Marshall Goldsmith on Business and Books
May 28, 2015
We conclude our Thinker in Residence series with Marshall Goldsmith by asking a few simple questions about business and books.
"How can we spread positive change in behavior from the CEO to people at every level of the organization?"
We conclude our series with Marshall Goldsmith the same way we end them all—picking his brain about what's potentially on the horizon for him by asking what unanswered question he's most interested in, and trying to find out what brought him to his current vantage point by asking about the books that have shaped his thinking.
These posts are usually short and sweet (and Marshall's is no exception), which I've found is good because they lead to even more books and more reading that I can't wait to started on.
Q: What is the one unanswered question about business you are most interested in answering?
MG: How can we spread positive change in behavior from the CEO to people at every level of the organization?
Q: What book has influenced your work the most?
- Old Path, White Clouds by Thich Nhat Hanh
- Hesselbein on Leadership by Frances Hesselbein
- The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Q: What is the book you wish you had written (or admire the most) and why?
MG: Old Path, White Clouds by Thich Nhat Hanh. This book makes me feel peaceful and content as I read it. It is very simple and very profound at the same time.
Q: What book are you reading right now?
MG: Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. I am now focusing on how to teach it—which is very different than how to write it!
