What Got You Here Won't Get You There

What Got You Here Won't Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith

The book is arranged in four sections:

1. The Trouble with Success
2. The Twenty Habits That Hold You Back from the Top
3. How We Can Change for the Better
4. Pulling Out the Stops

As I stated in an earlier post, this book is more about honing your people skills than strategies for achieving corporate advancement.  However, as the author makes clear, it is precisely the people skills which keep most from achieving the kind of corporate advancement they desire. 

Goldsmith states "Given the choice between becoming a nicer person and ceasing to be a jerk, which do you think is easier to do?" p. 38.  This is the operational philosophy, i.e. focus on ceasing to be a jerk by targeting specific behaviors for change.  Although the author as a consultant uses a 360 degree anonymous review process to identify which behaviors to target, there is sufficient material in the book to assist anyone who cares enough to improve their behavior.  I saw myself in several of the 20 habits in section 2 and learned some ways to make minor changes which can have big results.

"As you go through life, contemplating the mechanics of success and wondering why some people are successful and others are not, you'll find this s one of the defining traits of habitual winners:  They stack the deck in their favor.  And they're unabashed about it."  p. 180  Using the material in this book does just that - it stacks the deck in your favor and I would consider this a "must-read," not to mention enjoyable.