Are you a trigger-happy leader?

This article is part of the Contemporary leadership series

Are you a highly responsive person? Are you so easily triggered that you respond in an uninterrupted A to B sequence that leaves no breathing room for hesitation, reflection and choice?

How does a trigger actually work within us? Why do we respond seemingly without even thinking? Are there moving parts between the trigger and the behaviour? If so, what are they? And how can we gain access to them? As a leader, how we react to triggers is crucial. The more aware we are, the less likely it is that triggers will prompt hasty unthinking responses that lead to undesirable consequences.

In November 2015 Dr. Marshall Goldsmith was recognized as the #1 Leadership Thinker in the World and the top 5 Management Thinker at the Thinkers50 Award Ceremony in London. He was also selected as the #1 Executive Coach in the World by GlobalGurus.org, and one of the 10 Most Influential Management Thinkers in the World by Thinkers50 in both 2011 and 2013. In 2011 he was chosen as the World's Most Influential Leadership Thinker. Marshall was the highest rated executive coach on the Thinkers50 List in both 2011 and 2013. What Got You Here Won't Get You There was listed as a top ten business bestseller for 2013 by INC Magazine / 800 CEO Read (for the seventh consecutive year). Marshall's exciting new research on engagement is published in his newest book Triggers (Crown, 2015).