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Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It
Mojo is the moment when we do something that's purposeful, powerful, and positive and the rest of the world recognizes it. This book is about that moment--and how we can create it in our lives, maintain it, and recapture it when we need it. In his follow-up to the New York Times bestseller What Got You Here Won't Get You There, #1 executive coach Marshall Goldsmith shares the ways in which to get--and keep--our Mojo. Our professional and personal Mojo is impacted by four key factors: identity (who do you think you are), achievement (what have you done lately?), reputation (who do other people think you are--and what have you've done lately?), and acceptance (what can you change--and when do you need to just "let it go"?). Goldsmith outlines the positive actions leaders must take, with their teams or themselves, to initiate winning streaks and keep them coming. Mojo is: that positive spirit--towards what we are doing--now--that starts from the inside--and radiates to the outside. Mojo is at its peak when we are experiencing both happiness and meaning in what we are doing and communicating this experience to the world around us. The Mojo Toolkit provides fourteen practical tools to help you achieve both happiness and meaning--not only in business, but in life.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2009
207 people are currently reading
2,645 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
September 14, 2012
In the past I have really enjoyed this author’s work, and that remains true with Mojo. To really boil it down, the book is about discovering what gives you energy or takes it away in your personal and professional life. While this may sound simple it is worth remembering that the pace many of us keep up in life sometimes leads to sleep walking through our days doing the same old thing and never taking the time to step back and challenge ourselves to review what we are doing and what impact it is having on our lives.
The value of reflection and evaluation is what I really took away from this book. While some other books are very dry and scientific, this book offers practical means to perform this evaluation in an ongoing fashion to gain real actionable knowledge.
Another hidden gem was a single question which the author challenges the reader to ask before they do or say something – “is it worth it?”. Four words, how will what you intend to do or say impact you, your family, your job, your reputation? I started using this simple challenge immediately and was amazed at how many times I decided what I was about to do or say was not worth it.
Characteristics of personal mojo are happiness, rewards, meaning, learning, and gratitude.
Characteristics of professional mojo are motivation, knowledge, ability, confidence, and authenticity.
The author suggests four questions to assess your Mojo:
Identity – who are you?
Achievement – what have you done lately?
Reputation – who do other people think you are and what do they think you have done lately?
Acceptance – what can you change and what is beyond your control?
Again seems simple, but do you know the answers to those questions at this very second?
A scorecard is made available to track your daily tasks in both personal and professional life and rate them against the above characteristics. I found using this scorecard extremely valuable in providing me with insight on the things which give vs. take energy from me and the percentage of time I was spending on each daily. Do the math, days full of energy being taken away is not a healthy and sustainable recipe. Once you know what gives and takes energy in the context of your life you will be better able to bring balance to your days.
Take the time to read this book and then do as it suggests and devote the small amount of time necessary to taking stock of your mojo, you will be glad you did.
The next several books I read after this one share and build upon this theme, so happening upon this one first in the chaotic order of my reading pile was happy chance for me. Look for those additional quick reviews coming soon.
The value of reflection and evaluation is what I really took away from this book. While some other books are very dry and scientific, this book offers practical means to perform this evaluation in an ongoing fashion to gain real actionable knowledge.
Another hidden gem was a single question which the author challenges the reader to ask before they do or say something – “is it worth it?”. Four words, how will what you intend to do or say impact you, your family, your job, your reputation? I started using this simple challenge immediately and was amazed at how many times I decided what I was about to do or say was not worth it.
Characteristics of personal mojo are happiness, rewards, meaning, learning, and gratitude.
Characteristics of professional mojo are motivation, knowledge, ability, confidence, and authenticity.
The author suggests four questions to assess your Mojo:
Identity – who are you?
Achievement – what have you done lately?
Reputation – who do other people think you are and what do they think you have done lately?
Acceptance – what can you change and what is beyond your control?
Again seems simple, but do you know the answers to those questions at this very second?
A scorecard is made available to track your daily tasks in both personal and professional life and rate them against the above characteristics. I found using this scorecard extremely valuable in providing me with insight on the things which give vs. take energy from me and the percentage of time I was spending on each daily. Do the math, days full of energy being taken away is not a healthy and sustainable recipe. Once you know what gives and takes energy in the context of your life you will be better able to bring balance to your days.
Take the time to read this book and then do as it suggests and devote the small amount of time necessary to taking stock of your mojo, you will be glad you did.
The next several books I read after this one share and build upon this theme, so happening upon this one first in the chaotic order of my reading pile was happy chance for me. Look for those additional quick reviews coming soon.
January 22, 2012
As the author defines it : "Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside." He continues: "That's the payoff of having Mojo. More meaning. More happiness."
The book then expands on what are the foundational elements of Mojo: "Four vital ingredients need to be combined in order for you to have great Mojo. The first is your identity...The second element is achievement...The third element is reputation...The fourth element to building Mojo is acceptance...By understanding the impact and interaction of identity, achievement, reputation, and acceptance, we can begin alter our own Mojo - both at work and home." After spending time explaining and illustrating each of these areas, Marshall then presents a complete toolkit of actions one can take to build/improve one's Mojo. I have included below excerpts that further summarize these concepts.
