Marshall Goldsmith

MARCH 29, 2011

As a UCLA PhD student, I had what were considered extremely high GMAT scores and a mediocre work ethic. Today, in the same program, my GMAT scores would be considered average, and with the work ethic I had then, I would never have graduated. I say: "When I was young, things were easier!"

Entrepreneur 126

Entrepreneur Uncertainty Ethics Globalization 126

Marshall Goldsmith

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

Second, when leaders commit an ethical violation they should be fired - not coached. It only takes one ethical violation to ruin the reputation of an otherwise outstanding company. It won't turn bad doctors into good doctors or bad engineers into good engineers. Coaching is not a catch all that solves all problems.

Executive Coaching 126

Executive Coaching Govindarajan Prahalad Leadership 126

Marshall Goldsmith

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

Challenge up on issues involving ethics or integrity--never remain silent on ethics violations. Enron, WorldCom, and other organizations show how ethics violations--only one violation of corporate integrity--can damage or destroy even the most valuable companies.

Influence 135

Influence Ethics Cost-Benefit Analysis Guidelines 135

Marshall Goldsmith

APRIL 9, 2012

For example, while it is normal to believe that some of our co-workers may be jerks -- we have no moral, ethical or legal obligation to share this view with the rest of the world. But we can be totally honest without engaging in useless negative disclosure.

Survey 124

Survey Ethics Morale Advice 124

Marshall Goldsmith

APRIL 5, 2011

Challenge up” on issues involving ethics or integrity – never remain silent on ethics violations. Enron, WorldCom, and other organizations have dramatically pointed out how ethics violations can destroy even the most valuable companies. If you are, refuse to do it and immediately let upper management know of your concerns.

Influence 139

Influence Drucker Guidelines Ethics 139

Marshall Goldsmith

JUNE 22, 2014

We may think our boss is lame, but we are under no moral or ethical obligation to express that to the boss, or to anyone else for that matter. When what you really want to say is that it looks ridiculous! We know the difference between honesty and full disclosure – this is a basic survival instinct!

Video 125

Video Executive Coaching Blog Ethics 125

Marshall Goldsmith

OCTOBER 16, 2012

Their answers never have anything to do with ethics or integrity. In spite of some terrible recent examples of ethics violations, most leaders I meet are highly ethical people. I always ask them why they didn’t do what they said they would do after their leadership development programs. They are not liars or phonies.

360-Degree Feedback 96

360-Degree Feedback Follow-up Ethics Training 96

Marshall Goldsmith

DECEMBER 26, 2011

While IBM would always fire employees for ethical violations, almost no one was fired because of poor performance. Overall, the professional work ethic has increased in a world where the value of performing can bring greater rewards, while the cost of nonperformance can bring severe and immediate punishment.

Health Care 132

Health Care CFO Competitive Advantage Outsourcing 132

Marshall Goldsmith

OCTOBER 27, 2014

Honest, ethical, and legal behavior is always appropriate—delegation isn’t. My caution to these executives is always the same: Inappropriate delegation can kill. Kill morale, careers, and even a company. Delegation is not a quality like “demonstrating integrity” or “complying with the law.”

Delegation 152

Delegation Morale Report Learning-by-Doing 152

Marshall Goldsmith

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011

I always teach that leaders who knowingly commit ethics violations should never be coached - they should be fired. In the long-term, leaders have to consistently deliver on promises - or they will be seen as being to unreliable to justify an investment. Even one integrity violation can ruin an otherwise wonderful organization. -

Prahalad 110

Prahalad Credit Rating Short-term Long-term 110

Marshall Goldsmith

AUGUST 4, 2013

He communicated clear expectations for ethics, values, and behavior. His leadership team reversed the company’s poor image and engineered an amazing turnaround – ultimately becoming the Forbes’ most-admired company. From the beginning of the process, Kent led by example. He consistently reached out to coworkers.

Development 180

Development 360-Degree Feedback CEO Open-book 180

Marshall Goldsmith

APRIL 28, 2014

” Honest, ethical and legal behavior is always appropriate – delegation isn’t. ” My caution to these executives is always the same: Don’t delegate more. Delegate more effectively. Delegation is not a quality like “demonstrating integrity” or “complying with the law.”

