How do you
measure the success of your child’s education by the end of his school term?
Is it his academic results, his extra-curricular achievements, the scholarships
he secured for tertiary education, or is it his certainty of his capabilities
like that of a business? I came across this book How Will You Measure Your Life
by Clayton M. Christensen, one of the world’s most influential business thinker, and he
applied his theory in Business Capabilities to raising children. According to
Christensen, capabilities of a business can fall into any of these 3
categories: Resources, Processes and Priorities. And by identifying these
factors that affect your business capabilities, you should be able to
realistically measure what you child can, and more importantly, cannot accomplish.
Resources are the most tangible of the 3
business capabilities. It is usually measurable, can be hired or fired, bought
or sold, depreciated or built. They are usually people or things. Examples of
resources in a business include people, equipment, technology, product designs,
brands, information, cash, and relationships with suppliers, distributors and
customers. Take this concept back to your child, and what you see is the
financial or material resources he has been given or has earned, his time and
energy, what he knows, what his talents or strengths are, what relationships he
has built, and what he has learned from the past.
This is followed by our second business capability, Processes. Unlike resources, processes are relatively
intangible and cannot be seen on a balance sheet. They are what your child does
with the resources he has, to accomplish and create new things for himself.
Within a business, these include the ways products are developed and made, and
the methods by which market research, budgeting, employee development,
compensation and resource allocation are accomplished. The ways in which those
employees interact, coordinate, communicate, and make decisions are known as
processes. What about for your child? These processes could be the way he
thinks, how he asks insightful questions, how and whether he can solve problems
of various types, how he works with others, and so on.
How about the third business capability?
You might not be surprised if I tell you that priorities are the most important
of the 3 business capabilities. According to Christensen, it is important
that managers clearly and consistently articulate the priorities of the company
so everyday decision making is in sync with the ways your company makes money,
if it is to stay profitable or in business. For your child, it is the personal
priorities in his life such as family, school, work, sports or faith. If you
look close enough, you should be able to spot what is at the top of his
priority list, what he tends to procrastinate and what he has no interest in
doing at all.
Remember, your child learns when he is
ready to learn, not when you are ready to teach. Help him identify his
resources, processes and priorities as he is going through his formal
education. This will not only help you raise your child to be successful but
give you opportunities to create a more meaningful relationship with your
child. With so many priorities in your current job, you are not going to be
there for your child all the time when he’s growing up. Make the little time
you have together count. Raise your child like a business, figure out his
capabilities. Thank you.
Read more at How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton M. Christensen.
