THIS is why I love the Internet…
No one raised their hand to educate me on Marshall Goldsmith so I headed over to Google. Typing in “who is Marshall Goldsmith” gave me 356,000 little raised hands. The first few links looked like book links and a link to his blog (which doesn’t have an About page). But there around the 5th or 6th link was a Wikipedia article on Marshall. SCORE! For being a technology junkie I always forget about Wikipedia. One of the great by-products of the Internet revolution, if you don’t know about Wikipedia, you should take some time to acquaint yourself with it.
Turns out the short story on Marshall goes something like: undergrad, masters, MBA to professor of business. Meets a consultant and starts working with and coaching executives. Co-founds a a consulting firm and network of executive coaches.
Most notably (to me at least), Marshall is credited as being a pioneer in the use of customized 360 degree feedback as a leadership development tool.
Lots more credits and accolades that support Marshall’s credibility and thought leadership. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia article on Marshall Goldsmith in case you want to read the full overview.
What really caught my eye was a summary of consistent themes in Marshall’s writings. These all impress me as great insights into the science of leadership development. Stated as they are, they almost come off as “common sense”. Why is it that common sense seems to be one of those things that takes an expert to point out to us???
- The same beliefs that lead to our success - can make it very difficult for us to change behavior - and, as difficult as it is to change our own behavior, it is even more difficult to change others’ perception of our behavior.
- The behavior of leaders needs to be reflective of the stated values of the corporation - and key executives need to ‘go first’ in modeling positive behavioral change.
- Managers who receive feedback and engage in ongoing follow-up with co-workers will almost always achieve positive, change in behavior and be seen as more effective leaders by their key stakeholders (this was shown in a Strategy+Business article that involved over 86,000 respondents).
- The key to success in executive coaching is not the coach (who is a facilitator of change) - it is the people being coached and their key stakeholders.
- Leadership development should provide tools that can be used in a positive, simple, focused and fast manner. Complex theories of change, while interesting, will not work in the ‘real world’ with over-extended executives.
- Most executive education has historically been based upon an invalid assumption, “If they understand - they will do.” The basic challenge faced by managers is not understanding the practice of leadership - it is practicing their understanding of leadership.
On another note: this is the last official week of Summer and the forecast in Northeast Ohio at least, is for beautiful weather. I say what better reason to go for a hike, plan a cookout or picnic with family and friends, or head to your local park or beach. You’ve worked hard this summer - you know you deserve it. So get out there and have some fun!
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