Customer Reviews
Its about what you shouldn't be doing...... - By: Mr. P. D. Oriordan, 28 Oct 2008 
Wow what a refreshing little read of all the things we often complain about others but never seem to seein ourselves. Whilst intention may be to take your time & read little by little you'll probably keep page turning seeing these bad habitsin people you know (some probably very well) & go a-ha. It is focused on the bad behaviours that we develop over time wether knowingly or more often not. With an explanation of ideas to how to soliciting feedback to help you spot these bad habits (as often we our not always our fairest/objective judges). Insights to why we believe these habits & how to stop doing things (rather than the war & peace list of what we should be doing)or as headed slipping into neutral. This has the potential be become one of those books that will be usedin a lot of companies to develop & grow all levels of leadersin the future.
I'm not at all like that . . am I? - By: Brian Books, 19 Jul 2008 Can you see yourself as others see you? It's very unlikely.
We seldom have any idea at all of how we are coming across to other people & how they actually perceive us. The danger isin those habits we are completely unaware of, yet repeat many times a day. The majority of us are completely unaware of our faults - & worse - how much other people resent them.
Marshall Goldsmith identifies twenty of the most common shortcomings, citing dozens of examples which lead you to recognise the most detrimental of your flaws, & then offers concepts & tools to provide a seven-step procedure to improve & develop a gameplan to get you where you really want to be.
Insightful & thought inspiring 10/10.
An invitation to obtain "an exquisite sense" of who you are - By: Robert Morris, 18 Apr 2008 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 & ready to die." By then you (i.e. the reader) understand what is really important & what isn't, what matters & what doesn't. "What advice would this wise `old you' have for the `you' who is [receiving the advice]? Take your time & answer the question on two levels: personal advice & 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, & the next. You have just defined your `there.'"
Everything Goldsmith providesin 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 & 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 & (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 & he is us." Then, they must focus on correcting those faults & breaking those habits that currently control their interpersonal behavior. And then they must focus each day, each moment, on avoiding those faults & 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 associatesin 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 ofin 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 happenin 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 & 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) & 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 & 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 & 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 & family, to follow your dreams.
"You are here.
You can get there!
Let the journey begin."
This book found me!! - By: M. Birchall, 19 Mar 2008 I wasn't looking for it, didn't think I could use it, & 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, & 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 "behavioural tics" or habits we repeat many times a dayin 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 behaviourin one way, while others see it as something else.
He presents his conceptsin such a conversational way that they don't seem preachy,in fact when I picked up the book & started reading, I found myself well into it before I realised that I didn't want to stop & put it down! There aren't many books about self-improvement I think anyone could say that about. The title intrigued me & 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 & notice an inkling that there might just be one more step they'd like to take to make it even better.
Buy this book & actually read it. You will emerge from the experience with an appreciation of what you've done to get yourself here & some tools to develop a gameplan that will get you "there." I think this book is great.
Everyone needs this book - By: Alisa Cohn, 11 Nov 2007 Whether you are an executive, a manager, or an entrepreneur, if you want to advancein your career & get some enlightenment along the way, this book is for you. In his fun & engaging style, Marshall tells it like it is. If you are successful, you probably have at least a few of the habits that Marshall mentions. That's OK, because using his process you can get them out of your way to accrue even more success.
I am an executive coach who has used this process, both working directly together with Marshall & his clients & with my own clients. I have seen first-hand that it works. Using this process, we have helped people achieve more professional success than they could have anticipated as well as personal success (becoming better spouses, better parents, better friends) that they didn't even know they could ask for. All with far less of the pain that everyone thinks accompanies change. The executives feel the results; the stakeholders see them; & together we measure them.
Marshall's upbeat style & way of thinking & helping people frame the whole notion of behavior change is unique. It's kind of fun. It definitely works. And it will get you where you want to go. As Alan Mulally says, "it rocks!"
