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What Got You Here Won't Get You There
Marshall Goldsmith
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What is What Got You Here Won't Get You There about?
Your hard work pays off. You perform well in your sphere. But still, there is something standing between you and success at the next level. This something could easily be one of your own annoying habits. Perhaps a small flaw – a behavior you don't even notice – is the only thing preventing you from being where you want to be. It’s possible that it’s exactly the trait you firmly believe got you here – such as the drive to win at all costs. As the book describes, many excel despite certain habits, rather than because of them.
Key ideas of What Got You Here Won't Get You There
Winning Too Much Backfires
The drive to win every interaction, even trivial ones, is the root habit that undermines relationships and limits advancement.
Feedback Closes Blind Spots
Actively seeking honest feedback from others reveals the destructive habits successful people rarely notice in themselves.
Apology Rebuilds Trust
Taking full responsibility and apologizing sincerely repairs damaged relationships and is essential for continued leadership growth.
Read an excerpt from the summary
The book in 3 sentences: Identifying and Changing Habits: Success in the past doesn’t guarantee future success without evolving and addressing harmful habits. The Role of Feedback: Actively seeking feedback from others helps identify blind spots and is essential for personal growth. The Power of Apologies: Sincere apologies and taking responsibility for mistakes are crucial for rebuilding trust and fostering growth. Favorite quotes: “There is a thin line between competitive and overly competitive people, between those who win when it matters and those who win even when no one is counting.” “We want people to be free to agree or disagree.” “Once you gain a reputation for being emotionally unstable, you can bury the chance for others to see you differently for the rest of your life.”
Key points:
Summary + notes: Marshall Goldsmith's expertise helps leaders worldwide get past their bad habits to become even more successful. His personal coaching hourly fee consists of six digits, but in this book, he shares his techniques with the whole world. Forbes ranks him among the top five coaches, and he has worked with over 100 entrepreneurial giants whose management teams are at the top of the world.
His clients include companies like Goldman Sachs, Glaxo SmithKline, Johnson and Johnson, and GE. The book provides numerous examples of bad habits, and fortunately, offers methods to help you grow and get past these well-established routines.
The first notable point is if you win too much.
This might be one of the most common behavioral problems observed in successful people, and it is the root of almost all other bad habits. There is a thin line between competitive and overly competitive people, between those who win when it counts and those who win even when no one is counting. If we argue too much, it’s because we want our point of view to be above everyone else’s.
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Continue in the appWho is it for?
- Anyone who has hit a ceiling in their career despite strong past performance.
- Anyone who wants to understand which of their own behaviors are quietly holding them back.
- Anyone who manages a team and suspects their communication style is undermining morale.
- Anyone who has received vague feedback like "difficult to work with" and wants to know what to change.
About the author: Marshall Goldsmith
Marshall Goldsmith is one of the world's most recognized executive coaches, known for working with senior leaders at major corporations including Goldman Sachs, Johnson and Johnson, and GE. Forbes has ranked him among the top executive coaches globally.
His approach focuses on behavioral change rather than strategy or technical skills, and he has coached well over a hundred CEOs and their leadership teams. This book distills the methods from that coaching practice into a framework any leader can apply.
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