Triggers

Executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, writing with Mark Reiter, looks at the people and situations that provoke reactions at odds with the person someone means to be, from a remark by a colleague to a driver cutting in. The environment may lie outside anyone's control, he argues, but the response does not. His remedy is daily self-monitoring built on active questions, which measure effort rather than results, such as whether a person did their best to make progress toward a goal. He sets out six engaging questions and stresses that lasting change needs structure, since without it people relapse. Stories from his work with chief executives and other leaders run throughout.

Readable.io founder Dave Child said it opened his eyes during a period of introspection and helped him notice what drove his highs and lows of productivity.