What I particularly enjoyed about this book is the thoroughness in which the topic is covered: from summarizing the concepts, to explaining them and giving practical examples illustrating them, to finally presenting a toolkit on how to apply them. A recommended read that complements well Marshall's other work: What Got You Here, Won't Get You There.
Below are some excerpts from the book that I found particularly insightful:
1) "Measuring your Mojo:
-Professional Mojo: What I being to this activity - 1) Motivation, 2) Knowledge, 3) Ability, 4) Confidence, 5) Authenticity
-Personal Mojo: What this activity brings to me - 6) Happiness, 7) Reward, 8) Meaning, 9) Learning, 10) Gratitude"
2) "Mojo Paradox: Our default response in life is not to experience happiness. Our default response in life is not to experience meaning. Our default response in life is to experience inertia."
3) "To understand how you are relating to any activity, you need to understand your identity - who you are. To change your Mojo, you may need to either create a new identity for yourself or rediscover an identity that you have lost."
4) "If we want to increase our Mojo, we can either change the degree of our achievement - how well we are doing - or change the definition of our achievement - what we are trying to do well."
5) "...Worrying about the past and being anxious about the future can easily destroy our Mojo. It upsets us emotionally. It clouds our judgement. It dills us with regret. And it can lead to self-punishment. This sort of thinking afflicts the high and the low, the rich and the poor, the achievers and the struggling."
6) "Mojo Killers: 1) Over-Committing, 2) Waiting for the facts to change, 3) Looking for logic in all the wrong places, 4) Bashing the boss, 5) Refusing to change because of "Sunk Costs", 6) Confusing the mode you're in"
7) "In this new world, Mojo is both harder to attain and more important to keep. When your competition is already responding to a tough new environment bu working harder and longer, you need unique tools to separate yourself from the throng."
8) "The following is a list of specific actions that can help you attack the challenge of changing You or It...1) Establish criteria that matter to you 2) Find out where you're living 3) Be the optimist in the room 4) Take away one thing 5) Rebuild one brick at a time 6) Live your mission in the small moments too 7) Swim in the Blue Water 8) When to stay, when to go 9) Hello, good-bye 10) Adopt a metrics system 11) Reduce this number 12) Influence up as well as down 13) Name it, frame it, claim it 14) Give your friends a lifetime pass."
9) "...All of us, consciously or not, run everything through two filters: short-term satisfaction (or happiness) and long-term benefit (or meaning). Both have value."
10) "When you have mission, you give yourself a purpose - and that adds clarity to all the actions and decisions that follow. There's an underestimated value to articulating your mission: It focuses you, points you in a new direction, alters your behavior, and as a result, changes other people's perception of you."
The book then expands on what are the foundational elements of Mojo: "Four vital ingredients need to be combined in order for you to have great Mojo. The first is your identity...The second element is achievement...The third element is reputation...The fourth element to building Mojo is acceptance...By understanding the impact and interaction of identity, achievement, reputation, and acceptance, we can begin alter our own Mojo - both at work and home." After spending time explaining and illustrating each of these areas, Marshall then presents a complete toolkit of actions one can take to build/improve one's Mojo. I have included below excerpts that further summarize these concepts.
What I particularly enjoyed about this book is the thoroughness in which the topic is covered: from summarizing the concepts, to explaining them and giving practical examples illustrating them, to finally presenting a toolkit on how to apply them. A recommended read that complements well Marshall's other work: What Got You Here, Won't Get You There.
Below are some excerpts from the book that I found particularly insightful:
1) "Measuring your Mojo:
-Professional Mojo: What I being to this activity - 1) Motivation, 2) Knowledge, 3) Ability, 4) Confidence, 5) Authenticity
-Personal Mojo: What this activity brings to me - 6) Happiness, 7) Reward, 8) Meaning, 9) Learning, 10) Gratitude"
2) "Mojo Paradox: Our default response in life is not to experience happiness. Our default response in life is not to experience meaning. Our default response in life is to experience inertia."
3) "To understand how you are relating to any activity, you need to understand your identity - who you are. To change your Mojo, you may need to either create a new identity for yourself or rediscover an identity that you have lost."
4) "If we want to increase our Mojo, we can either change the degree of our achievement - how well we are doing - or change the definition of our achievement - what we are trying to do well."
5) "...Worrying about the past and being anxious about the future can easily destroy our Mojo. It upsets us emotionally. It clouds our judgement. It dills us with regret. And it can lead to self-punishment. This sort of thinking afflicts the high and the low, the rich and the poor, the achievers and the struggling."
6) "Mojo Killers: 1) Over-Committing, 2) Waiting for the facts to change, 3) Looking for logic in all the wrong places, 4) Bashing the boss, 5) Refusing to change because of "Sunk Costs", 6) Confusing the mode you're in"
7) "In this new world, Mojo is both harder to attain and more important to keep. When your competition is already responding to a tough new environment bu working harder and longer, you need unique tools to separate yourself from the throng."
8) "The following is a list of specific actions that can help you attack the challenge of changing You or It...1) Establish criteria that matter to you 2) Find out where you're living 3) Be the optimist in the room 4) Take away one thing 5) Rebuild one brick at a time 6) Live your mission in the small moments too 7) Swim in the Blue Water 8) When to stay, when to go 9) Hello, good-bye 10) Adopt a metrics system 11) Reduce this number 12) Influence up as well as down 13) Name it, frame it, claim it 14) Give your friends a lifetime pass."
