly repeatable process to keep companies growing and developing in an ever-changing world.

In the business environment today, it’s never been more relevant to think outside of the box on all fronts, and I think The Innovator’s Solution does a great job of communicating this idea. It’s a must-read that I recommend to colleagues, fellow leaders, and budding entrepreneurs alike, and I encourage everyone to add it to the top of their reading list.