5 insights from a classic leadership book by an executive coach who's helped over 150 CEOs

Author Marshall Goldsmith, a top executive coach who's worked with more than 150 CEOs and been named multiple times to the Thinkers50 list of influential management thinkers, published the bestselling book with Mark Reiter in 2007. His goal was to help managers at all levels pinpoint exactly which behaviors they need to change and how to do it.

The thrust is that just because you've been able to get by with your counterproductive habits doesn't mean you'll be able to reach the top of your field with those same tendencies.

If you're set on progressing in your career, you've got to commit yourself to a course of personal development, which will likely be as uncomfortable as it is rewarding.

Below, Business Insider breaks down the book's five most important insights on becoming an effective leader: