Marshall Goldsmith biography and books

Article by: Vincent van Vliet

Last update: May 20, 2023

Marshall Goldsmith (1949) is a famous author, leadership professor and leading expert in business education and coaching. One of his famous management development and HR tools which he developed, is the 360 degree feedback method, a great employee’s performance analysis tool. This article contains his biography, quotes and publications.

Biography Marshall Goldsmith

In 1970 Marshall Goldsmith earned a degree in mathematical economics from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

In 1972 he got his MBA degree at Kelley School of Business. Finally Marshall Goldsmith got his doctorate degree (Ph.D.) in 1977 from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

During his studying, Marshall Goldsmith started his academic career as an assistant professor and later dean at Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business.

In 1977 he met Paul Hersey and co-founded the management education firm Keilty, Goldsmith and Company. Marshall Goldsmith ‘s work field was management education and gave advise and coaching on CEO level to various big companies.

The famous method 360 degree feedback was (further) developed by Marshall Goldsmith, based on years of consulting and coaching experience.

In 1996 he co-wrote a best-seller The leader of the future, which has been translated in 28 languages.

Currently Marshall Goldsmith is owner of the Marshall Goldsmith Group. Together with his close associates, he helps successful leaders to get even better by coaching and consulting.

Marshall Goldsmith got the following recognition:

World’s most influential leadership thinker (2015 and 2011), top ten business thinker, top rated executive coach (2015, 2013, and 2011).
America’s number one executive coach.
Lifetime achievement award for management education.
Most credible thought leaders in the new era of business.
And more (check https://marshallgoldsmith.com/meet-marshall/)

Famous quotes

“Mojo” is, that positive spirit toward what we are doing now, that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside”
“Fate is the hand of cards we’ve been dealt. Choice is how we play the hand.”
“Getting mad at people for being who they are makes as much sense as getting mad at a chair for being a chair”
“Just because people understand what to do doesn’t ensure that they will actually do it.”
“Inside each of us are two separate personas. There’s the leader/planner/manager who plans to change his or her ways. And there’s the follower/doer/employee who must execute the plan”
“Never wrestle with a pig—because you both get dirty but the pig loves it.”
“People will do something—including changing their behavior—only if it can be demonstrated that doing so is in their own best interests as defined by their own values.”
“People who believe they can succeed see opportunities where others see threats.”
“Sometimes the better part of valor—and common sense—is saying, I’ll pass.”
“When we presume that we are better than people who need structure and guidance, we lack one of the most crucial ingredients for change: humility.”
“Leadership is providing inspiration and vision, then developing and empowering others to achieve this vision.”
“What got you here won’t get you there.”
“To help others develop, start with yourself.”

Books and Publications of Marshall Goldsmith et al.

2013. Managers as mentors: Building partnerships for learning. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
2012. Best practices in leadership development and organization change: how the best companies ensure meaningful change and sustainable leadership (Vol. 18). John Wiley & Sons.
2011, 2000. Coaching for leadership: The practice of leadership coaching from the world’s greatest coaches. John Wiley & Sons.
2011. The art and practice of leadership coaching: 50 top executive coaches reveal their secrets. John Wiley & Sons.
2010. What got you here won’t get you there: How successful people become even more successful. Profile books.
2010. Mojo: How to get it, how to keep it, how to get it back if you lose it. Profile Books.
2009. Best practices in talent management: How the world’s leading corporations manage, develop, and retain top talent. John Wiley & Sons.
2009. Linkage Inc’s Best Practices in Leadership Development Handbook: Case Studies, Instruments, Training. John Wiley & Sons.
2006. The leader of the future 2. Soundview Executive Summaries, 28 (12).
2006. Commentary on “meeting the competency needs of global leaders: A partnership approach: An executive coach’s perspective”. Human Resource Management, 45(3), 309-336.
2004. Leadership is a contact sport. Strategy and Business, 367, 71-79.
2004. Leading organizational learning: Harnessing the power of knowledge. John Wiley & Sons.
2004. Changing leadership behavior. The journal for quality and participation, 27(4), 28.
2003. Try feedforward instead of feedback. Journal for Quality and Participation, 38-40.
2003. Human resources in the 21st century. John Wiley & Sons.
2003. Partnering: The new face of leadership. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
2002. Leading for innovation and organizing for results. Jossey-Bass.
2001. The leadership investment: How the world’s best organizations gain strategic advantage through leadership development. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
2001. Multisource Feedback for. The handbook of multisource feedback.
2000. Coaching for behavioral change. Coaching for leadership, 21-26.
2000. Developing leaders: How winning companies keep on winning. MIT Sloan Management Review, 42(1), 49.
1999. Leading beyond the Walls. Wisdom to Action Series. Jossey Bass.
1998. The Community of the Future. The Drucker Foundation Future Series. The Peter Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management.
1996. The leader of the future. New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for.
1980. A situational approach to performance planning. Training and Development Journal, 34(11), 38.

How to cite this article:
van Vliet, V. (2016). Marshall Goldsmith. Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/toolsheroes/marshall-goldsmith/

Original publication date: 12/14/2016 | Last update: 05/20/2023

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Article by:

Vincent van Vliet

Vincent van Vliet is co-founder and responsible for the content and release management. Together with the team Vincent sets the strategy and manages the content planning, go-to-market, customer experience and corporate development aspects of the company.