Marshall Goldsmith Quotes

Powerful Marshall Goldsmith for Daily Growth

About Marshall Goldsmith

Marshall Goldsmith is an internationally recognized business educator, coach, and author, known for his influential work in leadership development and executive coaching. Born on July 1, 1948, in White Plains, New York, Goldsmith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and later received an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Goldsmith's professional journey began with positions at Procter & Gamble, American Hospital Supply Corporation, and Data General Corporation. However, it was his move to Philip Morris Companies Inc., where he served as a Vice President, that marked a turning point in his career. His work there led him to develop the "Goldsmith Reengineering" program, which aimed at improving productivity and efficiency within organizations. In 1978, Goldsmith founded The Human Resources Consultants, later renamed Marshall Goldsmith & Company. This consulting firm has worked with over 150 of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of CEOs and managers worldwide. In 1990, he co-founded the Alliance for Strategic Leadership (ASL), a global leadership development firm focused on providing executive education to business leaders around the world. Goldsmith's writing career began in the late 1980s with the publication of "Management Challenges for the 1990s." This was followed by numerous other books, including "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" (2007), "Mojo It's Not Just a Fish" (2013), and "Triggers: Creating Behavior that Lasts—Becoming the Person You Want to Be" (2015). His most recent book, "The Earned Life," was published in 2020. Goldsmith's work has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Harvard Business Review's Most Influential Business Thinker and Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker. He is a member of the National Academy of Human Resources and holds eight honorary doctorates. Goldsmith continues to be a sought-after speaker and advisor on leadership development, change management, and executive coaching.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"What got you here won't get you there."

This quote by Marshall Goldsmith suggests that success in one stage or area of life may not ensure continued success as circumstances change or new challenges arise. It implies that individuals must adapt, grow, and learn new skills to continue progressing and achieving in their personal or professional lives. In other words, the strategies that worked for you in the past might not be sufficient for future success; therefore, it's essential to evolve and adapt accordingly.


"Management is a choice, leadership is a calling."

The quote "Management is a choice, leadership is a calling" suggests that managing is something one can decide to do based on personal ambition or career goals, while leading is something one feels compelled or driven to do due to a deep sense of purpose or responsibility. In other words, management is about efficiently organizing and directing resources, whereas leadership involves inspiring others towards a shared vision and creating lasting impact. The implication is that effective leaders are not just good managers but individuals who have a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of those they lead.


"If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster."

This quote emphasizes the importance of setting clear, relevant goals in our actions and decisions. If we don't aim at the correct target or focus on the appropriate aspect of a situation (the 'right wall'), our efforts and progress ('steps') will likely lead us astray or to unwanted results ('wrong place faster'). It encourages self-reflection and careful planning to ensure our actions align with our true objectives.


"Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers."

This quote emphasizes the power of questioning in achieving success. By asking thoughtful, insightful questions, individuals can gain knowledge, uncover opportunities, stimulate new ideas, and challenge their own assumptions. This, in turn, leads to more effective problem-solving, decision-making, and ultimately, better outcomes. So, learning to ask the right questions is crucial for personal growth and success.


"A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his or her share of the blame and a little less than his or her share of the credit."

This quote by Marshall Goldsmith underscores the characteristics of an effective leader. The ideal leader accepts responsibility for mistakes, even if they were not entirely their fault, to foster trust and accountability within their team. Conversely, a good leader also ensures that credit is fairly distributed, preventing excessive individual pride or entitlement. This balance encourages collective growth and promotes a collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and motivated.


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.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Away, Before, Employ, Trigger

If we become aware of what's happening before we act, behaviour becomes a function of choice rather than a result of an impulse or trigger. You begin to control your world more as opposed to the outside world controlling you.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Rather, Before, Your, Trigger

The last thing I say on most phone calls is not, 'Goodbye,' but, 'Thank you.'

