Tweet

BOOK REVIEW: True North: Discover your Authentic Leadership (By Bill George with Peter Sims, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007 ISBN #978-0-7879-8751-0)

Written by: Ian Cook

Article Overview: How do you become and remain an authentic leader? Author Bill George tracks a number of remarkable leaders who have a number of things in common. They experienced what he calls a "crucible," a significant event or challenging situation earlier in life that set them on their purpose, and primarily, they successfully made the mindset transition from "I" to "WE," dedicating themselves to a deeper cause beyond their own self-interest. This is the "True North" compass setting, the source of authenticity. Provocative food for thought for all leaders.

BOOK REVIEW: True North: Discover your Authentic Leadership (By Bill George with Peter Sims, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007 ISBN #978-0-7879-8751-0)

How do you become and remain an authentic leader?

This was the question Bill George posed in his in-depth study of 125 leaders drawn from corporations to not-for-profits, to the arenas of politics and academia. George was CEO and then Chairman, from 1990 to 2002, of Medtronic, a world class medical technology company. In this review I want to shine a light on three elements from this book that constitute valuable perspectives for managers.

The Crucible

His research revealed an interesting common theme. Most of these successful leaders had been powerfully impacted by what he called a “crucible,” a signal event or challenging situation in their lives that set them on a clear path of purpose. For example,

• Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, saw his father lose his job as a delivery driver because he broke his ankle. Schultz strove to build a company that treated its employees well, with solid health benefits to boot.
• Ellen Breyer, CEO of the Hazeldon Foundation, a chemical dependency treatment organization–watched her father die from alcoholism.
• Oprah Winfrey had her epiphany right on her TV show. While interviewing a victim of childhood sexual abuse, Winfrey’s memories of her own abuse flooded out and, for the first time, she realized that she was not to blame. She shed her heretofore deeply ingrained “pleaser” approach to life and obsession with personal success. She discovered her broader mission: to empower people–especially women–all over the world.

The Journey

Of course, after their crucible experiences, George’s leaders did not suddenly turn into the effective individuals they are today. But their experiences did set them off on a journey. This voyage took them from what the author calls “I to WE.” For Nelson Mandela, it was during his long incarceration on Robbins Island when he realized that his leadership purpose, his “True North,” was not about the “I” of getting people to follow him but rather the “WE” of reconciliation for South Africa.

This journey leaders take has three phases:

Phase I, typically up to roughly age 30, is where we experiment with our style and learn the fundamental lessons about leading–and following–upon which our later success is built. A key lesson here, says George, is that leadership is not about amassing a bunch of followers who will support our glorious ascension to the peaks of power. Rather it is about empowering others on their journeys.

In Phase II, from about 30 to 60 years of age, we deliver our best and most active leadership. We are in our prime, having prepared ourselves to step forward and do some significant leading in whatever arena we choose or find ourselves in.

Phase III has us really giving back: coaching, mentoring and encouraging other leaders, serving on boards of not-for-profit organizations, and the like. This “I to WE” journey strikes me as the single most significant point in the book. It mirrors what most research in leadership and adult development has been discovering over the last forty years. A unit’s level of performance takes a quantum leap when the leader makes this shift in purpose.

Isn’t it ironic that the “hero’s journey” that a leader takes from “I” to “WE” culminates in a higher state of development where he realizes that it’s not about being a hero at all!

This seductive idea of being the hero can easily engulf a leader, unless she has a solid sense of her “True North,” the deeper purpose–beyond her own self-interest–that she is serving. When you think about it, this is true about all of life, not just leadership. The level of adult development of a leader, however, has a much greater impact–positive or negative–than that of most individual contributors.

The Internal Compass

Since Bill George uses the metaphor of compass direction, it comes as no surprise that he provides a compass to keep us focused on our own True North. From among the comments he makes about each of his five compass points, the following seem particularly worth emphasizing:

Self-Awareness. This is the foundation element in Daniel Goleman’s model of Emotional Intelligence. One doesn’t typically become self-aware, if ever, until middle age. But, without knowing yourself, it is difficult to know to what extent you are motivated by external symbols of success vs. deeper accomplishments beyond your own benefit.

Values & Principles. We don’t know our true values for certain until we are tested under pressure in life and are faced with making trade-offs between conflicting values. Until then, our espoused values are just words and honorable intentions.

Integrated Life. Become too focused on work, without regular exposure to family, friends, community, and so forth, and you risk losing touch with your deeper humanity and taking your leader self way too seriously. It’s not about absolute, equal, work-life balance. There are times when you have to shift into excessive work mode. Just make sure that, over the course of your career, you are experiencing and engaging fully in the personal side of your life.

Support Team. Helps keep you grounded. It can include family, friends, work colleagues, mentors, etc.

