TL;DR:
Today’s newsletter emphasizes how current decisions shape future opportunities, inspired by Marshall Goldsmith’s book, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.” Goldsmith identifies behaviors that can hinder future success and offers strategies for change, such as self-awareness and active listening. Reflecting on these lessons helped me during my imprisonment and can guide you in making decisions that pave the way for future success. What decision can you make today to positively impact your future?
Subject: What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There
In today’s newsletter, I’d like readers to consider how today’s decisions influence tomorrow’s opportunities. I’ll offer a value proposition for you as well, which relates to lessons I learned from a book I read while I was in prison called “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”
I read “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith during my 16th year of imprisonment. At that point, I still had about 10 years to serve, and I was contemplating how to make the most of that time. I needed guidance from people who had made better decisions than I had, and I found that guidance by reading about leadership coaches and how they worked. By reading about CEOs and business founders, I learned a great deal about strategic planning.
All people in prison can benefit from these lessons.
“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” is a leadership and personal development book focusing on the idea that the skills and behaviors that have led to one’s current success may not be the same ones needed to achieve future success. Marshall Goldsmith, a business professor and executive coach for high achievers, identifies 20 specific workplace habits that often hold successful people back from further achievement. These habits include winning too much, adding too much value, passing judgment, and making destructive comments. Goldsmith argues that many high-achieving individuals develop these behaviors as they rise in their careers, but these same behaviors can become obstacles to further success.
If a person isn’t open-minded to learning, these ideas might seem counterintuitive. How could striving to win too much or adding too much value become obstacles to further success? Goldsmith explains that while these skills might help a person excel in a specific domain, such as sales or engineering, rising to higher levels in an organization requires learning how to bring people together.
It takes one set of skills to lead a specific department, but it takes an entirely different set of skills to lead an entire organization or transition to higher levels of growth. What we do at one stage in our career will not be the same as what we do at different stages of our career.
The book emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and provides strategies for change. Goldsmith also stresses the significance of active listening, apologizing, and thanking others as part of the behavioral change process.
By recognizing and addressing detrimental habits, Goldsmith believes individuals can improve their leadership skills, enhance their relationships, and ultimately achieve greater success in their professional and personal lives. The book combines practical advice with real-life examples, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to take their career to the next level.
When I read the book, I still had more than a decade to serve. It helped me realize that the decisions I made to get through the first decade had served me well, but I would need to make different decisions if I want to make the best use of my time through the next decade.
In the first years of my imprisonment, I had to improve my knowledge base, become more confident as a writer and communicator, and build assets to leverage into a career upon release. I also had to open relationships with people who could help me bridge the gap between prison and the life I wanted to live once I got out.
The sooner we start thinking about the life we want to lead once we get out, the stronger we become.
During my final decade in prison, I had to leverage the progress I made to succeed once I got out. Success is different for every person. Since I wanted to build a career that would lead to change in the prison system, I had to figure out how to advance that agenda. I needed financial resources and to build more relationships with stakeholders of the system.
Anyone who reads my books can see how my goals changed during my final decade. They differed from the tactics that got me through the first 16 years. Similarly, once I got out of prison, I set different strategies and tactics. I transitioned from prison to a halfway house on August 13, 2012. During the first decade, I focused on growing stronger financially and building more resources that would eventually put me in a better position to influence change in the prison system. Now, as I work through my second decade after my release from prison, I am making different decisions than I made during the first decade.
Reading Marshall Goldsmith’s book more than 20 years ago guided my thinking. I recommend that others in prison think about how their decisions today will influence the opportunities that open for them in the future.
As I work to advocate for change in the system, I need to show how our team at Prison Professors is helping people in prison prepare for success. For that reason, I hope that you’ll join our community. Follow the steps below to begin highlighting your accomplishments and memorializing your pathway to success. If you document your progress, I can highlight you as a success story. Your story becomes an asset I’ll use to persuade others to bring more changes to the prison system, and more opportunities for people as they transition into society.
Today’s Question
What decision can you make today to influence more opportunities in your future?
Steps to Build Your Profile
1. Send an invite to Interns@PrisonProfessorsTalent.com
2. Once accepted, send an email to the interns with the following information:
– Your name
– Your number
– Your location
– Your sentence length
3. Respond to any questions presented in the newsletter by sending your answers to the email above.
By taking these steps, you can memorialize your journey and demonstrate your commitment to a better future.
