Creative Coaching

Getting ready for the next big step

Sometimes we lose sight during the promotion process of what we’ll do differently when we ‘get there’. It’s possible that some of the skills and traits that led you to this place won’t necessarily be top of the priority list for your new role. In fact, some of the qualities that helped you achieve success may now hold you back.

A supporter of this theory is Marshall Goldsmith, executive coach and author of the best selling business book, “What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There”. Goldsmith came up with the idea of creating a list of things not to do for leaders, having been inspired by this quote from Peter Drucker: "We spend a lot of time helping Leaders learn what to do. We don't spend enough time helping them learn what to stop.”

In his book, he provides advice on how to climb the last few rungs of the ladder, highlighting that success can manifest itself in the form of a handful of destructive habits in the workplace which in turn can often keep successful people from making the next big move forward in their career or personal life.

He stresses that it’s essential to identify those habits and overcome them so you can make that next step. His list includes:  

• Making negative comments
• Passing the buck
• Speaking when angry
• Clinging to the past
• Not listening.

In order to fix these behaviours, Goldsmith also offers up a helpful seven-point plan on how to change for the better:

• Feedback – write it down, thank the person and look at it later with a cool head
• Apologising – if you realise you’ve done something wrong, swallow a bit of pride and apologise
• Telling the world – define the changes you’re going to make and tell everyone about them
• Listening – when someone speaks to you, listen to them, don’t interrupt, and try to fully understand what they’re saying before responding
• Thanking – be sure to take the time to thank everyone who contributes to your success
• Following up – once you start eliminating the bad habits, follow up on them to stay on task and on focus
• Practising feed-forward – ask someone for two specific things you can do in the future to help with the behaviours you’re working on, thank them, and then work on implementing them.

Can you relate to any of Goldsmith’s destructive traits? Have you consciously had to change your behaviour in order to get ahead in your career? How did you ‘up your game’? Please share your comments below.

Posted on Thu, June 18, 2015 in Coaching General Personal Development
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