Nine Things Successful People Do Differently [Kindle Edition]

Heidi Grant Halvorson (Author)

Book Description

Are you at the top of your game—or still trying to get there?

Take your cues from the short, powerful 9 Things Successful People Do Differently, where the strategies and goals of the world’s most successful people are on display—backed by research that shows exactly what has the biggest impact on performance. Here’s a hint: accomplished people reach their goals because of what they do, not just who they are.

Readers have called this “a gem of a book.” Get ready to accomplish your goals at last.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist and author of Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011). She is an expert blogger on motivation and leadership for the websites of several leading publications, including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Psychology Today. Her personal blog, The Science of Success, can be found at heidigranthalvorson.com. Follow her on Twitter @hghalvorson.

Product Details

• File Size: 104 KB
• Print Length: 112 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press (October 24, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00607EX1E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,553 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #14 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing > Careers > Guides
  • #30 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Management
  • #32 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Leadership

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Short, Too Obvious, Too General (but not overpriced crock) January 28, 2012

By S Payne

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a very short and quick read. Personally, I found it simply reinforces what I consider to be "common sense" and what I mostly try to do. I didn't find anything here that is earth shattering other than the author is not a snake oil motivational sales person, but a logic straight forward person - so this book has none of the crock that typically pervades this type of genre.
As the author is an academic psychologist, I did find the few referrals to actual experiments too sparse, and too general. Anyhow, as I understand it, this book is the teaser to her longer work "Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals" - maybe I should read this one for a more in depth treatment.

69 of 89 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Short rehash of every other self-improvement book December 29, 2011

By James Laabs

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was very disappointed in this book. First of all, it is S-H-O-R-T. Doesn't Amazon have some minimum where if it is shorter it is supposed to be a Kindle Single? If so, this book barely passed the minimum number of words. But the biggest issue I have is that it is a bunch of re-treaded ideas that have been in self-help books since the olden days. For example, Chapter 1 is "Set Specific Goals." I think anyone who has studied goal setting for any amount of time has seen this idea repeatedly.

41 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatly Increase Your Chances of Success November 18, 2011

By John Chancellor TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

"There are nine things that successful people do - the strategies they use to set and pursue goals that, according to decades of research, have he biggest impact on performance."

Heidi Grant Halvorson, a psychology professor at Columbia University and author of the highly acclaimed "Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals", has written about the nine things we need to know and do in order to achieve our goals.

This is a gem of a book. A real treasure. While I really enjoyed and learned from her book Succeed, in some respects I think this one can be a much more valuable tool for those readers who are more interested in specific strategies and steps to take in order to improve their chances of success.

While this book leaves out a lot of the material that serves as scientific back-up for the nine steps, the information is available to the reader who wants it. Throughout the book, certain keywords are underlined. Click on the underlined keywords and you are taken to websites which offers additional information and support for the studies.

The book is very short and a breeze to read. You should be able to read it in about an hour. But my suggestion would be to read it through one time to get the overall theory and then go back through it and actually do the suggested exercises. Some of the nine things will require a change in mindset. I believe by reading the book a few times and internalizing the ideas, you will be able to start developing a success mindset.

A great part of the value of the book is in the structure and presentation. The nine steps are not cluttered with a lot of stories or theory. There is certainly enough information to explain and support the premises for each point.... But the points are very straightforward and easy to understand. At the end of each chapter is a "Putting it into practice" list of specific actions to take.

This is the Kindle version of the book. However, it is not necessary for you to own (or buy) a Kindle to enjoy and benefit from this book. Amazon has a free Kindle reader which you can download to your PC.

Ms. Halvorson makes it very easy to understand the things you need to implement in order to achieve your goals. It is one of the best books I have encountered. And it is based on years of scientific research. If you are truly serious about success, this could be the most valuable book you will find. Ms. Halvorson has made learning about success her passion and she shares what she has learned in a great little book. A must read for all serious students of success. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Insights November 15, 2012

By Leslie P. Taylor

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This little book is chock full of actionable information. I especially appreciated Chapter 5 - Focus on Being Getting Better Rather Than Being Good. "People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride and appreciate the journey as much as the destination. Great stuff!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book September 21, 2012

By S. Steven Maese

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is exactly as advertised: Nine things successful people do differently. It's concise and brief. While I'm sure this is a piece for the author's expanded work Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals, I can't see how that book would be anymore useful. If you want something informative and useful, something you can start using today, read this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent short book August 17, 2012

By Ryan Sepassi

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fantastic scientifically-validated strategies to accomplish your goals. One of my favorite books - short, packed full of knowledge, and unbelievably helpful and useful. Get it - you will not regret it. If you're thinking about getting the author's longer book Succeed, I'd recommend getting this one and saving the extra time and money; I've read both and all of the strategies presented in the longer book are present in this shorter version. Enjoy!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute gem December 14, 2011

By Scott B. Kaufman

Format:Kindle Edition

There is a sea of research out there on motivation and goals. This is, BY FAR, the most concise, well-written, and useful summary of that research I've ever seen. Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson has succeeded in a monumental task, no doubt following her own advice on how to succeed. The proof is in the pudding. I highly recommend this e-book for anyone who wants to know what it really takes to succeed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good primer on behaviour to achieve goals - different from success February 3, 2013

By Felipe Guardiola

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book draws on a breadth of studies about achievement of goals - and the results coming out of these studies are what make the recommendations presented in this book valuable - as valuable as a recommendation can be, and this is the strength of the book to me. It is well presented, well edited, and there is no filler or bs at any time - thank you Ms. Grant.

However, the book presents success almost exclusively from the behavioural research tunnel. Reading the book left me with a beautiful panorama - in good weather- however, night falls, others lurk, storms present themselves... and there goes success... I missed in the approach many important things that have been presented on the same subject from philosophy, sports, or the school of hard nocks, such as establishing the importance of setting the right goals, how to manage multiple concurrent goals and responsibilities, establishing a realistically achievable path to success, weathering the setbacks, managing self-doubt, communicating corretly with others who may hinder or help you and many other things. To be fair - to include these references would have made a different book with a different title.

The book is aptly titled- these mention 9 things, I add - out of many more things that successful people fo differently. In spite of the abovementioned, I found the book worthwhile, I recommend it and congratulate the author.

More About the Author

Heidi Grant Halvorson is a motivational psychologist. Her research has focused on understanding why some people give up when their goals give them trouble, while others can rise to the challenge. Through her books, articles, and her blogs (Huffington Post, Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, Fast Company), she hopes to help people understand that ANYONE can reach their goals, and give them the scientifically-tested strategies they need to succeed.

In addition to her work as author and co-editor of the highly-regarded academic book The Psychology of Goals (Guilford, 2009), she has authored papers in her field's most prestigious journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, European Journal of Social Psychology, and Judgment and Decision Making. She has received grants from the National Science Foundation for her research on goals and achievement. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for Columbia University Business School's Motivation Science Center. Her work has been praised by Carol Dweck, Matthew Kelly, Dr. Edward Hallowell, and Peter Bregman, among many others.

Dr. Grant Halvorson is a member of the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and was recently elected a Fellow of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology. She gives frequent invited addresses and speaks regularly at national conferences, and is available for speaking engagements and workshops, primarily in education and management. She received her PhD from Columbia University.


You can contact Heidi at [e-mail]

Visit her website at www.heidigranthalvorson.com