What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

Expressions

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1. He saw that he was operating under a bogus assumption that what was good for him was good for everyone else.

bogus: [ˈbəʊgəs] 伪造的；假的 

bogus insurance claims

a bogus doctor/ contract

He said these figures were bogus and totally inaccurate.

2. Making people understand the company's mission and vision doesn't happen by fiat, or by memo.

fiat:[ˈfi:æt] an official order given by sb in authority, （当权者的）法令；命令

Fiat也是意大利汽车制造公司菲亚特（世界十大汽车公司之一）的名字。该公司旗下品牌包括玛莎拉蒂、法拉利。

3. In a perfect world, every command is not only obeyed, but obeyed precisely and promptly, almost as if it were a fait accompli. 

fait accompli: [ˌfeɪt əˈkɒmpli:] （法）既成事实 sth that has already happened or been done and cannot be changed.

复数： fait accomplis

4. Maybe their ego can't fathom that their orders might not be strictly followed.

fathom: to understand or find an explanation for sth

fathom sb/sth (out); fathom (out) what/ where/ that etc.

It is hard to fathom the pain felt at the death of a child.

He couldn't fathom out what the man could possibly mean.

5. The entrepreneur liked the writer, but wanted to change his cavalier attitude toward deadlines.

cavalier:  [ˌkævəˈlɪə(r)] 骑士；对女人彬彬有礼的绅士

cavalier attitude: not caring enough about rules, principles, or people's feelings 随便的或傲慢的态度

The government takes a cavalier attitude to the problems of prison overcrowding,

6. Four years later he moved to the Texas Ranger for the staggering salary of $25 million a year.

staggering: astonishing

stagger: (v.) 1. 踉跄；摇摇晃晃地走; 也可以指抽象意义上的困难、举步维艰

The old man staggered drunkenly to his feet.

The company is staggering under the weight of a $10m debt.

2. stagger sb: to shock or surprise sb very much

Her remarks staggered me.

It staggers me that the government is doing nothing about it.

7. Your initial response is to question the employee's loyalty, to regard him or her as ingrate and traitor?

ingrate: (n.) an ungrateful person 忘恩负义的人

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief, that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

8. No managers should be taken aback by employees who are looking out for themselves.

be taken aback: to be very surprised about sth

Emma was somewhat taken aback by his directness.

9. It's a relatively easy problem to handle if you can beat the employees to the punch.

beat sb/sth to the punch: informal, to do or get something before anyone else does

Hitachi has beaten its competitors to the punch with its new palmtop(掌上电脑).

10. They seem themselves as fungible assets -- no longer at the mercy of company whim -- rather than dispensable commodities.

fungible: ['fʌndʒəbəl] 可互换的；可替代的 of goods or commodities; freely exchangeable for or replaceable by another of like nature or kind in the satisfaction of an obligation

This would be a completely independent, floating currency not fungible with the CNY.

11. They are impervious to my particular ministrations.

impervious:  [ɪmˈpɜ:viəs] 1. 不可渗透的，不透气的，不透水的

an impervious rock/ layer

2. not affected or influenced by sth 不受影响的

His ego was impervious to self-doubt.

impervious to criticism/ pain

很形象也很常见的一个词，但是经常想不起来用。特意mark一下。

12. But he had another surprise in store for me.

in store (for sb): if sth unexpected such as a surprise or problem is in store for sb, it is about to happen to them

There's a real treat in store for you this Christmas!

As we left, I wondered what the future held in store.

13. If some people think your vision of a well-lived life is a bit goofy or offbeat, who cares?

goofy: silly, stupid

A goofy grin spread across her face when she saw the card.

offbeat: unusual and not what people normally expect, especially in an interesting way 另类的；不寻常的

offbeat humor

She's a little offbeat, but she's a wonderful actress.

Sentences

The answers were never about money. They were always about happiness, relationships, following dreams, and meaning. When my friend asked people on their deathbeds what was important to them, they gave exactly the same answers as the high-potential leaders I interviewed.

Use that wisdom now. Don't look ahead. Look behind. Look back from your old age at the life you hope to live. Know that you need to be happy now, to enjoy your friends and family, to follow your dreams.

You are here.

You can get there!

Let the journey begin.