Although the book title clearly aims itself at the successful managers, it is a good antidote for all who want to do better particularly on interpersonal relationship and leadership, that previous success, no matter big or small, almost always mar ourselves with complacency, self centredness, over confidence etc etc. Well organised with wit and good substance, it did help improve my communication skills, till the time I forgot them all, and then pick it out for a re-read. In short, recommended.

p.s. Below please find my favorite "tactics" for your reference.

Stop asking for feedback and then expressing your opinion. pg 117
What impressed me was that when he asked a question, he waited for the answer. He not only listened, he made me feel like I was the only person in the room. pg 152
He never takes his eyes off me. Even if the Queen walked in, he wouldnt be distracted. He would stil be devoting his full attention to me. That's hard to resist. pg 153
Clinton made a point of knowing something positive about you, and without making a big show of it, saying something to let you know he knew it. In effect, he was bragging about you to you. pg 153
Once you master the subtle arts of apologizing, advertising, listening, and thanking, you must follow up - relentlessly. Or everything else is just a "program of the month." pg 161

This book is a practical and powerful tool that makes you stop and think about what you are doing - both consciously and unconsciously - in your drive to be successful. I have had several executive clients who have had the "Oh my God, he's talking about me!" experience when reading Goldsmith's candid and pointed observations. I highly recommend this book to any individual who wants to create and sustain top level legacy leadership.

This is a good book, simply spoken and simply followed.

The biggest thing I got out of this book was really simple. The reason you have success is not because of the 'quirks' you have, but "IN-SPITE" of the quirks you have! :) Brilliant!

Many times, we read motivational books that are both repetitive and quickly forgotten. Not so with Dr. Goldsmith's work. He has an uncanny knack for subtely giving great advice on how to change our behaviors in the workplace, that easily transition over to positive behavioral patterns for your personal life. While most books of this nature force feed us into introducing new concepts and behavior patterns, this one provides the tools for changing and completely eliminating behaviors that are detrimental to our journey towards to true success and fulfillment. What Got You Here, Won't Get You There is a fantastic guide for those who are open to changing their behavior and tendencies not only in the office, but at home as well. Finally, a great book from a highly acclaimed professional who doesn't fill his book with fluff and a 'to do' list that we've all heard and seen before.

Like Dr. Marshall, this book is Outstanding
I heard him first, read his website next and before I read this Classic book. It can be a turning point in readers' lives. His real life examples and simple narration indeed make you sit up and listen very very carefully. Clearly an outstanding book.

The book provides advice on how to manage your behavior while building your career in the corporate or business worlds. The book title is a reminder that the behavior that lead you to climb the corporate ladder can at some point be against you.

The book invites you to explore and assess your habits and get feedback from your colleagues at different levels. This will give you a reality check on things that you may be failing and will lead you to fail. The list of twenty bad habitsis a starting point to assess yourself and start re-inventing your self.

Highly recommended book to assess individuals building their professional careers and leadership skills.

This book is an absolute must for high achievers. Typically such people are so focused on their immediate goals, that they miss out on the interpersonal aspects & start to stagnate, for no obvious reasons. The first half of the book will open your eyes to the flaws on inter-personal skills & impact it has on your career. The good part is that there are concrete steps to how to control the situation & get past the shortcomings. It is a very well written book and easy to read. I'm practicing some of the suggested techniques and they work!

I usually stay away from self-help books like this because they are most often vague, non-specific and fail to give the "real" secret to success. I did gleen a few good ideas from this book but for the most part this book has been written a thousand times before, and like all the others it doesn't remind the reader that the biggest key to success is simply knowing the right people and relying on connections, connections and connections. All other roads to success are, let's be honest, luck, luck and amazingly great good luck, nothing else.

Goldsmith's latest book is a terrific read for leaders waking up to the need for change within themselves. A common sense and energizing book, this is perfect for successful people continued growth is threatened because they have become habituated and inflexible... the very habits that have led to their success have become limiting.

Section Two of the book describes twenty habits that make leaders less effective; out of this collection anyone with the slightest inclination towards self-reflection will be able to spot themselves several times over. The remainder of the book offers principles for designing change, involving others in our change processes, and building accountability for doing things differently. While a book isn't a substitute for coaching, this is a great common sense approach to self-coaching, and leaders who read it will find much of value as they take on more responsibility for their own development. Highly recommended.

