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on June 4, 2016
This book has some good ideas and tools, but it lacks focus and feels forced. My impression is that Goldsmith wanted to put out another book but didn't have a way to fit his ideas together, so this reads like a series of independent--or perhaps loosely related--ideas with no central organizing structure. There is lots here that isn't exactly relevant to behavior change, he goes off on tangents to fill space, and the end sputters out like a runner trying desperately to reach the finish line (in this case, enough material for a book.. While I definitely took away some interesting and potentially helpful information, it read more like someone just wanted to have product for his seminars and workshops (which he freely admits is his passion and primary interest). Very self-congratulatory and promotional.
on October 9, 2015
I've made it to the point, after 20 plus years in the same retail business, of co-owning a company. As a person prone to dark moments and fearless angry outbursts I later regret, I have been a longtime seeker of anything that can help me better handle interactions with the people in my life, family, co-workers, employees, customers, etc. I remember, years ago thinking, if I could just gain space between the thing that pushed my buttons and my reaction I would be better off. I would cause less pain to others, I would not be so tortured with regret. This book not only spells out the patterns of trigger/behavior but literally gives you the map of how to rewire the patterns. How to open the space and choose behavior rather than drop into automatic reaction. So grateful to have found this book. Will read it until it is absolutely ingrained in my being, until it is my nature. Can't wait!
on February 19, 2016
Triggers is the latest book by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter, and, if you work the system, one that can change your life.
What makes this book so valuable is that the authors explain how we are generally much better planners than executors of our plans; how to recognize the triggers that derail us; and they offer a simple approach of what to do to finally reach our goals: becoming more aware through tracking.
You’ve probably observed this in your own life: You know in the morning what your day should look like, but then “triggers” occur, and you get sidetracked. Or, you say you want to reach a specific goal, but then find yourself a good time later – weeks or months – still talking about it, but not having moved any closer to it. Having these kinds of experiences repeatedly erodes your self-esteem and your confidence, because you will eventually think of yourself as incapable, underachieving, and no-good-at-reaching your goals. Naturally you stop trying.
Well, after you honestly analyze your behavior and the triggers that derail you, you become more aware and you can develop approaches to counteract them. You’ve also heard “what gets tracked, gets done,” right? And that is what was my favorite take-away: the action steps to get you to reach your goals. Here they are:
Write down your objective. Make a list of all of them. (If you’re not willing to do that, don’t even read on.)
Figure out when and how, ideally, you’d like to execute on your plan to achieve them. Break down larger goals into smaller ones.
Every evening, ask the question, “Did I try my best today to [objective]?”
Rank your efforts between 1 and 10. One being “I totally didn’t even try”, and 10 being “Wow, I totally rocked it. I couldn’t have done better!”
Reflect: Notice how that feels, determine what led to this result, and decide how you will use what you’ve learned in future efforts.
Repeat.
What to do when you rank consistently low in working toward achieving a certain goal:
Notice how it doesn’t make you feel good.
You may decide that you weren’t so interested in achieving that goal in the first place. In that case, you can drop it off of your to-do list and free up space for other, more important goals.
You can prioritize it going forward, working around the issues that have stood in the way of your progress.
You can build in more accountability (which is often the cause of not reaching one’s goals): Hire a coach. (Goldsmith himself had to hire a coach to reach certain goals, he tells us.)
When you rank your efforts high:
Notice how great that makes you feel!!
You’ve focused on doing well and you’ve accomplished it. Knowing that you can achieve, having given it a good try, will propel you to achieve more of the same-level results, even with some of your other goals.
You can remind yourself in the future what you’ve accomplished in the past and be assured that you can tackle the next challenge equally well.
What a confidence booster, right?!
The book is replete with stories from Goldsmith working with clients, primarily executives; the examples seemed real and relate-able.
I liked the audio version of the book so much, I bought the hard cover, too. Some things are worth listening to or reading more than once. And, as is the case with many self-help books, if you don’t consistently apply what you’ve learned, you might as well not have read the book. Triggers offers a systematic approach to obtaining your goals (personal and professional), and you may just want to give it a try.
What makes this book so valuable is that the authors explain how we are generally much better planners than executors of our plans; how to recognize the triggers that derail us; and they offer a simple approach of what to do to finally reach our goals: becoming more aware through tracking.
You’ve probably observed this in your own life: You know in the morning what your day should look like, but then “triggers” occur, and you get sidetracked. Or, you say you want to reach a specific goal, but then find yourself a good time later – weeks or months – still talking about it, but not having moved any closer to it. Having these kinds of experiences repeatedly erodes your self-esteem and your confidence, because you will eventually think of yourself as incapable, underachieving, and no-good-at-reaching your goals. Naturally you stop trying.
Well, after you honestly analyze your behavior and the triggers that derail you, you become more aware and you can develop approaches to counteract them. You’ve also heard “what gets tracked, gets done,” right? And that is what was my favorite take-away: the action steps to get you to reach your goals. Here they are:
Write down your objective. Make a list of all of them. (If you’re not willing to do that, don’t even read on.)