9) "...All of us, consciously or not, run everything through two filters: short-term satisfaction (or happiness) and long-term benefit (or meaning). Both have value."
10) "When you have mission, you give yourself a purpose - and that adds clarity to all the actions and decisions that follow. There's an underestimated value to articulating your mission: It focuses you, points you in a new direction, alters your behavior, and as a result, changes other people's perception of you."
January 21, 2022
Буэ. Еле заставила себя дочитать. Жалею, что накупила однажды себе таких книг. По-моему, "наелась". Поняла, что, прочитав половину, не помню, что было там - в этой прочитанной половине. Спасибо, попила водичку, пора переходить на более вкусные вещи. Не ставлю одну звезду, так как в книге, по-моему, были какие-то толковые вещи, но я их уже не помню 😆😆😆
February 13, 2011
Though I have respect for Goldsmith, this book was more or less a big pep talk. The insights were good and encouraging, but were all things that I could have gotten from any other book on leadership, self-help, or just talking things out with a friend. I didn't find much novelty to it. If you feel that you need an inventory to help get and retain your "mojo" then this could be a great little book for you.
November 23, 2017
Alright self-improvement and development book, nothing groundbreaking really in it, but it has some interesting insights and sections where you're likely to change your perspective towards certain matters. It also presents some challenging questions to ask oneself about where you are in life, what you want to achieve and what are you doing towards (or against) it.
January 2, 2012
What makes up our ability to have mojo, Goldsmith says, is four vital components:
~ identity (Who do you think you are?)
~ achievement (What have you done lately?)
~ reputation (Who do other people think you are - and what have you done lately?)
~ acceptance (What can you change - and when do you need to just "let it go?)
Goldsmith gives us his own definition: "Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside."
He loves the philosophy of Buddha (not the religion), and quotes the prophet a couple of times. I like the dedication quote: "I am awake."
He's got an online mojo survey at http://www.MojoTheBook.com. The survey asks you to measure things in your life by the the short-term satisfaction (happiness) and the long-term benefit (meaning).
This book puts you in a good frame of reference for positive change.
~ identity (Who do you think you are?)
~ achievement (What have you done lately?)
~ reputation (Who do other people think you are - and what have you done lately?)
~ acceptance (What can you change - and when do you need to just "let it go?)
Goldsmith gives us his own definition: "Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside."
He loves the philosophy of Buddha (not the religion), and quotes the prophet a couple of times. I like the dedication quote: "I am awake."
He's got an online mojo survey at http://www.MojoTheBook.com. The survey asks you to measure things in your life by the the short-term satisfaction (happiness) and the long-term benefit (meaning).
This book puts you in a good frame of reference for positive change.
March 25, 2024
The premise is really good and I like the idea about evaluating activities on a daily basis on a scale of short term happiness and long term satisfaction for constant evaluation of assessing if we are on the life trajectory that we want for ourselves. But the guidelines suggested did not have a natural flow in them.
November 22, 2020
I like Goldsmith's writing style and that he is no nonsense and he tells it like it is.
I recommend this book.
I recommend this book.
June 21, 2016
The first few pages I was disappointed. This book has been on my wish list (even when I knew it was only a penny in like new condition on Amazon) for several years. But I just never purchased it. Then I came across it again and seen it in new condition for a penny and ordered it immediately. As I was reading the first few pages, I thought, "maybe this isn't the kind of book I was thinking it was." Sure enough, I was wrong. It WAS the book I had been looking for. And it turned out to be a great book. Is your mojo no mojo? Do you need it back? I know mine is there and then its gone and I'm not sure where it went or how to get it back. This book contains some information that just might help you get your mojo back. But I'm not telling you anything about it. Why? Because I truly believe that whoever you are this book is essential to your livelihood. It is an important book for everyone to read. I have found research that states that, in general, the average employee works a total of 30 minutes for each shift. 30 minutes!!! How sad is that. You spend 8 hours on the job but instead of actually working, you're on your company's network looking at Facebook, watching your auctions on eBay to make sure you don't miss that bid, you're talking to other employees, putting makeup on, cleaning out your purse, taping up the pictures on your cubby walls, filling out applications for other jobs (or just searching for other jobs) all while your employer (who has given you a job in the first place) is paying you for getting nothing done. That is sad to me. I would never tolerate that in my business and if what the research says is true, it sounds like (LOL) it might be difficult to find an employee who is actually going to want to work at all. Because really, they just like fooling around while collecting a paycheck. The problem is, you're not just disrespecting your employer (whether he knows you're doing it or not) you're disrespecting yourself. You're wasting all this time at work all day doing things that don't matter. You're wasting your precious time on a job you don't enjoy doing. After all, if you loved your job, you wouldn't be shopping online and chatting or texting with friends...You would be working. The real problem is...you've lost your mojo and you've just got to get it back. Don't wait too long...time is of the essence...order this book today and get your mojo on tomorrow! Woo Hoo! It's a great feeling to get your mojo back and keep it rocking! Productive speed ahead!
August 4, 2011
Marshall Goldsmith does it again. Mojo demonstrates that mojo drives success. So what is mojo? According to Goldsmith, mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside. Mojo means having control of your Identity (who you think you are), your Achievement (what you have done lately) and your Reputation (who others think you are and what they think you have done lately).
Mojo is not just a book filled with models and concepts, although The Mojo Toolkit is quite practical. Goldsmith shows how real-life people have applied his principles to drive their success. Rather than passively being impacted by external realities, Mojo empowers the reader to take control of their attitude and approach to the world. As always, his stories are engaging and allow the reader to relate his ideas to their own lives. As a seeker of both happiness and finding meaning in my life, I thoroughly enjoyed Mojo and recommend it to anyone seeking the same.
Mojo is not just a book filled with models and concepts, although The Mojo Toolkit is quite practical. Goldsmith shows how real-life people have applied his principles to drive their success. Rather than passively being impacted by external realities, Mojo empowers the reader to take control of their attitude and approach to the world. As always, his stories are engaging and allow the reader to relate his ideas to their own lives. As a seeker of both happiness and finding meaning in my life, I thoroughly enjoyed Mojo and recommend it to anyone seeking the same.
July 7, 2018
I scanned the TOC and went straight to the section that containg my new favorite concept: The Lifetime Pass-- a conscious decision that the benefits of certain people in our lives will always outweigh and "will forever override any conceivable negative behavior". (p. 173, hardcover). What a fabulous way to think of friends/family--a gift for all.
This sole insight was worth the price of the hardcover!
This sole insight was worth the price of the hardcover!
June 12, 2016
Marshall Goldsmith at his best.Mojo will become an innate part of you after you put the book down.Ni more will negativity be a deterrent for progress of you assimilate the best of this write up.The writing is purposeful and it is served as the mechanism of revving up the system to a positive high works out wonderfully.An antidote to the bleakness that warps you.Read it for the thing called Mojo!!
February 2, 2016
It took me longer than expected to finish reading this book but I enjoyed reading it. It was full of interesting stories and useful tips.
February 27, 2017
The book is well-written and offers interesting perspectives. However, I don't agree with the points that the author makes.
April 29, 2018
So boring that I lost whatever mojo I did have. No benefit at all.
November 23, 2020
Written by someone who made a living as a life coach for successful CEOs and promoted personalised 360 degree feedback. Lovely self-improvement book with exercises to rate your own Mojo.
Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside. This is very similar to ‘flow state’ or being ‘in the zone’. Truly successful people spend a large part of their lives engaging in activities that simultaneously provide meaning and happiness - they have Mojo. The only person who can define meaning and happiness for you is you!
Fair bit about careers and interesting stories that reinforce points he makes about people who have mojo in different aspects of their lives. Encourages you to actively consider the amount of engagement in your job objectively.
The four vital ingredients that you need to combine to have great Mojo are:
1. Identity Who do you think you are?
2. Achievement. What have you done lately?
3. Reputation. Who do other people think you are? What do other people think you’ve done lately?
4. Acceptance. What can you change, and what is beyond your control?
Regarding your reputation think whether are you aiming for people to regards you as smart or effective, sometimes being aware of this choice helps you opt for the best action.
Loved the concept of Nojo opposite to Mojo! People with Nojo have a negative spirit that radiates from inside out towards what they are doing now.
MOJO Take responsibility, Move forward, Run the extra mile, Love doing it, Appreciate opportunities, Make the best of it, Inspirational, Grateful, Curious, Caring, Zest for life, Awake
NOJO Play the victim, March in place, Satisfied with the bare minimum, Feel obligated to do it, Tolerate requirements, Endure it, Painful to be around, Resentful, Uninterested, Indifferent, Zombie-like
Mojo levels fluctuate around day and depending on task
Consider grading activities through the day with these two questions
1. How much long-term benefit or meaning did I experience from this activity?
2. How much short-term satisfaction or happiness did I experience in this activity?
Assessing meaningfulness and happiness in turn pushes you to break inertia and try harder.
Identity is constructed from different types of identify - your identity if not fixed don’t hold onto self limiting identities
Remembered identity - memories
Reflected identify- often thought of as feedback
Programmed identity - learnt from teachers, parents or training marine, trader etc be careful not to use this as an excuse for your own behaviour.
Created identity - create your own as you want to define yourself.
The Great Western Disease is that we fixate on the future at the expense of enjoying the life we’re living now.
The way to increase overall satisfaction with life is to increase both happiness and meaning, this is for both at work and outside work
Why do people give up? six reasons:
1. It takes longer than we thought.
2. It’s more difficult than we thought. Improvement is hard.
3. We have other things to do, distractions tempt us.
4. We don’t get the expected reward.
5. We declare victory too soon.
6. We have to do it forever.
Nice story about someone starting a job as a CEO who was given 3 envelopes from previous CEO and instructed to look at these when needs to overcome difficulties as they have the answers. First envelope blame last CEO, second envelope blame economy and third envelope says to start writing three envelopes! Suggests when leaving keep working hard and showing professionalism until the end, end like you started.