Delegation 137

Delegation Report Consensus Learning-by-Doing 137

Marshall Goldsmith

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

This category includes people who regularly belittle us, people consumed by addiction, or people who make dangerous ethical lapses that could compromise our livelihoods. When we talk about relationships to eliminate , we are talking about relationships that are consistently, poisonously negative, and are extremely unlikely to change.

Mission Statement 70

Mission Statement Bottom-up Reference Metrics 70

Marshall Goldsmith

AUGUST 22, 2011

Their answers had nothing to do with integrity, ethics, or values. Dropping the Ball I had the chance to interview many of the 'do-nothings' with one of my clients a year later to ascertain why they had dropped the ball on their follow-up commitment. The 'do-nothings' were good people with good values.

360-Degree Feedback 129

360-Degree Feedback Prahalad Follow-up Participative 129

Marshall Goldsmith

MAY 17, 2011

He communicated clear expectations for ethics, values, and behavior. For example, Northrop Grumman CEO Kent Kresa inherited a company that had a poor reputation for integrity, a battered stock price, and reputation as one of the least-admired companies. From the start, Kent led by example. He consistently reached out to coworkers.

Development 125

Development 360-Degree Feedback CEO Reputation 125

Marshall Goldsmith

NOVEMBER 9, 2016

Sanyin Siang – Executive Director Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE), laboratory for leadership, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Carol Kauffman – Founder/Executive Institute of Coaching Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital, chief supervisor Meyler Campbell Business Coaching Program.

Disruptive Innovation 70

Disruptive Innovation Executive Coaching Human Resources CEO 70

Marshall Goldsmith

DECEMBER 31, 2012

Their answers had nothing to do with integrity, ethics, or values. I had a chance to interview many of the “do-nothings” a year later to try to ascertain why they had completely dropped the ball on their follow-up commitment. The “do-nothings” were good people with good values.

360-Degree Feedback 102

360-Degree Feedback Follow-up Bottom-up Participative 102

Marshall Goldsmith

OCTOBER 21, 2013

Members of different referent groups tend to define “ethics” or “morality” from the perspective of their group. As our organizations become more global and more diverse, it becomes more critical that leaders understand how different referent groups can impact behavior.

Reference 107

Reference Diversity Globalization Long-term 107

Marshall Goldsmith

DECEMBER 10, 2012

There is no moral, legal, or ethical reason that I have to share this opinion with the rest of the world. We often confuse honesty with disclosure. We can be totally honest without engaging in destructive disclosure. For example, I may think that my co-worker is a complete idiot.

Positioning 98

Positioning 360-Degree Feedback Education Teamwork 98

Marshall Goldsmith

DECEMBER 3, 2012

While I wasn’t surprised at their intelligence or their amazing work ethic, I learned some important lessons about them as human beings – and the incredible pressure they carry around every day. These were the creme de la creme of future business leaders.

Learning-by-Doing 87

Learning-by-Doing Magazine Motivation Education 87

Marshall Goldsmith

MAY 3, 2011

He communicated clear expectations for ethics, values, and behavior. . - At Northrop Grumman, CEO Kent Kresa and his leadership team reversed the company's poor image and engineered an amazing turnaround. From the beginning, Kent led by example. He made sure that he was evaluated by the same standards that he set for everyone else.

360-Degree Feedback 115

360-Degree Feedback Gordon CEO Learning-by-Doing 115

Marshall Goldsmith

JUNE 28, 2017

Sanyin Siang – Executive Director Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE), laboratory for leadership, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Carol Kauffman – Founder/Executive Institute of Coaching Harvard, chief supervisor Meyler Campbell Business Coaching Program.

Executive Coaching 70

Executive Coaching Human Resources Magazine CEO 70

Marshall Goldsmith

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Sanyin Siang – Executive Director of the Duke University Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE). Provides groundbreaking university-wide coaching. Led Leadership Department at West Point. Author: The Launch Book. One of LinkedIn’s 2017 ‘Top Voices’ among all Influencers.

Executive Coaching 70

Executive Coaching CEO Magazine Banking 70