Modern Achievement: A New Approach to Timeless Lessons for Aspiring Leaders

“Marshall and Asheesh are the right people at the right time to tackle the important work of modernizing the definition of achievement. This book is a must-read and destined to be a modern classic.”—Dr. Jim Yong Kim, twelfth president, World Bank

Today’s aspiring leaders are redefining achievement. They understand achievement as a process for individual empowerment—discovering who they are, where they want to go, and how they want to change themselves and the world around them. That world is more global, decentralized, dynamic, and diverse than ever before. Rather than just setting goals for achievement, today’s graduates are focusing on the process of achieving goals, resetting and pivoting to face new realities, and finding happiness in the journey.

Classic books on achievement like those by Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy, and Stephen Covey were written for a much different world. Today’s young leaders need a fresh approach for achieving success in their lives and careers. Enter Asheesh Advani and Marshall Goldsmith.

In Modern Achievement, JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide CEO Asheesh Advani and celebrated leadership expert Marshall Goldsmith (author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There) offer thirty actionable lessons for personal and career success. Each lesson is part of an innovative Fixed-Flexible-Freestyle leadership framework that helped Advani to lead JA Worldwide and propel the organization to annual recognition as one of the top 10 NGOs in the world.

Using vivid storytelling from the lives of Advani and Goldsmith as well as established leaders and young achievers they have met, Modern Achievement empowers emerging leaders to claim their individual power to grow, achieve, and lead others.

Asheesh Advani is the CEO of JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide, one of the largest NGOs in the world dedicated to preparing youth for employment and entrepreneurship. During his leadership tenure, JA Worldwide has been selected annually as one of the top 10 social good organizations in the world and been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Advani is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having led two venture-backed businesses from start-up to acquisition. He is an in-demand speaker and regular contributor at major conferences, having served as a panelist or moderator at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, the Young Presidents Organization, and Fortune 500 corporate gatherings.

Marshall Goldsmith is the founder of the Marshall Goldsmith Group and 100 Coaches. The inaugural winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School and a Thinkers50 Management Hall of Fame inductee, he has advised more than 200 major CEOs and their management teams. He is the author or editor of more than thirty-five books, including the classic New York Times bestseller What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

Ayse (pronounced eye-shay) Birsel is an award-winning industrial designer, speaker, author, and coach. In 2017, she was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, and Interior Design recognized her in 2020 with their Best of Year Product Designer award. Her work can be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. She is also the author of Design the Life You Love and Design the LONG Life You Love.