One of the best books I read last year was What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith. In case you aren’t familiar with Goldsmith, he is the author of many books and a well respected executive coach. In this latest book, Goldsmith makes the observation that the characteristics that many executives believe contributed most to their current level of success are the very same ones that may be keeping them from reaching their full potential. It’s an interesting paradox, to be sure. He says, “What’s wrong is that they have no idea how their behavior is coming across to the people who matter—their bosses, colleagues, subordinates, customers, and clients.” For example, leaders may “think they’re contributing to a situation with helpful comments, but others see it as butting in.”

We all have blindspots. I like to say that it is hard to see the picture when you are inside the frame. Executive coaches help leaders see the impact of their behavior on the people around them. As you know, the first step to making any sort of behavioral change is to become aware of the need to do so.

Quite often, an attitude or behavior that once served you well and contributed to your success, is now stopping you from moving ahead. It’s like wearing a suit that fit perfectly a decade ago, but today it is too small and completely out of style. You just have to look in the mirror, see the suit for what it is, and change clothes.

Goldsmith identifies 20 habits that prevent successful people from achieving all that they want. Here are just a few of these habits:

• Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.
• Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
• Starting with “No,” But,” or “However”: The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right. You’re wrong.”
• Speaking when angry: Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
• Telling the world how smart we are: The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.
• Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to praise and reward.
• Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.

An entire chapter is devoted to the 21st habit, which is Goal Obsession. “Goal obsession is one of those paradoxical traits we accept as a driver of our success. It’s the force that motivates us to finish the job in the face of any obstacle—and finish it perfectly. A valuable attribute much of the time. It’s hard to criticize people for wanting to do things 100 percent right (especially when you consider the sloppy alternative). But taken too far, it can become a blatant cause of failure.” Goldsmith says that goal obsession is not a flaw in and of itself, but it breeds unproductive and potentially destructive behaviors.

One of the reasons I like this book is because it offers practical advice on what habits to change and a systematic approach for tweaking behavior.  I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in leadership development.