5 Lessons Learnt from Interviewing Marshall Goldsmith

Yes, the Marshall Goldsmith of Triggers, MOJO, What Got You Here, Won’t Get There fame. He totally put me on the spot a few days days ago!

I am hosting a virtual online conference called Career Advancement Summit in September. And one of the speakers is Marshall Goldsmith the world’s #1 executive coach – The Coach to many Fortune 100 and global organizations, Coach to Alan Mullally, former CEO of Ford Motors and many other top class organizations C-level executives.

Here are my top 5 lessons from this EXPERIENCE of chatting with Marshall. (My takeaways and learning points from the content he shared will be coming soon)

• Preparation:  You can never be really prepared when you speak to someone like Marshall. He has worked with thousands and thousands of people in the area of behavioral change. As an authority and the leading expert on behavioral change, he totally understands human psychology and can see through you in a minute. I have read quite a few of his books, scoured through hundreds of articles he has written and that are written about him and still felt unprepared when I chatted with him. Lesson: Do your best and welcome the unexpected.

• Pay It Forward: Marshall truly believes in sharing his knowledge and helping others. He was most gracious and happy to be a speaker on the summit and graciously offered his time. Not many people at his level do so without charging a fortune. It really got me thinking on what I can do to ‘pay it forward’ on a regular basis. Lesson: Every opportunity you get, do something to pay it forward.

• Pushing the Envelope: Although, the session was about him, he delivered value to me personally. He put me on the spot and called me out as a Master Planner during our conversation, which is spot on! He cleverly called out how my master planning skills need to take a back seat and let my putting things into action skills be the driver. The session was personally energizing for me as he was coaching me through our session while delivering epic content for the viewers! Lesson: It’s not about you always!

• Building a Relation: After the interview, he hung out for a few extra minutes to know a little bit more about me and my background. He also to my dismay, pointed out a few things I need to let go off – aka my perfectionism syndrome, being too hard on myself and taking action!! It was uncanny how he was able to spot that in a few minutes of our conversation! Lesson: Go the extra mile to build a relation.

• Committed:  We were scheduled to speak at 7 AM Pacific Time and I received a call from Marshall at 6.30 AM his time to confirm a few logistical details. His level of commitment to his work and to my interview session with him was admirable! Lesson: Stay true to your commitments and give it your ALL.

Biggest Takeaway: Stay humble and true to your mission irrespective of your societal stature.

I am truly grateful for the experience of interviewing Marshall. If you are interested in hearing our conversation and learning from other experts on how to take your career to the next level, register for FREE at www.careeradvancementsummit.com