What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful

by Marshall Goldsmith

many times avoiding a bad deal can affect the bottom line more significantly than scoring a big sale.

Being a nicer person requires you to fill up the box with all the small positive acts you perform every day to establish the new you. It takes a long time to fill up the box, and even longer for people to pay attention and notice that your box is full. On the other hand, ceasing to be a jerk does not require learning new behavior. You don’t have to fill up the box with all your positive achievements; you simply have to leave it empty of any negatives.

challenges in interpersonal behavior, often leadership behavior.

Admittedly, this is a scary pantheon of bad behavior, and when they’re collected in one place they sound more like a chamber of horrors.

You already know what to do. It’s as basic as tying your shoelaces or riding a bike, or any other skill that lasts a lifetime. We just lose sight of the many daily opportunities to employ them, and thus get rusty.

even when all other things are not equal, your people skills often make the difference in how high you go.

As we advance in our careers, behavioral changes are often the only significant changes we can make.