It's a short quick read and very informative. Goldsmith offers easy tools to put to practice and they work! Add it to your collection of practical books with solutions to implement.

Marshall's latest book is an instant classic. Even if you are successful in business, to get to the next step in your career is challenging. The tactics you used in the first place aren't enough and Marshall will teach you how to get to the next level. He is an inspiration and a remarkable man!

Enjoy reading this instant classic.

This book is superb, a must read for everyone. Marshall Goldsmith's books are a mainstay with clients at Peak Life Habits, Inc. What Got You Here Won't Get You There allows us to communicate clearly with clients about habits and how to improve many aspects of their lives and relationships, both professionally and at home. This is a practical, interesting, well written book with plenty of street smarts. If you want to uncover key areas to improve that may trigger a catapult of greatness, this is your book.

Mark Weinstein, Founder of Peak Life Habits, Inc.

The book does an excellent job of describing a process for getting more honest feedback from peers and superiors. Both useful information needed to keep climbing up the ladder. would recommend to all climbers

Marshall Goldsmith's latest book is excellent. I want to get a copy into the hands of all of our VP's, Directors & Managers. There are 20 Habits that Goldsmith says prevent people from moving up. All of these are "soft skills" which the individuals are blind to. He recommends "feedforward" once the person is ready to ask for help from colleagues, direct reports, or others. We can't change the past, only modify our behavior going forward.

This book is an easy and fun read. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone who is part of an organization and wants to move up.

The first thing that came to my attention was the title. What was it supposed to mean? What journey was Goldsmith talking about? The vehicles used to transit in life weren't working any more? Why? What are the new mediums?

Exercising leadership has long been referred implicitly to the capacity to command, control and dominate others in making them into what the leaders want from them. It doesn't work like that any more or at least, not to the same extent. People despise being ordered, brushed aside or looked down. Goldsmith wants us to embark on a new way of leading and connecting with others.

And to do that, he takes us to a reverse thinking mindset rarely found in books about leadership. It is one that brings us to look at what we do wrong in our leadership roles so that we really face reality instead of depicting it in rainbow type colors.

His authentic feedback is there for us to improve. For example, a major mistake leaders or managers make has to do with being arrogant, meaning believing that we will succeed no matter what and that the success we encounter is solely due to our unique qualities and even to our own flaws (ex. Overcommitment). Learning a little humility is a first step to changing our behaviour so we can cooperate better with others and achieve more, collectively speaking

Reading the book offered me a range of answers that I didn't anticipate. Moreover, I have successfully applied some of his key lessons. I recommend this book to all clients that I coach.
Edith Luc

A bad habbit kept me from productivity. This book not only helped identify what kept me stuck but empowered me to adopt new behaviors.
Buy this book and change your future.

Anne Browning Project Coach

When I heard the title of this book I thought it surely is a must read. The title was the best part of the book. Concepts are decent but I read this while flying across the Atlantic and wound up just leaving it on the plane for somebody else. Nothing to write home about. Incredible title and the concept triggered a lot in me as a leader however....

Through this book, Marshall Goldsmith gives us each the opportunity to hold up a mirror to reveal insights into our own actions and reactions. This is a book we incorporate into a number of OD activities in our organization, certainly in coaching individuals, but also in working with teams. One business leader I work with recently read the book, and immediately turned around and purchased it for his entire leadership team, giving it to them as a gift at a recent planning session. Almost daily I am hearing stories of meaningful self-reflection, ranging from the hilarious to the poignant, all finding at least a bit of themselves on the pages. This example demonstrates what I think is the book's biggest strength, the clarity of Marshall's straight-forward and practical approach aimed at helping us all get better at what we do.

If you do what you have always done , you will get what you have always gotten.
Marshall's new book has shown us all a very effective work around. Read the book and watch how the direction you have been going can shift overnight.
Scott H. Silverman. Author, "Tell Me No. I Dare You!"

While CEO of a national tree preservation firm with 500 teammates in 23 locations I gave this book to my senior leadership team as a key read. The book is filled with real hands-on advice. What hit home particularly for me were the common "bad habits" of CEO's/key leaders that can get in the way of developing your people. This is an excellent book to read as a leader and use as a tool with your leadership team. If you have a team that wants to grow, get this book because what got them here won't get them there.

