Bill George on Authentic (True North) Leadership

Today we had the privilege of Q/A with Bill George, Harvard professor, former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic, current director to ExxonMobil, Goldman-Sachs, and the Carnegie Endowment, and author of the business best-sellers Finding Your True North and Authentic Leadership.

Here are some highlights from this discussion.

Command and Control Leadership is dead, or it should be.

·        Your subordinates know (or should know) more than you.

·        People want a chance to make a difference.

·        People are motivated by meaning.

To Achieve Values-Centered Leadership (True North Leadership in his book):

·          Align people around the mission and values of the company.

·          Empower people to step up and lead.

·          Serve customers and employees (and in doing so, you will be serving your shareholders).

·          Collaborate within your organization and with other organizations.

Leaders are not perfect.  Admitting mistakes is a two-way street.  Leaders cannot get buy-in without honesty.

His 7 Lessons for Leading in a Crisis:

1.      Face reality, starting with yourself (admit your mistakes)

2.      Don’t be Atlas, get the world off your shoulders (share the load with your team)

3.      Dig deep for the root cause (don’t blame others)

4.      Get ready for the long haul (it won’t be easy or simple)

5.      Never waste a good crisis (it is easier to drive change then)

6.      You’re in the spotlight, follow true north (this is your chance to demonstrate your values)

7.      Go on the offense – focus on winning now (see the crisis as an opportunity)