Quotes from Marshall Goldsmith

We spend a lot of time teaching leaders what to do. We don't spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop. Half the leaders I have met don't need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.

inside each of us are two separate personas. There's the leader/planner/manager who plans to change his or her ways. And there's the follower/doer/employee who must execute the plan.

To avoid undesirable behavior, avoid the environments where it is most likely to occur.

When we presume that we are better than people who need structure and guidance, we lack one of the most crucial ingredients for change: humility.

An excuse explains why we fell short of expectations after the fact. Our inner beliefs trigger failure before it happens. They sabotage lasting change by canceling its possibility. We employ these beliefs as articles of faith to justify our inaction and then wish away the result. I call them belief triggers.

The more aware we are, the less likely any trigger, even in the most mundane circumstances, will prompt hasty unthinking behavior that leads to undesirable consequences.

Overcommitment can be as serious an obstacle to change as believing that you don't need fixing or that your flaws are part of the reason you're successful.

people only change their ways when what they truly value is threatened.

But the higher up you go in the organization, the more you need to make other people winners and not make it about winning yourself.

If you know what matters to you, it's easier to commit to change. If you can't identify what matters to you, you won't know when it's being threatened. And in my experience, people only change their ways when what they truly value is threatened.

Every decision in the world is made by the person who has the power to make the decision. Make peace with that.

the best solicited feedback is confidential feedback. It's good because nobody gets embarrassed or defensive.

Sometimes the better part of valor—and common sense—is saying, "I'll pass.

It's not about you. It's about what other people think of you.

Whether you're leading other people or leading the follower in you, the obstacles to achieving your goals are the same.

Whether the subject is climate change or the life span of unicorns, when you cite demonstrable facts to counter another person's belief, a phenomenon that researchers call "the backfire effect" takes over. Your brilliant marshaling of data not only fails to persuade the believer, it backfires and strengthens his or her belief. The believer doubles down on his or her position—and the two of you are more polarized than ever. If

No one expects you to act on every piece of advice.