You could easily summerize this book as "well DUH!" However, that's not meant to be a criticism it's meant to say the points made in the book are so obvious yet most fail to stop and think.

Goldsmith challenges his readers to stop and think about their behaviors at work and home. He details stories of helping successful CEO's and other business people who on paper were successful but were one bad quarter from being shown the door due to their attitude.

The author reviews in detail 20 bad habits at work and ways to improve or correct negative behaviors. 2 examples would be to say thank you and fines for negative words or behaviors. ON the thank you point, the author points out that many of us will say "I already knew that, or oh that doesn't matter". The author, in more detail, explains how learning to say thank you will be much more beneficial than arguing. The other point is the author suggests hefty fines for a bad behavior. He states the more $$ you put in the jar, the quicker it is to correct the behavior. Many people are negative subconciously.

These are just 2 examples of how the author helps in business.

While the information in this book is not earth shattering or rocket science, it is laid out and explained in such a manner that the tips can be but into practice immediately.

... do it! This book was a real eye-opener for me on how a successful person can hit her own developmental 'tipping-point'. Using Marshall's checklist of twenty habits, I was shocked to discover I have performed at least twelve of the twenty! Thank you Marshall for the self awareness and the roadmap to help me get out of my own way.

If you want practical advice, with tangible next steps to take you to the next level in your career, I highly recommend this book.

Yet another amazing book by Marshall. Full of insights and tons of practical ideas that are not only pragmatic, but also high impact. I am a big fan of identifying the few things that make the biggest difference in creating an extraordinary quality of life. And in this book I found many such ideas. Anyone looking for ideas that truly make a difference in the workplace, and indeed in life, must read, but most importantly apply what Marshall recommends. Ranks as one of the best books I've read in several years.

From a purely economic perspective, this may be among the most valuable books in print. If every executive followed the advice in this book, we wouldn't have more than 100 million Americans who are not engaged in their jobs and, as a result, productivity and innovation would soar.

In this book, uber-executive coach Marshall Goldsmith shares his insights about the most common habitual behaviors that prevent leaders from reaching their potential and how to overcome them. We all have these blind spots that others see but we don't. It's part of the human condition. In this book Marshall provides the best description I have ever seen of the most common blind spots. Marshall provides thorough explanations and illustrates his points with compelling anonymous examples from his work with high achievers. Reading this book is the next best thing to having Marshall as a coach.

If you do nothing else over the summer, pick up Marshall Goldsmith's simple yet consistently Marshall-esque and direct book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful. I recently had a chance to meet Marshall at the Vistage International 50th anniversary conference. His unassuming presence completely disarms you with the fact that he is the personal coach to some of the Fortune 500's most elite CEOs.


Early on in his book, he references the most annoying interpersonal issues in the workplace today. We thought these might be a relevant reference point as many deter you from developing intentional, strategic, and thus quantifiable business relationships.

For example, he talks about the importance of knowing when to stop. Have you ever thought about the stupid things top people do that they need to stop doing now? Get out a notepad and instead of the usual "to do" list, start a "to stop" list.

Goldsmith points out that not all behaviors can be categorized as good or bad. Many are simply neutral. In 2008, if you choose to be nicer, for example, instead of creating a long list of positive actions such as complimenting people, saying please and thank you, listening more patiently, and treating them with verbal respect (often a daunting task), a simpler way that doesn't require much effort at all is to just stop being a jerk! You don't have to think of ways to be nicer, all you really have to do is nothing! When someone offers a less than stellar plan, don't criticize - just say nothing! If your decisions are challenged, don't argue or make excuses - just quietly consider it and keep your critiques to yourself.

Before fixing bad behavior, you first have to identify the most common faults. These are not flaws of skill, intelligence, or unchangeable personality, but often challenges in interpersonal and leadership behavior. Many of our flaws are transactional and performed one person against another.

