Radical Candor
Kim Scott
Like Goldsmith, Scott speaks directly to managers about the behaviours that quietly undermine their teams, and gives concrete ways to change them without losing warmth or credibility.
12 books to read next
Books Like What Got You Here Won't Get You There
If you loved What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
What Got You Here Won't Get You There is read by ambitious professionals who are already successful but sense that one habit, often the very strength that earned them promotion, is holding them back. Readers value its direct, practical tone, its focus on small behavioural changes rather than grand strategy, and its 'stop doing' approach to self-improvement. The chapters are short and anecdote-driven, built around coaching conversations with senior executives, so it suits busy managers who want advice they can apply immediately.
Same coaching-style leadership advice
Crucial Conversations
Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny
It offers practical scripts for handling difficult moments at work, much like Goldsmith's focus on small, specific habits that make a leader hard to work with.
The coaching habit
Michael Bungay Stanier
Short, practical and full of usable questions, it shows how a few changed habits in everyday conversations can make a manager far more effective.
More practical habit systems
Atomic Habits
James Clear
Readers who valued Goldsmith's focus on specific behaviours will appreciate Clear's clear, step-by-step method for replacing unhelpful habits with better ones.
The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg
It explains how habits form and how they can be changed, giving readers a deeper understanding of why the behaviours Goldsmith describes are so hard to shake.
Tiny Habits
B. J. Fogg
Fogg's small-step approach mirrors Goldsmith's insistence that lasting change starts with one modest adjustment rather than a complete personal overhaul.
A lighter read
Who Moved My Cheese?
Spencer Johnson
This short fable about adapting to change is quick to finish and, like Goldsmith's book, encourages readers to examine their own resistance to necessary shifts.
The one minute manager
Kenneth H. Blanchard, Spencer Johnson
Its brief, accessible lessons on managing people suit readers who liked Goldsmith's plain style and his emphasis on everyday leadership behaviour.
Drive
Daniel H. Pink
Pink's readable and concise look at what truly motivates people complements Goldsmith's leadership themes with an accessible, research-informed perspective.
Go deeper
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
Readers who liked Goldsmith's focus on unconscious habits will find Kahneman's account of automatic versus deliberate thinking a rigorous explanation of why we repeat behaviours we barely notice.
Good to Great
Jim Collins
Collins examines what separates strong leaders from exceptional ones, extending the idea that success depends on the right behaviours rather than raw talent alone.
Dare to Lead
Brené Brown
Brown explores the courage and vulnerability leaders need to change their habits, offering a deeper look at the emotional side of the growth Goldsmith describes.
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