What Got You Here Won't Get You There
America's most sought-after executive coach shows how to climb the last few rungs of the ladder The corporate world is filled with executives, men and women who have worked hard for years to reach the upper levels of management. Theyre intelligent, skilled, and even charismatic. But only a handful of them will ever reach the pinnacle -- and as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith shows in this book, subtle nuances make all the difference. These are small "transactional flaws" performed by one person against another (as simple as not saying thank you enough), which lead to negative perceptions that can hold any executive back. Using Goldsmith's straightforward, jargonfree advice, it's amazingly easy behavior to change. Executives who hire Goldsmith for one-on-one coaching pay $250,000 for the privilege. With this book, his help is available for 1/10,000th of the price.
Stats for nerds
15recommend
26mentions
23people
2009–2026years
69% recommend23% neutral8% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- What Got You Here Won't Get You There.
- You seem to be off to a good start; being open and willing to learn is an important trait of great leaders.
Have you reflected on what do you feel is challenging wrt to leading and motivate people? It could be psych safety on the team, your communication style, unclear mission, lack of purpose, high turnover, newly formed team, etc, etc.
It's easier when you have 1-2 areas that you know you need to get better at, and then intentionally invest time and energy. It also helps to make your team aware that you're trying to improve on those areas, so a) you demonstrate vulnerability and effort to improve your own areas for development, and b) you need their help to give you candid feedback, so you can improve more quickly.
Leading teams is probably one of the hardest professional challenges I've ever faced, but it can be incredibly fulfilling as well. I hope you end up enjoying it.
Here's my recommended reading for new-ish managers. These are the books I wish I had read when I first started managing people:
1) Radical Candor, by Kim Scott - https://www.radicalcandor.com/
2) Resilient Management, by Lara Hogan - https://resilient-management.com/
3) Dare to Lead, by Brené Brown (or any of her other books; they all revolve around the importance of vulnerability, of being in the field, being authentic, etc) - https://brenebrown.com/hubs/dare-to-lead/
4) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
For experienced managers of managers / Directors, I recommend:
1) What got you here won't get you there, Marshall Goldsmith
2) Team of Teams, Gen. Stanley McChrystal
3) Trillion Dollar Coach
4) How women rise, by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
5) and get an executive coach ASAP
If you have any specific questions / challenges you're facing, feel free to reach out; email in my profile.
- - Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don't by Jeffrey Pfeffer
- What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith
These two books are not specifically on the topic of becoming an engineering manager but cover the important aspects of how to work effectively as a leader in organizations. Turns out that's very important too.
- The book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith helped me become a better, more empathetic, teammate. It’s less than $20, but worth far more.
- If you don't want to move, that's fine. Better to be happy where you're at (as long as the company is willing to tolerate you long-term in that position).
If you want to move up you'll need some different skills. "More of the same" won't cut it. Check out "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" -https://www.amazon.com/What-Got-Here-Wont-There/dp/073934223...
- Professionally influential:
Personally influential:- High Growth Handbook (general company building tips) - Traction (the one by Weinberg and Mares; engineer-friendy guide to marketing and growth) - Understanding Michael Porter (great intro to business strategy) - Monetizing Innovation (pricing advice)
Fun:- Thinkertoys and Cracking Creativity (how to be more creative) - Atomic Habits (how to establish good habits) - A Guide to the Good Life (friendly intro to stoicism) - What Got You Here Won't Get You There (building self-awareness)- Richard Feynman autobiographies - The Martian - Shadow Divers - Ready Player One - The Myron Bolitar Series (mysteries with a good sense of humor)