The 20 Habits That Hold You Back from the Top

1. Winning too much. The need to win at all costs and in all situations even when wining doesn't really matter and is totally beside the point.
2. Adding too much value. The overwhelming desire to add our opinion to every discussion.
3. Passing judgment. The need to impose our standards on others.
4. Making destructive comments. Needless sarcasm and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.
5. Starting anything with "no, but or however." Seldom anything good comes after these and as negative qualifiers, they secretly say to everyone, "I am right and you are wrong."
6. Telling the world how smart we are. The need to show people we are smarter than they think we are.
7. Speaking when angry. Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
8. Negativity. "Let me explain why that won't work" is a need to share our negative thoughts even when we were not asked.
9. Withholding information. The refusal to share information in order to maintain control or an advantage over others.
10. Failing to give proper recognition. The inability to praise and reward.
11. Claiming credit that we don't deserve. The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.
12. Making excuses. The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.
13. Clinging to the past. The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past.
14. Playing favorites. Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
15. Refusing to express regret. The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we're wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.
16. Not listening. The most passive aggressive form of disrespect of colleagues.
17. Failing to express gratitude. The most basic form of bad manners.
18. Punishing the messenger. The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually only trying to help us.
19. Passing the buck. The need to blame everyone but ourselves.
20. An excessive need to be "me." Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they make us who we are.

Check yourself against the list. Though it is unlikely you are guilty of all of these annoying habits, you can probably narrow the list to 1-2 vital issues that will show you where to work on in 2008 and beyond.

Undoubtedly one of the best books I have read this year. The direct and powerful advice in this book will beat your expectations. Highly recommended.

Basically, it takes Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence Poeple" and tailors it to the arrogant, egotistical perspective of many of today's overpaid, underperforming, delusional CEO's.

In this book, the author makes some valid points that is applicable to anyone in the business community. The language seems geared more towards executive coaches rather than the business leaders themselves. Overall, this book contains some very good and practical information, however, it was a little bit too much common sense for me and hence the 4 stars instead of 5. For example, one action item states: List the 25 people who have helped you the most in your life. Now, write a thank-you note to each of them.

The book starts with "paradox of success" - the same behaviors that helped you succeed can now bring you down. It goes on to explain 21 bad habits and provides examples on how to correct them. It continues on to a 7-step procedure to cure a bad workplace habit. It is a good book which can help improve your leadership & day-to-day management skills.

Nutshell review - a decent book covering various aspects of how succesful people can sometimes torpedo their own success or limit their own (and others) growth potential. Too much case-study page filling but worth a read.

Excellent book for coaching adults in the workplace & life. Adults, especially already sucessful adults don't often think they need feedback. This gives specific ideas on how to discover what the right "thing" to work on is & what steps to take. You can apply this to yourself as well.

For those concerned with continued career growth this is a must read. Marshall Goldsmith has identified the often subtle (and some not so subtle) behaviors that even the most successful executives can exhibit. With 21 years of professional experience spanning 2 Fortune 100 companies, I can attest that I was inspired by this book and immediately sought in depth feedback from my direct reports and established an ongoing dialogue with my team to continually close the blind-spots and grow as a leader. Do yourself a favor. Get the book. Read it and be ready to change and grow as a leader.

I enjoyed reading this book and my employees enjoyed it as well. I was also very impressed with the delivery.

It's ironic -- this book is an example of its title. Goldsmith brags endlessly about the wealth and power of his clients, the size of his own fees, and how much more insightful he is than almost everyone else. The book would be much stronger if it had the carefully nuanced conclusions of a scholar. Instead, it has pronouncements from on high. These are meant to be accepted without question, seemingly because he claims to be a friend of the rich and famous. Maybe this kind of glib, elitist opinion-mongering could be overlooked in a brash youngster, but coming from a would-be elder statesman, it just undercuts his credibility. Which is exactly the point of the book.

To be fair, the book has useful ideas, such as its comprehensive list of "bad habits" that are more damaging at senior levels than at earlier stages of a career. He makes a convincing case that these career-damaging traits can't be changed by taking courses (or reading books?). He argues that change requires nudging by an experienced executive coach (and makes sure you know he is available ... if you have a six-figure budget).

No doubt, Goldsmith can enthrall a room full of worshipful students, as another review suggests, using his catchy one-liners and "trademark" outfits. He is a talented self-promoter. Still, we readers have a right to expect something more thoughtful and less opinionated if he wants to be treated as a truly top authority.

