“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” is a self-help book written by a top leadership and executive coach, well-known around the world of the corporate jungle, Marshall Goldsmith. The book is based on the idea that successful people often have habits or behaviours that may have contributed to their success in the past but can hold them back in the future. The book offers strategies for overcoming these habits and behaviours to achieve even greater success. Goldsmith identifies 20 common habits that can prevent people from reaching their full potential, including:
- Winning too much
- Adding too much value:
- Passing judgment:
- Making destructive comments:
- Starting with “no,” “but,” or “however”:
Whether you’re a layperson, a leader negotiating a deal, facing a difficult employee, or navigating a disagreement with a loved one, the following 5 similar books are sure to offer valuable life lessons that will help you turn your weaknesses into strengths. They will enhance the quality of both your personal and professional endeavours and equip you with the tools to make a positive impact in your community.
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
Written by Stephen R. Covey and published in 1989. The book is held in high esteem and seen as a bible in business. It has sold over 25 million copies and has been translated into 38 languages. One of the world’s influential life coaches on productivity offers some remarkable habits that guide us to excellence.
Key Takeaways:
- Be proactive: Take responsibility for your actions and decisions rather than reacting to situations.
- Begin with the end in mind: Set goals and plan how you would control the process to achieve them.
- Put first things first: Prioritize important tasks and focus on them before moving on to less important ones, like a good manager.
- Think win-win: Seek mutually beneficial solutions in relationships and negotiations.
- Seek first to understand, then to be understood: Listen to others and try to understand their perspectives before communicating your own.
- Synergize: Work together with others to achieve more than you could individually.
- Sharpen the saw: Take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being to maintain your effectiveness over the long term.
Covey emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and self-management in achieving success and happiness. He also stresses the need for strong relationships and effective communication in personal and professional careers.
2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Manson says we should embrace our problems instead of engaging in every situation and only focus on things that truly matter to us and stop pleasing people. Rather than trying to avoid or eliminate our negative emotions, we should confront them. To break the pattern of unproductivity, we should take heed of the following pieces of advice.
Key Takeaways:
- We all have limited time and energy, so we must be selective about what we focus on.
- It is important to understand that not everything is important. It is okay to let go of certain things.
- Embracing our problems and negative emotions can be a healthy and productive way to deal with hard situations.
- We should aim to find meaning and fulfilment in our difficult lives rather than seek happiness.
- It is important to set boundaries and prioritize our well-being.
- We should strive to be authentic and genuine in our relationships and interactive experience with others.
3. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance:
The author shares the concept of grit with the readers, which she defines as the combination of passion and perseverance in pursuing long-term goals. Angela argues with scientific research that people don’t feel a sense of purpose in their works and, as a result, lose their passion.
Key Takeaways:
- Grit is a better predictor of success than talent or intelligence.
- Grit involves setting and managing specific, long-term goals and working towards them with sustained effort and dedication.
- Grit requires both passion and perseverance. Passion is the intensity of interest or zeal for a particular pursuit, while perseverance is the ability to maintain effort and motivation in the face of setbacks or obstacles.
- Grit can be developed and nurtured through effort, learning from failures, and seeking out challenges.
- Grit is related to several positive outcomes, including success in business, school, work, and relationships.
- Grit can be fostered in individuals and organizations through a culture of growth, support, and feedback.
- Grit is not the same as resilience, which is the ability to bounce back from adversity. However, determination can contribute to stability by helping individuals maintain their commitment to their goals despite setbacks.
4. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success in Life:
Carol Dweck draws from the latest scientific research from social sciences and offers practical tools to control your mindset for success and excellence.
Key Takeaways:
- There are two types of mindsets: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is a belief that one’s abilities are fixed and cannot be changed. A growth mindset believes one’s capabilities can be developed through effort and learning.
- People with fixed mindsets often avoid challenges and give up easily because they fear failing or revealing their limitations. On the other hand, people with growth mindsets embrace challenges and see them as opportunities to learn and grow.
- A growth mindset enables individuals to adapt and learn from setbacks and failures.
- Cultivate a growth mindset in children to create environments that encourage learning and growth.
5. The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan:
In this bestseller book, Gary Keller and Jay Papasan show the idea of focusing on one key task or goal to achieve extraordinary results.
Key Takeaways:
- The key to achieving success is to identify the one thing that is most important to you and to focus on it with all of your energy and attention. This means setting aside other tasks and distractions that may be less important or urgent. But, simultaneously, putting your full effort into one thing makes the biggest impact.
- The 80/20 rule: Roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Therefore, by identifying 20% of the most important tasks, individuals can achieve much more with their time and resources.
- Time management: Setting clear goals, prioritizing tasks, and using time blocks to focus on the most important tasks.
- Overcoming distractions: Overcoming distractions and maintaining focus, such as using techniques like the Pomodoro Technique to stay on track.
- The role of discipline: Develop discipline and self-control to stay focused and achieve your goals.
- The value of simplicity: Simplify your life to focus on the things that truly matter.
