What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People...

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 256 pages
• Published by: Hyperion
• Edition: 1st Edition January 9, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1401301304
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1401301309
• Book Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
Goldsmith, an executive coach to the corporate elite, pinpoints twenty terrible habits that stifle already successful careers as well as personal goals like succeeding in marriage or as a parent. Most are common behavioral problems, such as speaking when angry, which even the author is prone to do when dealing with a teenage daughter's belly ring. Though Goldsmith deals with touchy-feely material more typical of a self-help book—such as learning to listen or letting go of the past—his approach to curing self-destructive behavior is much harder-edged. For instance, he does not suggest sensitivity training for those prone to voicing morale-deflating sarcasm. His advice is to stop doing it. To stimulate behavior change, he suggests imposing fines (e.g., $10 for each infraction), asserting that monetary penalties can yield results by lunchtime. While Goldsmith's advice applies to everyone, the highly successful audience he targets may be the least likely to seek out his book without a direct order from someone higher up. As he points out, they are apt to attribute their success to their terrible behavior. Still, that may allow the less successful to gain ground by improving their people skills first. (Jan. 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
To get to the next level, high achievers often need to get over self-aggrandizing beliefs such as thinking that they control everything, believing that all their success is due to their individual efforts, and assuming that future achievements are there for the taking. Narrating his own material, management consultant Marshall Goldsmith sounds so fresh and energetic that his program will motivate listeners to take a personal inventory. However, there are also places where he sounds like he's trying too hard, such as when he shows the good and terrible habits of executives. Nonetheless, all his suggestions about how and what to change are clear, action oriented, and punctuated with examples from his own growth experiences. T.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Reader Reviews
Had I had access to the ideas in Marshall Goldsmith's book years ago, I would probably be better off. At my advanced age, I have spent too much time working for myself. Sure, I recognize the importance of teams and team work. But I refer descending from my aerie, joining the team, completing the project and returning to the solace of personal contemplation Years ago, I found this works best for me. Goldsmith, an executive coach, argues in his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There, that success delusion, holds most of us back. We, (read I): 1. Overestimate our (my) contribution to a project. 2. Take credit, partial or complete, for successes that belong to others. 3. Have an elevated opinion of our (my) professional skills and our (my) standing among our (my) peers. 4. Ignore the failures and time-consuming dead-ends we (I) create. 5. Exaggerate our (my) projects' impact on net profits by discounting the real and hidden costs built into them. All of these flaws are borne out of success, yet here is where the book becomes interesting. Unlike others, Goldsmith does limit himself to teaching us (me) what to do. He goes the next step. He teaches us (me) what to stop. He does not address flaws of skill, intelligence or personality. No, he addresses challenges in interpersonal behavior, those egregious everyday annoyances that make your (my) workplace more noxious that it needs to be. They are the: 1. Need to win at all costs. 2. Desire to add our (my) two cents to every discussion. 3. Need to rate others and impose our standards on them. 4. Needless sarcasm and cutting remarks that we (I) think make us sound witty and wise. 5. Overuse of "No," "But" or "However." 6. Need to show people we (I) are (am) smarter than they think we (I) are (am.) 7. Use of emotional volatility as a management tool. 8. Need to share our (my) negative thoughts, even if not asked. 9. Refusal to share information in order to exert an advantage. 10. Inability to praise and reward. 11. Annoying way in which we overestimate our (my) contribution to any success. 12. Need to reposition our (my) annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it. 13. Need to deflect blame from ourselves (myself) and onto events and people from our (my) past. 14. Failure to see that we (I) am treating someone unfairly. 15. Inability to take responsibility for our (my) actions. 16. Act of not listening. 17. Failure to express gratitude. 18. Need to attack the innocent, even though they are usually only trying to help us (me). 19. Need to blame anyone but ourselves (me). 20. Excessive need to be "me." 21. Goal obsession at the expense of a larger mission. It is too late for me. I am too dysfunction. If there is still hope for you, this book is a witty, well-written start to addressing your unconscious, annoying habits that limit your ability to achieve a higher level of success. Comments (7) | | (Report this)