You might want to skim a borrowed copy before buying this. Better still, ask a friend who has read it to give you a brief summary, and maybe skip the book.

Marshall Goldsmith is a masterful leader, abundant in sharing his life experiences and lessons in leadership. His quirky sense of humor comes out in the book with a myriad of examples on how to apply the principles he espouses. It's a fast, fun read for all business book junkies!

The first time I saw this book was back in Burlington, ON, Canada in a bookstore called "Indigo". I was idling in the business section when the clever cover face of a person reaching up to grasp the next rung on a ladder caught my eye.

I picked the book off the shelf with interest and began to read the first page. After reading half of the first page I closed the book and promptly went to the cashier to buy it. It was just that simple. Within the first three paragraphs I knew that Marshall had some very important things to say that I needed to read.

Unassuming, witty, imaginative, and hilarious - are all words that accurately describe Marshall. If you take your time and read carefully, you may also discover that his writing carries a "dad-like" presence. Be prepared to gain a wealth of knowledge while being moved emotionally as Marshall respectfully discusses the lives of several influential people.

Read this book - you will learn that all people (no matter what their position) are human beings that face the constant challenge of behavioral modification and adjustment.

Matthew R. Polkinghorne
MGSM (Marshall Goldsmith School of Management) Graduate Student.
Alliant International University - San Diego Campus.

This is the most complete waste of time for anyone who wants to learn anything. It is so bad that I cannot even finish it!

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."

This is one of the most down to earth, easy to read, and genuinely helpful business books I've read in many years. If you are upper management or even middle management looking to make that next move up, you owe it to yourself to read this engaging book.
Given this book by my boss, I thought "yea, why not". But now I have a couple lists of self cautions on the wall in my office where I can see them every time I'm on the phone or when someone is in my office to talk to me. I've even bought copies for my brothers and best friend.

I received my delivery on 25th of March, so I didnt have the chance to read it yet. This can show the time length of shipment.
Thanks,

Successful people are often asked what the secret of their success is. Often it is no secret; it's a combination of hard work, opportunity as well as the ability to reflect and learn in order to improve. "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" provides a roadmap for self-improvement. Marshall Goldsmith paints a clear and vivid path for readers to think about where they are now and what they must to do to get to wherever they want to go. Sometimes that means letting go of the past. Other times it means becoming a more attentive to the needs of others. This book illuminates the path of self-improvement so that an individual can become the successful person he or she desires to be. Full of good stories and good advice, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to increase his or her opportunities for personal growth and development.

TWENTY-FOUR CARAT GOLDSMITH!!

I've known Marshall Goldsmith for ten years, and written two books with him. Over that time I've had the privilege to see his ideas develop. Time and again, I've watched him introduce his techniques into leading corporations and electrify audiences worldwide. All his tips are alarmingly simple, tried and tested, positive and powerful.

This book is a distillation of Marshall's philosophy, written in his highly accessible story-telling style. Marshall teaches that with every breath "I'm a new me!" The book explains how our career history can so easily shape our attitudes in ways which tend to set us off in the wrong direction. Put these two ideas together, and there's no contradiction - instead they provide a recipe for reflection and the suggestion that there just might be a better way forward. Then Marshall shows how to find it!

Although Marshall never claims to be a strategist, the ideas in this book can turn out to be highly strategic when applied to your career. This is a great book for anyone working in an organization. In it, Marshall Goldsmith makes a major contribution to the Situational approach which is practical, motivational, and packs a myriad of useful, well-honed gems of learning.

Marshall's mission in life is to make you happy. Be happy: buy this book.

Laurence S. Lyons PhD
Coaching for Leadership: The Practice of Leadership Coaching from the World's Greatest Coaches

It made such an impression on me, I was amazed! And it had the same effect on my friend, who wrote:

This book found me! I wasn't looking for it, didn't think I could use it, and thought I had reached a place where I didn't really NEED another book to point out the way to success. I've always respected Marshall Goldsmith for his consistently impressive coaching techniques, but like most people, I'm not the CEO of anything. I liked where my career had taken me, loved what I was doing, felt I had the ideal job, and stopped wondering what my next step would be. So when I saw this book, I was not expecting it to have the impact it did - I knew it was going to be good - but it was so much more than that!