- Marshall Goldsmith

Phone Calls, Last, Most, Phone

A leader who is self-aware enough to know that he or she is not adept at everything is one who has taken the first step toward being a great leader.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Leader, Great Leader, Adept

As I've gotten older, I've gotten simpler - my level of aspiration has actually gone down and down. But my level of impact has gone up and up.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Level, Actually, Gotten, Simpler

When we prolong negative behavior - the kind that hurts the people we love or the kind that hurts us in some way - we are leading a changeless life in the most hazardous manner. We are willfully choosing to be miserable and making others miserable, too.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Love, Some, Making, Hazardous

Gratitude is not a limited resource, nor is it costly. It is abundant as air. We breathe it in but forget to exhale.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Forget, Limited, Nor, Breathe

It's not appropriate to pass judgment when we specifically ask people to voice their opinions... even if you ask a question and agree with the answer.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Voice, Question, Appropriate, Specifically

Americans get fatter and fatter and buy more and more diet books, but you don't lose weight by buying diet books - you go on a diet. It's easy to read a diet book, but it's hard to go on a diet.

- Marshall Goldsmith

More, Buy, Read, Fatter

Understanding the past is perfectly admissible if your issue is accepting the past. But if your issue is changing the future, understanding will not take you there.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Will, Perfectly, Issue, Accepting

I regard gratitude as an asset and its absence a major interpersonal flaw.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Gratitude, Flaw, Major, Interpersonal

Put your goals on paper, or an Excel spreadsheet. Measure every day, 'Did I do my best to...?' Your problems won't disappear, but you will exist in a different relation to them, and you will improve.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Best, Every Day, Will, Goals

Active questions are the alternative to passive questions. There is a huge difference between, 'Do you have clear goals?' and 'Did you do your best to set clear goals for yourself?' The former is trying to determine the employee's state of mind; the latter challenges the employee to describe or defend a course of action.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Best, Challenges, Questions, Goals

I was at UCLA when John Wooden was the basketball coach. The next coach was Gene Bartow, who got fired for winning 90 percent plus of his games. He wasn't John Wooden. It's incredibly difficult to replace someone who has been seen as an icon.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Next, Been, Replace, Wooden

One of the most dysfunctional beliefs of successful people is our contempt for simplicity and structure. We believe that we are above needing structure to help us on seemingly simple tasks.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Dysfunctional, Needing, Tasks

Be happy now. It's a great Western disease that we'll be happy in the future - when we get higher status or that BMW or that promotion or this project finished. Instead, be happy now.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Happy, Be Happy, Disease, BMW

An excuse is the handy explanation we offer when we disappoint other people.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Other, Offer, Disappoint, Handy

If we really want to make change, we have to make peace with the fact that we cannot self-exempt every time the calendar offers us a more attractive alternative.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Calendar, Fact, Offers, Every Time

People that have integrity violations should be fired, not coached. How many integrity violations does it take to ruin the reputation of your company? Just one. You don't coach integrity violations. You fire them.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Fired, Coached, Violations, Ruin

Once you get a reputation for emotional volatility, it can take years of model behavior to change how others see you.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Change, Emotional, Volatility

One of the greatest mistakes of successful people is the assumption, 'I behave this way, and I achieve results. Therefore, I must be achieving results because I behave this way.' This belief is sometimes true, but not across the board.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Mistakes, Sometimes, Achieve, Board

When you're at the lower levels in the organization, you need to win and be right. But as you move up, you need to let other people win and be right, and become a manager and delegate responsibility.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Manager, Other, Move, Levels

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.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Humility, Need, Crucial, Presume

To me, the #1 key to success is 'creating lasting positive change in yourself and others.' That is what is most rare, most difficult, and most valuable about leading people.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Change, Success Is, Leading, Key

We deify willpower and self-control - and mock its absence. People who achieve through remarkable willpower are 'strong' and 'heroic.' People who need help or structure are 'weak.' This is crazy - because few of us can accurately gauge or predict our willpower.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Strong, Through, Willpower, Gauge

In one of the largest studies ever done on the effects of executive coaching - over 70,000 respondents - we learned that the biggest mistake coaches make is in not following up. It didn't matter who the coach was or what method they used. Failing to follow up made any approach to coaching ineffective.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Matter, Used, Largest, Studies

If somebody is going in the wrong direction, behavioral coaching just helps them get there faster. It doesn't turn the wrong direction into the right direction.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Going, Wrong Direction, Them, Coaching

I do three things: speaking or teaching, which I enjoy the most, coaching is where I learn everything, and writing is where I reach people.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Learn, Reach, Which, Coaching

Coaching works best with high potential people who are willing to make a concerted effort to change, not as a religious conversion activity.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Activity, Religious, Works, Coaching

I have a lot of deficiencies, but gratitude is not one of them.

- Marshall Goldsmith

Gratitude, Them, Lot, Deficiencies

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