Book Review: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – How Successful People Become by Marshall Goldsmith

 

Marshall Goldsmith has written a book on Leadership from a different point of view. As a subject matter expert on leadership and management coaching, Marshall Goldsmith has conducted private sessions with CEOs and others to improve the quality of their leadership development, and to be better positive role models to their employees.  In this recently published book, Marshall identifies the following:
1.    13 qualities which can help you improve for the better
2.    21 habits and other personal qualities which can deter one from success as a leader.  
These personal characteristics were not developed in a project management lab at a university. Instead, they were developed based on his experience and supplied guidance to other CEOs or leaders. The great feature of this book is that these checklists can be posted on your wall as a “cheat sheet” of reminders to keep you on track. What is unique about this book is that he mentions that you have great qualities of commitment, excellence and understanding and communication. So, the glass is half full. He wants to supplement this glass with other qualities that can assure success. But, as he mentions this is a sprint and not a race, a journey for success and not a race to the top, for this is not for the weary or faint hearted. He expects or assumes that the project manager has a commitment and drive to succeed. He does not expect that the project manager has obtained a PMP, or an MBA or masters in Management. Instead, he takes the reader from a given spot to a different spot on the leadership ladder. Yes, there are other leadership books and the field is very vast with different approaches for success. But this can function as a guide with the qualities that one can succeed. Does one need to have all 20 or can one have 1 or 2 are the questions that he does not answer. What is the magic formula? We are human with frailties and emotions and desires which impact our remediating of the negative habits.  Page 40 the book which delineates the following 21 habits is one of the most important pages:
1.    Winning too much
2.    Adding too much value – Knowing when to stop in the conversation and one up someone. 
3.    Passing judgments
4.    Making destructive comments
5.    Starting with “No”, “But,” or “However”
6.    Telling the world how smart we are
7.    Speaking when angry
8.    Negativity or “Let me explain why that won’t work”
9.    Withholding information
10.    Failing to give proper recognition
11.    Claiming credit that we don’t deserve
12.    Making excuses
13.    Clinging to the past
14.    Playing favorites
15.    Refusing to express regret
16.    Not listening
17.    Failing to express gratitude
18.    Punishing the messenger
19.    Passing the buck
20.    An excessive need to be “me”
21.    Goal obsession
Again, one’s 21 habits are someone else’s 15 habits. These are Mr. Goldsmith, but there are others too which deter one’s success. 
5    ways to get feedback from others to help you succeed:   
1.    Make a list of
2.    Turn the sound off
3.    Complete the sentence
4.    Listen to your self-aggrandizing remarks
5.    Look homeward
 Do you have any others that are missing?