What will I learn about: why successful people mistakenly attribute their achievements to their bad habits, realizing that you likely succeed in spite of your flaws, not because of them?

Understand why successful people mistakenly attribute their achievements to their bad habits, realizing that you likely succeed in spite of your flaws, not because of them.

What will I learn about: why avoiding bad decisions is just as critical to the bottom line as generating new ideas, and learn how to value the act of stopping harmful behaviors?

Discover why avoiding bad decisions is just as critical to the bottom line as generating new ideas, and learn how to value the act of stopping harmful behaviors.

What will I learn about: Recognize that your personality is not rigidly fixed, and understand how excusing bad behavior with 'that's just who I am' alienates colleagues and limits your growth?

Recognize that your personality is not rigidly fixed, and understand how excusing bad behavior with 'that's just who I am' alienates colleagues and limits your growth.

What will I learn about: your compulsive need to win in every situation, ensuring your competitive drive doesn't override your common sense or damage your relationships?

Master your compulsive need to win in every situation, ensuring your competitive drive doesn't override your common sense or damage your relationships.

What will I learn about: Learn to evaluate how your behavior truly comes across to others, preventing your confidence and past successes from blinding you to the actual needs of your team?

Learn to evaluate how your behavior truly comes across to others, preventing your confidence and past successes from blinding you to the actual needs of your team.

What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There

How Successful People Become Even More Successful!

Marshall Goldsmith

★ 4.2 / 5(264 ratings)

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Categories:

Career & Success Management & Leadership

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that the exact habits that fueled your early success might be the very obstacles preventing you from reaching the next level?
💡Have you ever wondered why even the most brilliant executives often sabotage their own influence by making one of twenty common behavioral mistakes?
💡What if you could transform your career trajectory not by learning new technical skills, but by identifying the 'personality flaws' you’ve been mistakenly defending?

Listen to What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There — Free Audiobook

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Key Takeaways from What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There

✓Understand why successful people mistakenly attribute their achievements to their bad habits, realizing that you likely succeed in spite of your flaws, not because of them.
✓Discover why avoiding bad decisions is just as critical to the bottom line as generating new ideas, and learn how to value the act of stopping harmful behaviors.
✓Recognize that your personality is not rigidly fixed, and understand how excusing bad behavior with 'that's just who I am' alienates colleagues and limits your growth.
✓Master your compulsive need to win in every situation, ensuring your competitive drive doesn't override your common sense or damage your relationships.
✓Learn to evaluate how your behavior truly comes across to others, preventing your confidence and past successes from blinding you to the actual needs of your team.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There

Mind Map

What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There

The Delusion of Success+

Destructive Habits to Stop+

Tools for Awareness+

Essential Interpersonal Skills+

Sustaining Long-Term Change+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

Why do highly successful people often retain bad habits, according to the author?

A. They are completely unaware that these habits exist.
B. They mistakenly believe these flaws are partly responsible for their success.
C. They lack the mental discipline to change their daily routines.
D. They are too focused on the big picture to notice minor character flaws.

Question 2 of 9

What does the book identify as a major flaw in how modern business cultures handle employee recognition?

A. Workplaces over-praise employees for minor, everyday tasks.
B. Companies only reward individual effort rather than team collaboration.
C. Workplaces rarely recognize or praise employees for avoiding bad decisions.
D. Companies focus too heavily on financial bonuses rather than verbal praise.

Question 3 of 9

How does the 'need to win' negatively impact successful people in personal and everyday situations?

A. It makes them overly competitive in recreational sports and hobbies.
B. It drives them to prioritize their careers over spending time with family.
C. It causes them to needlessly criticize others or argue just to prove they are right.
D. It leads them to constantly buy expensive gifts to win their partner's affection.

Question 4 of 9

Why does the author advise leaders to stop trying to 'improve' their employees' ideas?

A. Because the leader's ideas are usually outdated compared to the employee's.
B. Because adding a suggestion shifts ownership to the leader and reduces the employee's enthusiasm.
C. Because debating ideas takes up too much valuable time during meetings.
D. Because employees will start expecting the leader to do all the creative work.

Question 5 of 9

What psychological trap causes successful people to use the excuse, 'What can I do? That’s just who I am!'?

A. They believe their behavioral traits are immutable and rigidly fixed.
B. They are trying to shift the blame onto their subordinates.
C. They suffer from severe imposter syndrome.
D. They believe vulnerability is a sign of weak leadership.

Question 6 of 9

What lesson is demonstrated by the Good Samaritan experiment involving theology students?

A. People are generally unwilling to help strangers unless they are financially compensated.
B. Being obsessed with a specific goal can cloud judgment and warp moral values.
C. Students are less likely to experience goal obsession than seasoned business executives.
D. Setting strict deadlines is the only way to ensure a task is completed on time.

Question 7 of 9

According to the text, what is the most effective way to deliver an apology?

A. Pair the apology with a detailed explanation of why the mistake happened.
B. Delegate the apology to a public relations expert to ensure it sounds professional.
C. Wait for the other person to point out the mistake before offering the apology.
D. Apologize straightforwardly without complicating the message with justifications.

Question 8 of 9

Why is it necessary to ask coworkers for consistent feedback over a period of 12 to 18 months when trying to change a habit?

A. It takes that long for the human brain to form a new permanent neural pathway.
B. Coworkers need time to gradually accept and confirm for themselves that your behavior is actually improving.
C. It is a standard timeline required by corporate human resources departments.
D. It ensures that you receive a higher financial bonus at your next annual review.

Question 9 of 9

What does the author mean when he says successful people are often 'delusional' regarding their achievements?

A. They imagine receiving negative feedback that doesn't actually exist.
B. They believe their colleagues are secretly plotting to take their jobs.
C. They drastically overestimate their own individual contributions to a team's success.
D. They think that all feedback, whether positive or negative, is completely useless.