What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
My Rating: 9 / 10
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: You do not get a better title that explaining exactly what you’re going to get out of a business book. Goldsmith, a seasoned business coach and author takes the reader on a journal to successfully help evolve a person who may have succeeded in the past however wants to develop for the future.
For example, using the theme of this book, the “To-Do” list is not necessarily an area we should focus on. Instead Goldsmith thinks we should focus on your “To Stop” list. This list is a set of behaviours that just do not take you the next level of your career. Typically your behaviours and values are based on self-interest and have worked initially in our career. Yet they have the ability to hamper our career progress in the future.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the set of habits to focus on changing, how to change along with the many examples Goldsmith has experienced throughout his career. Whilst it is a more dated book, the content is still quite relevant in the business world.
Three key takeaways from the book:
- The more we believe that our behaviour is a result of our own choices and commitments, the less likely we are to want to change our behaviour.
- As a boss you should stop trying to change people who do not want to change. Goldsmith realises this is harsh however argues that some people are unsalvageable.
- If you press people to identify the motives behind their self-interest it usually boils down to four items: power, money, status and popularity.
