Business Leadership Self-Help

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful (Summary)

by Marshall Goldsmith

Imagine you’re a brilliant executive. Your team presents a great idea. Your natural instinct is to add your two cents to make it even better. But what if that single 'helpful' suggestion just demoralized your team, undermined their ownership, and secretly branded you as a micromanager? This is the paradox of success: the very drive that made you a winner can be the exact thing holding you back.

Your Strengths Have Become Your Weaknesses

The behaviors that propelled you up the corporate ladder—like having all the answers or winning every argument—often become liabilities at higher levels where success depends on empowering others, not just on your individual contribution.

A brilliant strategist is promoted to a senior leadership role. In meetings, he continues his old habit of winning every debate, proving he's the smartest person in the room. The result? His team stops bringing him creative or risky ideas, fearing they'll just be shot down. His 'winning' habit is now stifling the very innovation he's supposed to foster.

Stop Adding 'Too Much' Value

One of the most common flaws among leaders is the compulsion to tweak every idea presented to them. While well-intentioned, this habit subtly communicates, 'Your idea isn't good enough without my input,' which crushes creativity and ownership.

A manager presents a well-thought-out marketing plan. Instead of just saying, 'Great, run with it,' the CEO suggests changing the tagline. The original idea was 99% perfect, but the CEO's 1% 'improvement' effectively transfers psychological ownership of the project from the manager to the CEO, significantly reducing the manager's motivation to execute it flawlessly.

Feedback is a Gift, Not an Attack

Successful people often have a distorted view of their own performance because they're surrounded by people who are reluctant to give them honest, critical feedback. The key to growth is to actively solicit and gracefully accept honest criticism about your behavior.

Goldsmith describes coaching a CEO who was universally feared for his temper. No one would tell him the truth. Goldsmith's process involved gathering anonymous 360-degree feedback, which revealed the devastating impact of the CEO's outbursts. Confronted with this undeniable data, the CEO was finally able to see his behavior from his team's perspective and begin to change.

The Power of a Simple Apology

Many leaders see apologizing as a sign of weakness. Goldsmith argues that a sincere apology, followed by a commitment to change, is one of the most powerful tools for rebuilding trust and demonstrating humility. It's about changing future behavior, not just regretting the past.

An executive with a habit of interrupting people was coached to follow a simple rule: every time he caught himself interrupting, he had to stop, say 'I'm sorry,' and ask the other person to continue. This simple, repeated act not only made others feel respected but also rewired his own behavior, fundamentally changing his team's perception of him.

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