Figure out when and how, ideally, you’d like to execute on your plan to achieve them. Break down larger goals into smaller ones.
Every evening, ask the question, “Did I try my best today to [objective]?”
Rank your efforts between 1 and 10. One being “I totally didn’t even try”, and 10 being “Wow, I totally rocked it. I couldn’t have done better!”
Reflect: Notice how that feels, determine what led to this result, and decide how you will use what you’ve learned in future efforts.
Repeat.
What to do when you rank consistently low in working toward achieving a certain goal:
Notice how it doesn’t make you feel good.
You may decide that you weren’t so interested in achieving that goal in the first place. In that case, you can drop it off of your to-do list and free up space for other, more important goals.
You can prioritize it going forward, working around the issues that have stood in the way of your progress.
You can build in more accountability (which is often the cause of not reaching one’s goals): Hire a coach. (Goldsmith himself had to hire a coach to reach certain goals, he tells us.)
When you rank your efforts high:
Notice how great that makes you feel!!
You’ve focused on doing well and you’ve accomplished it. Knowing that you can achieve, having given it a good try, will propel you to achieve more of the same-level results, even with some of your other goals.
You can remind yourself in the future what you’ve accomplished in the past and be assured that you can tackle the next challenge equally well.
What a confidence booster, right?!
The book is replete with stories from Goldsmith working with clients, primarily executives; the examples seemed real and relate-able.
I liked the audio version of the book so much, I bought the hard cover, too. Some things are worth listening to or reading more than once. And, as is the case with many self-help books, if you don’t consistently apply what you’ve learned, you might as well not have read the book. Triggers offers a systematic approach to obtaining your goals (personal and professional), and you may just want to give it a try.
on May 18, 2016
Powerful idea applied through a simple tool. The same could be delivered in 50% less pages.
on March 30, 2017
Helpful book to understand why we do the stupid things we do. Goldsmith has lots of examples of working with real clients at a high level. This is a book to refer to regularly. On the par with Gary Keller's The One Thing, Charles Duhigg's Habit and Sinek's book Why.
Steven Monahan, author The One Thing 66 Day Workbook.
Steven Monahan, author The One Thing 66 Day Workbook.
on October 17, 2016
As Christians, we are commanded to change. This might be shocking to other Christians, but this is the pursuit that we are on in life. This book was a good one because there is plenty of material on why to change, but very little the breaks down the steps into something that is tangible and actionable. Goldsmith does a great job of highlighting what really makes a difference in someone changing. He talks about how hard it is to change, and think about the last time you changed something that was not a negative addiction or habit, but something that was more like "I want to be a more humble person." These types of changes are harder, but he gives a plan that you can act on. He talks about triggers and stimulus that can influence you. Too often we think of change as a matter of motivation, but often we do not have the skills to change. He talks about how understanding does not automatically lead to change. Just because you know it, does not mean you will change it. For those who are wanting to change, and I am one of them, there is always a better me out there, and I am always seeking that reality, this is a great book. It will help your preaching too, but instead of telling people to change, you can give them some valuable skills to accomplish change. He talks about feedback loops. If you are wanting to change, this is one of the best book in doing so. I good read and a helpful text.
on June 3, 2015
“Our greatest challenge is overcoming our own egos” So says the best-selling author and world’s #1 executive coach Marshall Goldsmith in his latest book, Triggers (2015 Crown Business).
He’s right. Holding yourself to account and changing your behavior for the better lies at the heart of truly great leadership and, in this sentence, Goldsmith sums up a challenge which many of us face in life as well as in work.
In Triggers Goldsmith has honed nearly four decades of work with some of the world’s leading business figures to shine a powerful light of reason on the excuses we make about why we don’t do what we set out to do and how we can overcome this.
If you’ve ever set out with a clear plan of action for the day – or even the following hour – yet found yourself inexplicably diverted off course, failing to achieve what you set out to do, then this book is for you.
As Goldsmith explains - every day, every moment, we are bombarded by a relentless series of environmental and psychological triggers which conspire to derail us from our intended purpose and we simply take them all in - our egos telling us that there are good enough reasons for the diversion - and accept the failure to achieve as a result.
As Goldsmith says: “Triggers can dramatically shape our behavior. Certain situations can provoke even the most rational among us into behaving in ways that are inconsistent with our own self-interest – in business and in life, this can be fatal. The difference between success and failure can be as simple – and as hard – as mastering triggers.”
Goldsmith encourages us all to seize control of our behavior by anticipating triggers, accepting responsibility for what distracts us and either avoiding or controlling our response to them in the future.
He asks us to measure our success by setting out seven questions about the things we most want to achieve and then measuring, on a daily basis, our success in achieving them. That means accepting no excuses of ourselves and Goldsmith, as always, has outlined a set of tough but highly effective measures, requiring an honest answer of our own beliefs about ourselves that will help us regain control over these triggers and get on becoming the person, or achieving the things, that we aspire to.
