Karen Dillon

Karen Dillon is a 3x co-author with revered Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, including their New York Times best-seller, How Will You Measure Your Life?  She is also the co-author of The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems--and What to Do about It, which was named a Thinkers50 Best Management Books of 2023. A former editor of Harvard Business Review, Karen is currently on the faculty of Intermountain Healthcare Leadership Institute. Karen is  available for virtual or in-person keynotes or workshops on How Will You Measure Your Life? and The Microstress Effect.

"Karen managed to translate complex thoughts into something that is both clear and powerful at the same time. Karen writes by understanding my mind and my heart simultaneously and has done a beautiful job capturing both. As a writer, she is unsurpassed. She truly has been an invaluable thought partner, collaborator, and friend. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have the chance to work with Karen."

--Clayton Christensen

MEASURE YOUR LIFE WORKSHOP: 
"Karen Dillon's popular and impactful workshop, 'How Will You Measure Your Life,' is a key part of the Intermountain Leadership Institute, which focuses on developing trusted and effective leaders in healthcare. Our esteemed faculty emphasizes the essential competencies of leadership itself through a character and values-based curriculum. In a highly immersive and interactive learning environment, participants explore timeless leadership principles that help them further develop leadership attributes such as vision, courage, integrity, resilience, emotional intelligence, stakeholder alignment, and creating a belonging culture -- to name a few. It is the combination of competence and character that makes great leaders and great organizations." --Ilaria Cominotti, Intermountain Healthcare Leadership Institute. (Learn more about Intermountain Healthcare Leadership Institute at www.IntermountainLeadershipInstitute.org.)

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT KAREN AS A SPEAKER:

"Nearly a week later, we all are still talking about Karen's talk and the impact it had, especially at a time in all of our lives when we are questioning everything and looking for ways to establish or re-establish normalcy. She seamlessly tied together the two biggest ways many of us will measure ourselves – personal lives and career success. And she provided tools and tactics for how to think about the impact each has on the other, as well as the false notions many of us chase when we put title, salary and prestige ahead of purpose, respect and growth. Most of us probably would've been in tears if she'd presented live, so I'm relieved we had the barrier of virtualness to keep the crying jags at bay."

--Anne Marie Squeo, former Chief Communications and Brand Officer at Xerox

"The lessons you shared on mastering office politics informed and inspired VA employees, who continue to face great challenges as a result of the events of the past year. I've received many messages from staff members today wanting to express their appreciation. Please accept theirs along with mine. It was such a great pleasure to work with you, Karen. You have the unique ability to engage anaudience with your warmth, authenticity and wisdom. That's a rare skill and I'm grateful VA employees were able to listen in as you outlined some of the valuable insights you presented in your book. I also appreciated your willingness to answer questions from the audience. You addressed sensitive issues spontaneously with great diplomacy and creativity."

--Moira Shaughnessy, Office of Talent Management, US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Distinguished Speaker Series