If this was helpful feel free to check out my website for more summaries: www.chrisweatherburn.com
Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside. This is very similar to ‘flow state’ or being ‘in the zone’. Truly successful people spend a large part of their lives engaging in activities that simultaneously provide meaning and happiness - they have Mojo. The only person who can define meaning and happiness for you is you!
Fair bit about careers and interesting stories that reinforce points he makes about people who have mojo in different aspects of their lives. Encourages you to actively consider the amount of engagement in your job objectively.
The four vital ingredients that you need to combine to have great Mojo are:
1. Identity Who do you think you are?
2. Achievement. What have you done lately?
3. Reputation. Who do other people think you are? What do other people think you’ve done lately?
4. Acceptance. What can you change, and what is beyond your control?
Regarding your reputation think whether are you aiming for people to regards you as smart or effective, sometimes being aware of this choice helps you opt for the best action.
Loved the concept of Nojo opposite to Mojo! People with Nojo have a negative spirit that radiates from inside out towards what they are doing now.
MOJO Take responsibility, Move forward, Run the extra mile, Love doing it, Appreciate opportunities, Make the best of it, Inspirational, Grateful, Curious, Caring, Zest for life, Awake
NOJO Play the victim, March in place, Satisfied with the bare minimum, Feel obligated to do it, Tolerate requirements, Endure it, Painful to be around, Resentful, Uninterested, Indifferent, Zombie-like
Mojo levels fluctuate around day and depending on task
Consider grading activities through the day with these two questions
1. How much long-term benefit or meaning did I experience from this activity?
2. How much short-term satisfaction or happiness did I experience in this activity?
Assessing meaningfulness and happiness in turn pushes you to break inertia and try harder.
Identity is constructed from different types of identify - your identity if not fixed don’t hold onto self limiting identities
Remembered identity - memories
Reflected identify- often thought of as feedback
Programmed identity - learnt from teachers, parents or training marine, trader etc be careful not to use this as an excuse for your own behaviour.
Created identity - create your own as you want to define yourself.
The Great Western Disease is that we fixate on the future at the expense of enjoying the life we’re living now.
The way to increase overall satisfaction with life is to increase both happiness and meaning, this is for both at work and outside work
Why do people give up? six reasons:
1. It takes longer than we thought.
2. It’s more difficult than we thought. Improvement is hard.
3. We have other things to do, distractions tempt us.
4. We don’t get the expected reward.
5. We declare victory too soon.
6. We have to do it forever.
Nice story about someone starting a job as a CEO who was given 3 envelopes from previous CEO and instructed to look at these when needs to overcome difficulties as they have the answers. First envelope blame last CEO, second envelope blame economy and third envelope says to start writing three envelopes! Suggests when leaving keep working hard and showing professionalism until the end, end like you started.
If this was helpful feel free to check out my website for more summaries: www.chrisweatherburn.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2015
What Got You Here is better.
“Half of the leaders that I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.” -Peter Drucker
“Happiness and meaning can’t be experienced next week, next month, or next year. They can only be experienced now.”
“Our default response in life is not to experience happiness. Our default response in life is not to experience meaning. Our default response in life is to experience inertia.”
“The most reliable predictor of what you will be doing five minutes from now is what you are doing now.”
“Very few people achieve positive, lasting change without ongoing follow-up. Unless they know at the end of the day (or week or month) that someone is going to measure if they’re doing what they promised to do, most people fall prey to inertia.”
“One simple questioning activity that two of my friends swear has changed their lives - and led to major promotions - is to breathe before speaking and acting, then ask yourself, ‘Is what I am about to say or do in the best interest of myself and the people that I love?’ If the answer is ‘no’, think hard before saying or doing it!”
“Partly because of my reputational goal, many decisions in my career boil down to: Will it make me look smarter or make me become more effective? I always vote for effective. I’m not looking to be known as the smartest person with the most sophisticated theory about helping people change. I want to be known as the guy who is actually very effective at helping people change.”
“Because I didn’t traffic in office small talk, my bosses grew to consider me as someone who could be trusted with confidential information - which is ironic: the less interested I was in other people’s secrets, the more comfortable they were in sharing them with me.”
“The Great Western Disease afflicts anyone who says or thinks the phrase, ‘I’ll be happy when...’ And then fills in the blank.”
“If you really have a problem with bosses, talk to them about it.”
“Great influencers are like great salespeople. When the customers don’t buy, they don’t whine and blame the customers. They focus on what they can learn and do a better job next time.”
“The best thing about having criteria is what it forces you to be precise - in what you do and how you hold yourself accountable afterward. It’s the difference between saying ‘I’d be happier if I spent more time with my kids’ and ‘I am going to spend at least four hours a week with each of my kids.’ The former statement is vague- and therefore meaningless. . . . On the other hand, ‘four hours’ is specific and measurable. It creates accountability. You either hit the target or miss. And if you hit the target, you reward yourself with an invisible gold medal every week.”
“Some people have strict criteria about time management. What makes them happy is the smooth, uninterrupted flow of their carefully calibrated day. So they have rules to maintain that happy pace. . . . We’ve all met people like this. Perhaps they’re a little obsessive-compulsive about the clock, but they’re a step ahead of us because at least they have criteria.”
