ABOUT THEEDITORS xvIt is fortunate that in this very global world, Phil is comfortable with
working and coaching in international settings. Phil has coached leaders,
leadership teams, and organizations in more than 25 countries. His own ex-
perience of living, learning languages, and working abroad for seven years
has made him comfortable in multinational settings. He is one of the few ex-
ecutive coaches who has the experience of working with and coaching lead-
ers and leadership teams in Asia, North and South America, Europe, and
the Middle East.
One of the reasons Phil connects so well with senior leaders is they re-
spect the fact that he founded and leads a global company with offices
throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Linkage, Inc., the company
that Phil started (and the company that is the Research Sponsor for this
book), has achieved noteworthy success, including appearing twice on the
Inc. 500, a list of the fastest growing private companies in America. Phil
knows what it’s like to be responsible for revenue, profits, and people man-
agement. This has resulted in Phil’s very practical and down-to-earth style.
He believes in getting right at issues by creating blueprints for change and
providing tools and techniques to get to the next level.
Phil is the president and CEO of Linkage. Along with leadership expert
Warren Bennis, he also serves as cochair of the Global Institute for Leader-
ship Development, which has trained and developed over 4,000 leaders from
around the world. He has authored original research on emerging global lead-
ers, leadership development, change management, and communications, and
has written over 20 articles for magazines and journals.
Phil is a frequent speaker at public and in-house conferences, seminars,
and programs around the globe. Since 1995, he has spoken at more than 400
such events. His business experience, strategic thinking, and teaching pro-
vide competitive advantage to meetings and real value to participants. He is
also an expert on helping organizations work through difficult issues with
teams during troubled times or in periods of rapid change, such as mergers
and acquisitions.
Phil received three advanced degrees from Harvard University and a
bachelor ’s degree from Merrimack College. He lives in Concord, Massachu-
setts, and has raised three sons (Matt, 32; Chris, 29; and John, 22).
Marshall Goldsmith In the past few years, Marshall’s work has been fea-
tured in a New Yorkerprofile, a Harvard Business Reviewinterview, and a
Business Strategy Reviewcover story (from the London Business School).
Each of these publications described his distinctly creative approach to lead-
ership development, a process that has helped thousands of leaders achieve