Christina Wallace, Entrepreneur and Harvard Business School Professor
Aug 10, 2023
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Serial entrepreneur and top professor at Harvard Business School, Christina Wallace, discusses finding fulfillment through pursuing passions, treating dating like a business problem, redefining work-life balance with a portfolio life, the dilemma of choosing between candidates, the value of orthogonal networks, and comparing US vs UK book covers.
Embrace diverse interests and create a fulfilling, flexible, and sustainable life.
Redefine ambition as a pursuit of personal fulfillment and impact.
Develop orthogonal networks to bring fresh perspectives and navigate change effectively.
Deep dives
The Value of Creating a Portfolio Life
Christina Wallace, an expert at the intersection of business, technology, and the arts, discusses the concept of a portfolio life. She highlights the importance of embracing diverse interests and creating a fulfilling, flexible, and sustainable life. Wallace emphasizes the need to align personal passions with professional pursuits, allowing individuals to make a difference in areas they care about. She encourages people to reconnect with their genuine interests and design a unique career path that matches their values and ambitions.
Redefining Ambition and Success
Wallace challenges the common perception of ambition by suggesting that it should not solely focus on climbing the corporate ladder or pursuing external accolades. She encourages individuals to redefine ambition as a pursuit of personal fulfillment and impact. Wallace notes that ambitious goals should be rooted in genuine passion and the desire to create positive change. She urges professionals to prioritize happiness and personal growth, as well as seeking opportunities to make a meaningful difference in various aspects of life and work.
The Importance of Orthogonal Networks
Wallace emphasizes the significance of developing orthogonal networks, which involve building connections and knowledge across different domains. She discusses the value of having diverse interests and experiences, as they allow individuals to bring fresh perspectives and ideas to their work. Wallace emphasizes the need to pay attention to broader trends and disruptions happening outside one's industry. She highlights how orthogonal networks enable individuals to navigate change and leverage unexpected opportunities that arise at the intersections between different fields.
Understanding Customer Behavior and Uncovering the Truth
Customers can sometimes lie about their preferences or project a version of themselves that they want to be true. To truly understand their needs, observing their actions and behaviors is crucial. For example, a packaged foods company wanting to introduce healthy options observed their customers' eating habits and found contradictory behavior to their stated desire for healthier options. By setting up transactive experiments that required customers to invest in their preferences, companies can uncover the truth and gain valuable insights.
The Portfolio Life: Moonlighting, Zigzagging, and Multihyphenates
The concept of the portfolio life involves embracing different models to create a well-rounded and fulfilling life. Moonlighting refers to pursuing a side activity or hobby alongside a primary job. Zigzagging involves transitioning from one primary focus to another, often building on the side activity. Multihyphenates are individuals who actively engage in multiple worlds, combining different roles or interests in their lives. Each model offers unique opportunities for personal growth, fulfillment, and balance in different seasons of life.
On this Walker Webcast, we are joined by Christina Wallace, serial entrepreneur and top professor at Harvard Business School where she is the co-course head for The Entrepreneurial Manager, teaches Launching Tech Ventures, and leads HBS Startup Bootcamp for student entrepreneurs. A self-described “human Venn diagram,” Christina crafted a career at the intersection of business, technology, and the arts and believes that when it comes to pursuing your passions, you shouldn’t have to choose.
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