“A bigger question is why don’t we apply the same rigor to the people up and down the food chain who can profoundly influence our careers and happiness? Why don’t we have ‘hiring criteria’ for the kind of boss we’re willing to work for, or the clients we’ll take on, or the colleagues we partner up with on a project? The biggest question is why don’t we apply the same vigor to ourselves?”
“This is not a tough assignment. It’s life planning at its most basic. Yet I wonder how many people have actually written down a checklist of their ideal boss or their criteria for a friend.”
Reasons change fails:
It takes longer than we thought.
It’s more difficult than we thought.
We have other things to do.
We don’t get the expected reward.
We declare victory too soon.
We have to do it forever.
“We don’t change unless we’re compelled to change.”
“The untapped power of subtraction is within your grasp. It’s as easy as saying to yourself, My life might actually be better if I took away ______. And filling in the blank.”
“The image I use with my clients to deal with long-term processes like changing behavior (or recapturing Mojo) is a brick - as in building a wall. You lay down one brick, then another, and before you know it, you have a wall.”
“However, if you tell them you’re making a serious effect. . . that bit of ‘advertising’ can dramatically change their perception of you.”
“Keep this in mind as you try to carry out your mission, whatever it may be. There will be little off-the-radar moments where you think you can relax. Don’t do it. The so-called little moments are precisely when we reinforce the value of our mission in the biggest way.”
“Start treating your boss like a customer. Focus on influencing up the same positive way you focus on influencing others.”
“I ask myself one question: Am I better off or worse off because of having this person in my life? (I call this the Ronald Reagan Question, because he won the presidency in 1980 by asking voters, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”)”
“But there’s something we haven’t brought up yet and it may be the most critical piece of advice within these pages: You should not feel obligated to do any of this alone! If you want to improve your performance at almost anything, your odds of success improve considerably the moment you enlist someone else to help you.”
“At the end of each day, Jim asks me seventeen questions (the number has changed over time as my goals shift between maintaining my body weight and being nicer to my family). Each question has to be answered with a yes, no, or a number. I record the results on an Excel spreadsheet and at the end of the week get an assessment of how well I’m sticking to my objectives.”
“Half of the leaders that I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.” -Peter Drucker
“Happiness and meaning can’t be experienced next week, next month, or next year. They can only be experienced now.”
“Our default response in life is not to experience happiness. Our default response in life is not to experience meaning. Our default response in life is to experience inertia.”
“The most reliable predictor of what you will be doing five minutes from now is what you are doing now.”
“Very few people achieve positive, lasting change without ongoing follow-up. Unless they know at the end of the day (or week or month) that someone is going to measure if they’re doing what they promised to do, most people fall prey to inertia.”
“One simple questioning activity that two of my friends swear has changed their lives - and led to major promotions - is to breathe before speaking and acting, then ask yourself, ‘Is what I am about to say or do in the best interest of myself and the people that I love?’ If the answer is ‘no’, think hard before saying or doing it!”
“Partly because of my reputational goal, many decisions in my career boil down to: Will it make me look smarter or make me become more effective? I always vote for effective. I’m not looking to be known as the smartest person with the most sophisticated theory about helping people change. I want to be known as the guy who is actually very effective at helping people change.”
“Because I didn’t traffic in office small talk, my bosses grew to consider me as someone who could be trusted with confidential information - which is ironic: the less interested I was in other people’s secrets, the more comfortable they were in sharing them with me.”
“The Great Western Disease afflicts anyone who says or thinks the phrase, ‘I’ll be happy when...’ And then fills in the blank.”
“If you really have a problem with bosses, talk to them about it.”
“Great influencers are like great salespeople. When the customers don’t buy, they don’t whine and blame the customers. They focus on what they can learn and do a better job next time.”
“The best thing about having criteria is what it forces you to be precise - in what you do and how you hold yourself accountable afterward. It’s the difference between saying ‘I’d be happier if I spent more time with my kids’ and ‘I am going to spend at least four hours a week with each of my kids.’ The former statement is vague- and therefore meaningless. . . . On the other hand, ‘four hours’ is specific and measurable. It creates accountability. You either hit the target or miss. And if you hit the target, you reward yourself with an invisible gold medal every week.”
“Some people have strict criteria about time management. What makes them happy is the smooth, uninterrupted flow of their carefully calibrated day. So they have rules to maintain that happy pace. . . . We’ve all met people like this. Perhaps they’re a little obsessive-compulsive about the clock, but they’re a step ahead of us because at least they have criteria.”
“A bigger question is why don’t we apply the same rigor to the people up and down the food chain who can profoundly influence our careers and happiness? Why don’t we have ‘hiring criteria’ for the kind of boss we’re willing to work for, or the clients we’ll take on, or the colleagues we partner up with on a project? The biggest question is why don’t we apply the same vigor to ourselves?”
“This is not a tough assignment. It’s life planning at its most basic. Yet I wonder how many people have actually written down a checklist of their ideal boss or their criteria for a friend.”
Reasons change fails:
It takes longer than we thought.
It’s more difficult than we thought.
We have other things to do.
We don’t get the expected reward.
We declare victory too soon.
We have to do it forever.
“We don’t change unless we’re compelled to change.”