Dr. Goldsmith gave me some very useful insight about things I thought I was clear on but apparently not - no glaring character flaws, but what he calls "behavioral tics" or habits we repeat many times a day in the workplace. The key, he says, is the fact that we seldom have any idea how we are coming across to other people. We tend to view our behavior in one way, while others see it as something else.

He presents his concepts in such a conversational way that they don't seem preachy, in fact when I picked up the book and started reading, I found myself well into it before I realized that I didn't want to stop and put it down! There aren't many books about self-improvement I think anyone could say that about. The title intrigued me and the content of the book delivered more than it promised. I think it offers something for everyone, from the newest members of the workforce with their eyes on the next rung up the ladder to those who have had many decades to carve out a place for themselves and notice an inkling that there might just be one more step they'd like to take to make it even better.

Buy this book and actually read it. You will emerge from the experience with an appreciation of what you've done to get yourself here and some tools to develop a gameplan that will get you "there." I think this book is great.

We just can't be sheeps in a world of wolves, that's why we cannot apply the author's nice but not practical suggestions for the workplace.

I love this book!

Marshall Goldsmith gives such pearls of wisdom about leadership. Instead of being esoteric, he provides great useful advice about how to be a great leader.

All that we want to be is be recognized as a person who add value to the society where we live. But always that our mind believe that our sucess is complete we make one error that can destroy everything we got in the past. So it is wise to live looking ahead and searching what to do regarding a sucess journey that assure us that we have considered all the others persons who join us every moment we are living and their concerns. So the Marshall book is the one that create conditions for each one of us to realize about.

I thing all of us have heard the phrase that "people who needed it the most, often don't get it."

If you undestand the concepts in this book, it will have you nodding your head, if you don't, you probably will not get past the first chapter.

If you are reaching for more than you are and wonder if this is the road?
This is your sign that says "keep on going."

Marshall Goldsmith is a master at helping people see the one thing about themselves (that is often obvious to everyone else) that they must change to be more successful. This book gives you access to one of the world's greatest executive coaches as he weaves his magic on your character. So many books and so many people, dance around the truth that most of us have an Achilles' heel, a behavioral trait (or traits)that keeps us from being more successful. Marshall has a way of cutting to the chase and helping us wake up to smell the coffee. Get this book, read this book and implement its ideas. The most important asset each of us has is our persona, the way we are in the world. We spend so much time learning new facts, when what we need to do is look at our patterned ways of acting and thinking that keep us from finding greater success and happiness. Last year I interviewed 250 people from age 60-106 asking them what they had learned about life. They told me how critical it was to reflect more-to really go inside and know who you are. Goldsmith will hold up a mirror and most of us will find some of ourselves in the reflection. His feedback and insights have made me more successful and they have the potential to do the same for you.

This book is interesting, but has some drawbacks. First, it does present some useful information on how to deal with some of the interpersonal flaws many of us bring to the workplace. I haven't implemented any of the suggestions, but Marshall is talented and successful, so I take him at his word that the process works if implemented properly.

However, I had a hard time figuring out if I liked the book or not. I was - to agree with another rater - pretty bored with the material right out of the gate. But, since I'm reading this as part of a book club, I had to finish it. Also, - to agree with another rater in this forum - I felt the book was longer than necessary, and at times redundant. I like Marshall's writing style; its pretty conversational. Also, the sections are short, so you can get through a single idea pretty quickly. But, I had a hard time getting jazzed about the content. In fact, it wasn't until near the middle of the book that he expressly stated his thesis - what sets great leaders apart (the closer you get to the top of the org chart) is interpersonal effectiveness, not role-specific expertise.

Now, as a middle manager in corporate America, that seems like an obvious message to me. The only thing I'm stumped about is how to get the right people to pick up the book. As with most of the materials in this genre, those that need it probably won't read it!

This book, like many others of similar genre, take an article's worth of useful info and stretch it out over 100's of pages in order to sell it for more money. I found the writing redundant and patronizing, causing me to speed read from major point to major point. I don't mind examples, alternate explanations, and the odd antecdote but this book is ridiculous.

Usefulness of the info: 4/5
Value: 2/5

This is a practical text with insightful examples. A very effective coaching tool. I highly recommend this.