Motivations. The key, says George, is not to reject extrinsic motivators, such as money or fame or influence, but rather to balance these with deeper, internal goals.

So, why this book and what does it bring to managers at all levels?

The leaders whom Bill George interviewed and who have achieved leadership success all have some degree of journey behind them. They all are the product of their respective life stories.

Whether you are a supervisor, manager or even an informal leader, you too have lived and continue to live your own story. What events or situations have occurred in your life that shape your values and might help you identify a purpose as a leader? Or, at this stage in your career, do you in fact have a purpose bigger than what you will get if you hit your performance targets? Is managing people just a “job” to you? Or, is it more?

If you see yourself as a “leader” and want to develop into an even better one with a “True North” to guide you, these questions are worth posing periodically.

Related Articles
  CEO Speak Out
  Attracting Holding Good Trade Show Traffic
  Blogging
  Ten Characteristics of Leadership
  Leadership Essentials

Article Tags: authentic leader, bill george, leadership, leadership development, true north
Referred by: http://upwardaction.com



Related Forum Posts
Top 19 Copywriting books - 1. Ogilvy on Advertising. David Ogilvy. Wiley. 2. Positioning: The Battle for your Mind. Al Ries and Jack Trout. Warner. 3. The New Positioning. Jack Trout. McGraw-Hill. 4. Tested Advertising Methods. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 5. How to Make your Advertising Make Money. John Caples. Prentice-Hall. 6. Guerrilla Advertising. Jay Conrad Levinson. Houghton Mifflin. 7. Direct Mail Copy that Sells. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 8. Sales Letters that Sizzle. Herschell Gordon Lewis. NTC Business Books. 9. Herschell Gordon Lewis on the Art of Writing Copy. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Prentice-Hall. 10. Romancing the Brand. David Martin. American Management Association. 11. The Art of Writing Advertising: Conversations with William Bernbach, Leo Burnett, George Gribbin, David Ogilvy, Rosser Reeves. NTC Business Books. 12. Confessions of an Advertising Man. David Ogilvy. NTC Business Books. 13. My Life in Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 14. Scientific Advertising. Claude Hopkins. NTC Business Books. 15. How to Become an Advertising Man. James Webb Young. NTC Business Books. 16. The Lasker Story as He Told It. NTC Business Books. 17. Advertising Concept and Copy. George Felton. Prentice Hall. 18. The Copy WorkShop Workbook. Bruce Bendinger. The Copy Workshop. 19. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads. Luke Sullivan. Wiley. This should keep you busy for at least a year. Enjoy!
Help me with my Publishing Empire - I'm currently compiling an ebook from the various articles I've written for my webzine, The Thunder Child. I'm not sure how many pages it's going to be.... But I've got a question. In doing research, I found a website that says if I want to sell my book online, I need to have an ISBN number, and it costs $225 (at the present moment) for 10 numbers. That's no problem... But, do I really need an ISBN number at all? I plan to take money via Paypal, and sell the book from my website and perhaps offer it for sale on Ebay. If it's less than a certain number of pages.... is an ISBN necessary? Or should I just get an ISBN regardless? I do intend to publish several more ebooks in the coming years....
Re: Help me with my Publishing Empire - [quote="OmnivoreInk":34mnyf36]I'm currently compiling an ebook from the various articles I've written for my webzine, The Thunder Child. I'm not sure how many pages it's going to be.... But I've got a question. In doing research, I found a website that says if I want to sell my book online, I need to have an ISBN number, and it costs $225 (at the present moment) for 10 numbers. That's no problem... But, do I really need an ISBN number at all? I plan to take money via Paypal, and sell the book from my website and perhaps offer it for sale on Ebay. If it's less than a certain number of pages.... is an ISBN necessary? Or should I just get an ISBN regardless? I do intend to publish several more ebooks in the coming years....[/quote:34mnyf36] Hey Barabara If you plan to add it to the major ebook distribution sites like Mobipocket (then tranferred to the Amazon Kindle program with the proper agreement in place) and Fictionwise - then you need an ISBN. One side note (unless policy changed lately) you need to have 10 ebooks to start an account on Fictionwise. But, to sell it yourself on your site and eBay etc - its not necessary. If it hits the big time, you could always release the 2nd edition and add an ISBN, but at this point, I don't see you need one. I'm working on a few ebooks that I will offer the same way myself and have no plans to buy ISBN's. Only the ones my publishers release have them and they buy them in bulk. Shri
Re: HI, Peter from enRoute ads. Inc - Hi Peter Welcome to the forum John
Re: Question of the Week: Who is your favorite entrepreneur of a - Great feedback Peter. I did a Facebook poll and Bill Gates was the #1 pick!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The Neglected Art of Receiving

Life is a Balancing Act!

How To Calculate A Minimum Fee For Your Services

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.