“The untapped power of subtraction is within your grasp. It’s as easy as saying to yourself, My life might actually be better if I took away ______. And filling in the blank.”
“The image I use with my clients to deal with long-term processes like changing behavior (or recapturing Mojo) is a brick - as in building a wall. You lay down one brick, then another, and before you know it, you have a wall.”
“However, if you tell them you’re making a serious effect. . . that bit of ‘advertising’ can dramatically change their perception of you.”
“Keep this in mind as you try to carry out your mission, whatever it may be. There will be little off-the-radar moments where you think you can relax. Don’t do it. The so-called little moments are precisely when we reinforce the value of our mission in the biggest way.”
“Start treating your boss like a customer. Focus on influencing up the same positive way you focus on influencing others.”
“I ask myself one question: Am I better off or worse off because of having this person in my life? (I call this the Ronald Reagan Question, because he won the presidency in 1980 by asking voters, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”)”
“But there’s something we haven’t brought up yet and it may be the most critical piece of advice within these pages: You should not feel obligated to do any of this alone! If you want to improve your performance at almost anything, your odds of success improve considerably the moment you enlist someone else to help you.”
“At the end of each day, Jim asks me seventeen questions (the number has changed over time as my goals shift between maintaining my body weight and being nicer to my family). Each question has to be answered with a yes, no, or a number. I record the results on an Excel spreadsheet and at the end of the week get an assessment of how well I’m sticking to my objectives.”
July 20, 2017
Decent book with half of it being an infomercial. Parts I got value out of
4 Components
- Identity
- Achievement
- Reputation &
- Acceptance
various tools and practices that help address each of these components
4 Pointless arguments we all have is illuminating
- Let me keep talking
- I had it rougher than you
- Why did you do that
- It's not fair
4 Components
- Identity
- Achievement
- Reputation &
- Acceptance
various tools and practices that help address each of these components
4 Pointless arguments we all have is illuminating
- Let me keep talking
- I had it rougher than you
- Why did you do that
- It's not fair
May 10, 2019
MOJO is chock full of strategies that will help you to achieve a higher level of success in business and life! Marshall Goldsmith is a "coaches coach"! In this book he tells: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If you Lose it! Karen Briscoe, author and podcast host 5 Minute Success
October 27, 2023
It’s one of those books that you fill with sticky notes and highlights because you have to go back and read this sentence or that recommendation or that example once again. I genuinely enjoyed every word.
May 18, 2011
This is one of those books that spoke to me while lingering in the bookstore. Granted that it's not hard for books to speak to me there. Putting me in a bookstore is like putting an alcoholic in a bar; we're both going to get something. But in this case I am glad that I listened. Having Mojo does not mean running on all cylinders all the time. Goldsmith defines Mojo as "that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside." He goes on to declare that "truly successful people have Mojo."
You could call this another one of those business self-help books for people looking to climb the corporate ladder. Although it could be used for that, this book applies just as well to the arena of life outside the office. Goldsmith's definition is not constricted to the workplace but is equally applicable in any aspect of life. He shows the reader how to measure it, and then he describes a number of tools in the "Mojo Toolbox". And he does it by sharing stories from his years of experience as a professional organizational behavior consultant.
This is the real value this book held for me. One of his stories was about meeting Bono of U2 fame. I had always believed that performers should keep their politics to themselves when performing, but Goldsmith's account of meeting Bono made me think about changing my mind. His portrayal of the man as authentic and sincere in his belief convinced me that we should never hide who we are to the world, whether in person or in our art.
I also learned a number of things about myself through learning how to get and keep Mojo. For example, only the rare individual achieves lasting change alone. We all need someone to provide us with a sense of accountability in order to break the path of inertia and make lasting changes. Most people are not even aware enough of themselves and their world in the present to make conscious choices for themselves; they simply let inertia carry them from one moment to the next. Truly successful people recognize their situation and then make conscious choices to correct themselves or their environment to achieve the desired results. And truly successful people know when to change themselves and when to change their environment.
Many of these thoughts have passed through my mind before, but for some reason it was not until I read them here in this book that they came together and coalesced. Goldsmith's concepts are very simple and straightforward, and yet they are also very powerful and profound. For example, "The Great Western Disease afflicts anyone who says or thinks the phrase, 'I'll be happy when . . .' And then fills in the blank . . . . The list of ways we can fill in the blanks here is endless -- as long as a listing of all human appetite and desire. But it's an illusion. When we get the million dollars, we're not satisfied; we want another million. When the kids are finally out of the house, we're not really 'free'; some other responsibility -- e.g., a sick parent -- soon demands our attention. When we lose twenty pounds, the achievement is fleeting; we quickly learn that it's even tougher to keep the pounds off. . . . The Great Western Disease is that we fixate on the future at the expense of enjoying the life we're living now."
We also think about adding things to our lives in order to improve them. On the other hand, Goldsmith promotes the power of subtraction. When we take away something big from our lives, we come to realize either just how much value we obtain from it or how long we could have been better off without it. And sometimes that subtraction can reshape our world in unimaginable ways.
