True North - Bill George (2007)

Bill George is a professor of management practice at the Harvard Business School.  Previously, he was the CEO of Medtronics, the leading medical technology company in the world.

True North deals with Authentic Leadership.  According to the author, the Authentic Leader integrates Purpose, Values, Relationships, Self-Discipline and Heart.  George uses the metaphor of a compass pointing to True North with "Self-Awareness" at its center and its anchor points being "Motivation," "Support Team," "Integrated Life," and "Values and Principles."

George sees a tremendous vacuum in leadership today in all facets of society, which he believes is due to the notion that leadership only occurs at the top of an organization.  George contends that true leadership can and should occur at all levels and that there are many very capable leaders at every level of an organization.  In fact, the key to a successful organization, the author states, is to have leaders at every level, even those with no direct supervisory responsibility.

George describes the "Journey to Authentic Leadership" as having three distinct phases.  The first thirty years he calls "Preparing for Leadership."  This is comprised for education, studying, extracurricular activities and early work experiences.  The second thirty years (30-60) is the "Leading" phase.  The final phase is "Giving Back" when leaders share their knowledge and wisdom with others in many different organizations, while continuing to actively pursue their own learning.

The author describes five types of leaders who lose sight of their True North.  They are:

1. Glory Seekers - motivated by the acclaim of others.
2. Imposters - who lack self-awareness and self-esteem.
3. Rationalizers - who deviate from their values and attempt to justify doing so.
4. Loners - who fail to build personal support structures
5. Shooting Stars - who lack the grounding of an integrated life.

Quote: "The role of leaders is not to get others to follow them but to empower others to lead."
Quote: "Leadership principles are values translated into action."
Quote: "No one achieves anything brilliant by mitigating their weaknesses." - Alice Woodwark (Consultant at McKinsey).

George also describes six Leadership Styles:

1. Directive Leaders - demand compliance and obedience with rules.
2. Engaged Leaders - mobilize people around shared purpose and values.
3. Coaching Leaders - develop people for leadership roles.
4. Consensus Leders - Build agreement through participation.
5. Affiliative Leaders - Create emotional bonds and harmony.
6. Expert Leaders - Expect competence and self-direction.