He was born March 20, 1949 in Valley Station, Louisville, Kentucky, United States and received a degree in mathematical economics from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1970. He then earned an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business in 1972, and a PhD from UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles, California in 1977.
From 1976 to 1980, Goldsmith was an assistant professor and then Associate Dean at Loyola Marymount University's College of Business. He currently teaches executive education at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. In 1977, he entered the field of management education after meeting Paul Hersey, and Goldsmith later co-founded the management education firm Keilty, Goldsmith and Company. He also later became a founding partner of the Marshall Goldsmith Group. As a coach he has worked with CEOs for about 150 companies.
According to ES Wibbeke and Sarah McArthur, Goldsmith was a pioneer in the use of 360-degree feedback. In 1996, Goldsmith co-edited his first book, The Leader of the Future. His books have been translated into 28 languages, and have been number one on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best sellers list. In 2012, Goldsmith was awarded The John E. Anderson Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest accolade for exceptional achievement that the UCLA Anderson School of Management bestows upon alumni.
Goldsmith lives in Rancho Santa Fe, California with his wife Lyda. He has a son and a daughter. Goldsmith has described himself as a "philosophical Buddhist."
