Books – Want a C-Level Post? Make a To-Stop List

Most executives have an ever-growing to-do list. But if you’re looking to take the next step in your career and feel like you’re in limbo, Marshall Goldsmith suggests concentrating on a “to-stop” list. Goldsmith, an executive coach who works with people being groomed for the C-level suite in top companies, says that often, successful people could be more successful if they ended some bad behavior.In his lively and often humorous book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Goldsmith looks at 20 workplace habits that could leave your career stuck in neutral—or worse, get you fired.Do you not listen well enough to colleagues? Is your negativity dragging people down? Is your temper the subject of water-cooler gossip? Do you hog the credit when things go well but pass the buck when they don’t?Any of these 20 habits could be sandbagging your career prospects. Your people skills (or lack thereof) are more noticeable the higher you climb on the corporate ladder, Goldsmith says. Therefore, identifying your pitfalls and addressing them should be a top priority.To this end, Goldsmith lays out a multistep regimen that includes getting feedback from colleagues, selecting a key area or skill to target, apologizing to those affected by your flawed behavior, advertising your efforts and then following up.Goldsmith lays out his case in a no-nonsense way and makes it known that you must truly want to change. Refreshingly, mixed in with dozens of interesting real-life case studies, he shares his own foibles.