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What Got You Here Won t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful

CDN$ 12.23


An invitation to obtain an exquisite sense of who you are - This book is a great gift from Marshall Goldsmith to his reader. How so? In the Coda, he suggests this exercise: Imagine that you are 95 years old and ready to die. By then you (i.e. the reader) understand what is really important and what isn t, what matters and what doesn t. What advice would this wise `old you have for the `you who is [receiving the advice]? Take your time and answer the question on two levels: personal advice and professional advice. Jot down a few words that capture what the old you would be saying to the younger you. Once you have written these words down, the rest is simple: Just do whatever you wrote down. Make it your resolution for the rest of the current year, and the next. You have just defined your `there. Everything Goldsmith provides in this volume can help his readers to develop or reactivate what he aptly characterizes as a built-in GPS mechanism so that they will be blessed with [both a map and] an internal compass that orients them automatically. They will [always] make the correct turn and end up where they intended via the most economical route...[because they possess] an exquisite sense of who they are, which translates into perfect pitch about how they come across to others. It sounds easy, doesn t it? All you have to do is read this book and (like a magic carpet) it will get you from where you are now to where you want to be. On the contrary, for most people who read this book, the challenge is formidable. First, they must accept the fact that Pogo was right: We have met the enemy and he is us. Then, they must focus on correcting those faults and breaking those habits that currently control their interpersonal behavior. And then they must focus each day, each moment, on avoiding those faults and habits. They cannot do it themselves. With all due respect to the value of Goldsmith s counsel, those who commit to this difficult process of self-improvement must seek the assistance of members of their family as well as associates in their workplace. Goldsmith identifies twenty of the most common flaws, none of which is a flaw of skill, intelligence, or personality. (That s a key point). What we re dealing with here are challenges of in interpersonal behavior, often leadership behavior. They are the egregious everyday annoyances that make your workplace more noxious than it needs to be. They don t happen in a vacuum. They are transactional flaws performed by one person against others. Throughout the narrative, Goldsmith cites dozens of real-world examples to illustrate key points but, for obvious reasons, changes the names of those involved. It should be noted that, for several decades, Goldsmith career has primarily involved providing executive coaching services to senior-level executives and he does so on a one-on-one basis. To the extent possible, he establishes the same relationship with each reader. To his credit, he has a clear sense of who he isn t (e.g. a judge of others behavior) and what he doesn t do (e.g. define anyone else s there). As Goldsmith frequently acknowledges, it remains for each reader to determine which flaws are most detrimental to her or his interpersonal relationships. He also points out that many people are either unaware of their faults or unaware of the extent they are resented by others. Hence the importance of continuous feedback from family members and business associates. The first portion of this review identifies the there to which the title refers. It is important to understand that you can get there only if you fully understand both what your here is and why. (It may not be where you think it is.) Read the book, then complete the exercise briefly described earlier so that you can obtain wisdom that you already possess. Use that wisdom now. Don t look ahead. Look behind. Look back from your old age at the life you hope to live. Know that you need to be happy now, to enjoy your friends and family, to follow your dreams. You are here. You can get there! Let the journey begin.

Finally - self help for successful people - I read a book on the flight back from San Francisco that a friend recommended called, What Got You Here Won t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith.I was particularly intrigue by the title because often self-help books say things like, If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got. My variation of that is... If you do what you have always done, you will go bankrupt. The reason self-help books express things in those words is that they are trying to appeal to people who don t think they are as successful as they can be. What I like about this book is that he is appealing to people who are already successful.The book runs through a list of 20 habits that can hold people back. Often these habits are routed in high success. Many of them can be thought of as common arrogance (success can breed arrogance) and this is all something that we have to fight.Some of the habits:Habit 12, making excuses, this often comes down to people answering the why question when what really needs to be answered is how - not why did it fail, but how could it succeed?Habit 17 was failing to express gratitude. I think many people could be more grateful.Habit 18 - punishing the messenger. Nobody likes to hear bad news but if you punish the messenger, you will not get any news and find out about things too late.There was an entire chapter on the 21st Habit called Goal Obsession.By itself, goal obsession is not a flaw. Unlike adding value or punishing the messenger or any of the other twenty annoying habits, goal obsession is not transactional, it s not something you can do to another person. But it is often the root cause of the annoying behavior. Goal obsession turns us into someone we should be.Goal obsession is one of those paradoxical traits we accept as a driver of our success. It s the force that motivates us to finish the job in the face of any obstacle - and finish it perfectly.A valuable attribute much of the time, but taken too far, it can become a blatant cause of failure.The book has a section on how we can change for the better and even has a seven step method.I would recommend this book to anyone who is successful and is willing to grow and learn.

Everyone needs this book - Whether you are a leader, a manager, an entrepreneur, if you want to advance in your career and get some enlightenment along the way, this book is for you. In his fun and engaging style, Marshall tells it like it is. If you are successful, you probably have at least a few of the habits that Marshall mentions. That s OK, because using his process you can get them out of your way to accrue even more success.I am an executive coach who has used this process, both working directly with Marshall and his clients and with my own clients. I have seen first-hand that it works. Using this process, we have helped people achieve more professional success than they could have anticipated as well as personal success (becoming better spouses, better parents, better friends) that they didn t even know they could ask for. All with far less of the pain that everyone thinks accompanies change. The executives feel the results, the stakeholders see them, and together we measure them. Marshall s upbeat style and way of thinking and helping people frame the whole notion of behavior change is unique. It s kind of fun. It definitely works. And it will get you where you want to go. As Alan Mulally says, it rocks!

Marshall is Simply the best - I read all Marshall s book and this last one is absolutely the best. Ever time I see or think if Marshall, i remember all the great tips he has shared with me over the years to make me a better person and a better mamager.

Ladder Extension - As a professional coach I read many of the current books on the topic. This book is exceptional. Whether you are a spouse, parent, or organizational leader this book will challenge you to climb a little higher. The book is lively and filled with wit and wisdom. It does come with a warning. If you are looking for a quick fix this is not the recipe. To follow Marshall s plan will take 12 -18 months.




What Got You Here Won t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful