Triggers ─ Creating Behavior That Lasts--becoming the Person You Want to Be

Bestselling author and one of the world’s foremost executive coaches, Marshall Goldsmith examines the emotional and psychological triggers that cause us to react and behave in certain preset, often inappropriate ways at work and in life. Triggers shows us how to break that cycle and enact meaningful change.

In Triggers, renown executive coach and psychologist Marshall Goldsmith discusses the emotional triggers that set off a reaction or a behavior in us that often works to our detriment. Do you find that at times you suddenly become defensive or enraged by an idle comment from a colleague? Or that your temper rises when another car cuts you off in traffic? Your reactions don’t occur in a vacuum. They are the result of emotional and psychological triggers that often happen only in specific settings—at meetings, or in competitive situations, or with a specific person who rubs you the wrong way, or when you feel under particular pressure. Being able to recognize those triggers and understand how the environment affects our behavior is key to controlling our responses and managing others at work and in life. Make no mistake—change is hard. And the starting point is the willingness to accept help, and the desire to change. This book will show you how.

Over the course of this book, Marshall explores the power of active questions to get us to take responsibility for our actions—and our failure to act. Questions such as “Did I do my best to make progress toward my goal?” “Did I work hard at being fully engaged?” He discusses the importance of structure in effecting permanent change. Because, he points out, change is hard, and without a structure to keep us on track, we inevitably relapse and fall back.

Filled with illuminating stories from Marshall’s work with some of the most accomplished executives and leaders in America, Triggers shows readers how to achieve meaningful and sustained change that will allow us to open our imaginations and escape the rigidity of binary thinking.

Marshall Goldsmith is the leading executive coach in the world and the author of the New York Times bestsellersWhat Got You Here Won’t Get You There and Mojo. He received his PhD from UCLA Anderson School of Management. His client list is a who’s who of American CEOs. He and his wife live in San Diego.

“Triggers provides the self awareness you need to create your own world, rather than being created by the world around you.”
—Alan Mulally, CEO of the Year (US) and #3 on Fortune magazine’s 50 Greatest Leaders in the World (2014)

“Reading Triggers is like talking with Marshall. You get clear, practical, and actionable suggestions.”
—Ian Read, CEO, Pfizer

“Triggers inspires us to be better people, better leaders, better fellow travelers. ’Creating behavior’ is our new battle cry for a bright future.”
—Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO, The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, 1998 Presidential Medal of Freedom Award Recipient

“Marshall is a valuable coach and partner in driving organizational change and performance improvement. Triggers will guide a new group of executives looking to reach their full business and personal potential.”
—Brian C. Cornell, Chairman and CEO, Target Corporation

“Marshall Goldsmith is one of the world’s foremost experts at helping people get better. In this new book, he provides a rich set of new, practical, life tested ideas, concepts and frameworks that will help those of us who want to change, be the best that we can be, and be the person we want to be.”
—Hubert Joly, CEO, Best Buy