Menlo Book Club: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

The Menlo Group team recently read What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith. As we read, we had candid conversations about how the ideas apply to us as individuals and as a team. This post is a look at how we are taking those lessons and using them to push ourselves and our business forward.

Success Is a Great Teacher…and a Dangerous One

At Menlo Group, we have had some great wins over the years. But that success can make it easy to believe that our current way of doing things is the only way. In the book, Goldsmith talks about how successful people often resist change because they assume they are already doing everything right. Some of our team members admitted that it is often difficult to take criticism. We are challenging ourselves to be more curious when we receive feedback, even if it feels uncomfortable.

The Overcommitment Trap

We are a driven team, and we like to say “yes” to opportunities, clients, ideas, and events. Goldsmith talks about overcommitment as a subtle form of self-sabotage: you think you are being productive, but you are spreading yourself too thin. Many of us recognized times when our calendars were full, but our energy and focus were not. We are practicing saying no to good things to make room for great things and aligning more of our time with our top priorities.

Are Our Habits Helping or Hurting?

One of our biggest takeaways from the book was that just because something worked does not mean it was what made us successful. Goldsmith calls this tendency to hold on to habits that might actually be getting in the way the “superstition of success.” We all took a hard look at our habits and asked, “Is this helping the team or just making me feel in control?”

Knowing What to Stop

Goldsmith says leaders do not just need to learn what to do—they need to learn what to stop. At Menlo, we asked ourselves, What behaviors could we stop that would make us better teammates and better advisors to our clients? A few stop doing moments included: stop interrupting, stop multitasking in meetings, and stop assuming our way is the best way.

Listening, Thanking, and Following Up

The simple habits of listening, saying thank you, and following up can dramatically improve how we work with each other and our clients. We are taking more pauses in conversations and focusing on hearing what our clients really want, not just what we expect to hear. We are being intentional about showing appreciation to each other, our clients, and our vendors. In commercial real estate, follow up is everything. We are refining our processes to make sure no detail falls through the cracks.

Don’t Let Goals Get in the Way of Growth

We are all wired to pursue goals. But Goldsmith warns that being too obsessed with outcomes can actually make you miss the bigger picture. This hit home for us, as sometimes we get so focused on deals and deadlines that we forget to celebrate progress or acknowledge the people behind the numbers. We are going to strive to talk more about progress, not just performance. Are we growing in the right ways: personally, culturally, and professionally?

At the end of the book, Goldsmith challenges readers to ask, “What am I willing to change right now?” As a team, we are taking that question seriously. We have realized growth does not come from knowing more but from doing things differently. At Menlo Group, we want to be known not just for doing great work, but also for being great people to work with.

Check out what else we have been reading at https://menlocre.com/tag/book-club.