I enjoyed Goldsmith's laid-back yet serious tone. It felt like I was sitting with him listening to him speak. And he engaged my mind. I thought seriously about what he offered and saw that some of what I was wasn't doing could actually help me if I started doing them. My favorite was the story of the man who rose through the ranks of his company without spending countless hours doing work! This man kept a strict schedule and consistently performed within the boundaries of that strict schedule. To do this meant that he forewent some of the sociality of his work world, so at first he was seen as a snob who was strict and serious. But because he was consistent in his performance, over time his reputation changed; he came to be seen as dependable and trustworthy because you always knew when he was around and he always delivered. That reputation helped him climb the ladder. I love that -- the story of a man who works smarter not harder and is rewarded with balance in his life and recognition in his career.
There's plenty more tools in Goldsmith's Mojo Toolkit, so I won't go through all of them here. But I will highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve any part of their career or their life. Goldsmith's observations and candid life stories combine to form a compelling case for the elements which support Mojo. Even for those who want nothing more than an interesting nonfiction read, I highly recommend this book.
You could call this another one of those business self-help books for people looking to climb the corporate ladder. Although it could be used for that, this book applies just as well to the arena of life outside the office. Goldsmith's definition is not constricted to the workplace but is equally applicable in any aspect of life. He shows the reader how to measure it, and then he describes a number of tools in the "Mojo Toolbox". And he does it by sharing stories from his years of experience as a professional organizational behavior consultant.
This is the real value this book held for me. One of his stories was about meeting Bono of U2 fame. I had always believed that performers should keep their politics to themselves when performing, but Goldsmith's account of meeting Bono made me think about changing my mind. His portrayal of the man as authentic and sincere in his belief convinced me that we should never hide who we are to the world, whether in person or in our art.
I also learned a number of things about myself through learning how to get and keep Mojo. For example, only the rare individual achieves lasting change alone. We all need someone to provide us with a sense of accountability in order to break the path of inertia and make lasting changes. Most people are not even aware enough of themselves and their world in the present to make conscious choices for themselves; they simply let inertia carry them from one moment to the next. Truly successful people recognize their situation and then make conscious choices to correct themselves or their environment to achieve the desired results. And truly successful people know when to change themselves and when to change their environment.
Many of these thoughts have passed through my mind before, but for some reason it was not until I read them here in this book that they came together and coalesced. Goldsmith's concepts are very simple and straightforward, and yet they are also very powerful and profound. For example, "The Great Western Disease afflicts anyone who says or thinks the phrase, 'I'll be happy when . . .' And then fills in the blank . . . . The list of ways we can fill in the blanks here is endless -- as long as a listing of all human appetite and desire. But it's an illusion. When we get the million dollars, we're not satisfied; we want another million. When the kids are finally out of the house, we're not really 'free'; some other responsibility -- e.g., a sick parent -- soon demands our attention. When we lose twenty pounds, the achievement is fleeting; we quickly learn that it's even tougher to keep the pounds off. . . . The Great Western Disease is that we fixate on the future at the expense of enjoying the life we're living now."
We also think about adding things to our lives in order to improve them. On the other hand, Goldsmith promotes the power of subtraction. When we take away something big from our lives, we come to realize either just how much value we obtain from it or how long we could have been better off without it. And sometimes that subtraction can reshape our world in unimaginable ways.
I enjoyed Goldsmith's laid-back yet serious tone. It felt like I was sitting with him listening to him speak. And he engaged my mind. I thought seriously about what he offered and saw that some of what I was wasn't doing could actually help me if I started doing them. My favorite was the story of the man who rose through the ranks of his company without spending countless hours doing work! This man kept a strict schedule and consistently performed within the boundaries of that strict schedule. To do this meant that he forewent some of the sociality of his work world, so at first he was seen as a snob who was strict and serious. But because he was consistent in his performance, over time his reputation changed; he came to be seen as dependable and trustworthy because you always knew when he was around and he always delivered. That reputation helped him climb the ladder. I love that -- the story of a man who works smarter not harder and is rewarded with balance in his life and recognition in his career.
There's plenty more tools in Goldsmith's Mojo Toolkit, so I won't go through all of them here. But I will highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve any part of their career or their life. Goldsmith's observations and candid life stories combine to form a compelling case for the elements which support Mojo. Even for those who want nothing more than an interesting nonfiction read, I highly recommend this book.
March 29, 2018
Some decent tips to help you hang in there.
July 2, 2018
Fascinating text, must read, gripping ... Give up stale habits on what you had and add on what must to proceed further.
October 25, 2018
Actually, 3.5 stars.
November 4, 2018
More than tips, this book is an eye opening and realistically harsh way to try to improve the amount of happiness in one's career.
May 12, 2019
4/5: In 2015, I attended one of Dr. Goldsmith's seminars in Sri Lanka. I bought a few of his books autographed by him. Interesting read. Is your MoJo in place?
June 9, 2019
Great book on how to get in and stay in a rhythm at work. Used a lot of great examples which really helped illustrate his points. Would recommend it!
August 12, 2019
Great book. Here is my reflection. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/got-my...
September 2, 2019
Relevant even a few years post publishing, and good for people at any stage of their career or life.
December 17, 2019
Incapable de le finir. J'ai l'impression de perdre mon temps avec cette lecture. C'est lent, prévisible et simple.
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