For anyone who ever aspired to accomplish something important, but was led astray by something seemingly insignificant and inconsequential, Marshall Goldsmith’s “Triggers” could very well be the key to unlocking your true potential.
He’s right. Holding yourself to account and changing your behavior for the better lies at the heart of truly great leadership and, in this sentence, Goldsmith sums up a challenge which many of us face in life as well as in work.
In Triggers Goldsmith has honed nearly four decades of work with some of the world’s leading business figures to shine a powerful light of reason on the excuses we make about why we don’t do what we set out to do and how we can overcome this.
If you’ve ever set out with a clear plan of action for the day – or even the following hour – yet found yourself inexplicably diverted off course, failing to achieve what you set out to do, then this book is for you.
As Goldsmith explains - every day, every moment, we are bombarded by a relentless series of environmental and psychological triggers which conspire to derail us from our intended purpose and we simply take them all in - our egos telling us that there are good enough reasons for the diversion - and accept the failure to achieve as a result.
As Goldsmith says: “Triggers can dramatically shape our behavior. Certain situations can provoke even the most rational among us into behaving in ways that are inconsistent with our own self-interest – in business and in life, this can be fatal. The difference between success and failure can be as simple – and as hard – as mastering triggers.”
Goldsmith encourages us all to seize control of our behavior by anticipating triggers, accepting responsibility for what distracts us and either avoiding or controlling our response to them in the future.
He asks us to measure our success by setting out seven questions about the things we most want to achieve and then measuring, on a daily basis, our success in achieving them. That means accepting no excuses of ourselves and Goldsmith, as always, has outlined a set of tough but highly effective measures, requiring an honest answer of our own beliefs about ourselves that will help us regain control over these triggers and get on becoming the person, or achieving the things, that we aspire to.
For anyone who ever aspired to accomplish something important, but was led astray by something seemingly insignificant and inconsequential, Marshall Goldsmith’s “Triggers” could very well be the key to unlocking your true potential.
on May 19, 2015
As Malcolm Gladwell showed in Outliers, singular stories of success trace not just to an extraordinary person but to a favorable time, place, and environment. Rather than trust to your singular merits, says Goldsmith, arrange your environment in your favor. Where your environment triggers you to distraction or worse, plant cues that call up the person you have promised to become.
In Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman distinguishes your experiencing self from your remembering self. The two often come to different conclusions. Your remembering self forgets your experiencing self, and makes some bad decisions. In Triggers, Goldsmith and his Daily Questions put the two in step again.
Goldsmith has never written better, or more like a novelist. Why? He has lived his question for some thirty years, with thousands of clients, with people of all kinds. He has great stories, of change and the failure to change.
Do people change? Improve steeply, above anything predictable? In a way that lasts? As promised to everyone around them?
Goldsmith has the numbers. More than ideas, a lifetime of numbers, examples, and stories. Many are stories of failure, inertia, regression to the mean, sameness. With such stories Goldsmith clears the ground for something different, a space where change can grow.
Already have more ideas than you can use? Of course. Much of what you know is false, a trap. From all the ideas you've accumulated, see the few that made the difference when the answer was Yes, people can change.
One taste: "We start each day ... one part leader and one part follower, and as the day progresses, the two grow farther apart."
Goldsmith has long since had his fill of success, honor, wealth. Now he cares whether he has made a difference for people. He has. He does. Don't miss it.
In Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman distinguishes your experiencing self from your remembering self. The two often come to different conclusions. Your remembering self forgets your experiencing self, and makes some bad decisions. In Triggers, Goldsmith and his Daily Questions put the two in step again.
Goldsmith has never written better, or more like a novelist. Why? He has lived his question for some thirty years, with thousands of clients, with people of all kinds. He has great stories, of change and the failure to change.
Do people change? Improve steeply, above anything predictable? In a way that lasts? As promised to everyone around them?
Goldsmith has the numbers. More than ideas, a lifetime of numbers, examples, and stories. Many are stories of failure, inertia, regression to the mean, sameness. With such stories Goldsmith clears the ground for something different, a space where change can grow.
Already have more ideas than you can use? Of course. Much of what you know is false, a trap. From all the ideas you've accumulated, see the few that made the difference when the answer was Yes, people can change.
One taste: "We start each day ... one part leader and one part follower, and as the day progresses, the two grow farther apart."
Goldsmith has long since had his fill of success, honor, wealth. Now he cares whether he has made a difference for people. He has. He does. Don't miss it.
on May 16, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I'm becoming more self-aware and I think Mr. Goldsmith brings in a very unique dialogue where he is transparent about his struggles while giving us the steps he's recognized as important to becoming a better you. Many people say "become a better you," but this book illustrates just how many small things can create the bigger picture of being more comfortable with who you are as a person. It's incredible! Each page taught me something new, or reworded something I knew in a way that made it hit home. Whether or not you think you want to change, Mr. Goldsmith will teach you how you can change when you want to.
