True North : Discover Your Authentic Leadership

by Bill George (Minneapolis, Minnesota); With: Peter Sims; Foreword by: David Gergen

• ISBN13: 9780470893951
• ISBN10: 0470893958
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2010-06-01
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

True North shows how anyone who follows their internal compass can become an authentic leader. This leadership tour de force is based on research and first-person interviews with 125 of today's top leaders-with some surprising results. In this important book, acclaimed former Medtronic CEO Bill George and coauthor Peter Sims share the wisdom of these outstanding leaders and describe how you can develop as an authentic leader. True North presents a concrete and comprehensive program for leadership success and shows how to create your own Personal Leadership Development Plan centered on five key areas: Knowing your authentic self Defining your values and leadership principles Understanding your motivations Building your support team Staying grounded by integrating all aspects of your life True North offers an opportunity for anyone to transform their leadership path and become the authentic leader they were born to be. Personal, original, and illuminating stories from Warren Bennis, Sir Adrian Cadbury, George Shultz (former U.S. secretary of state), Charles Schwab, John Whitehead (Cochairman, Goldman Sachs), Anne Mulcahy (CEO, Xerox), Howard Schultz (CEO, Starbucks), Dan Vasella (CEO, Novartis), John Brennan (Chairman, Vanguard), Carol Tome (CFO, Home Depot), Donna Dubinsky (CEO/cofounder, Palm), Alan Horn (President, Warner Brothers), Ann Moore (CEO, Time, Inc.) and many others illustrate the transitions that shape the type of leaders who will thrive in the 21st century. Bill George (Cambridge, MA) has spent over 30 years in executive leadership positions at Litton, Honeywell, and Medtronic. As CEO of Medtronic, he built the company into the world's leading medical technology company as its market capitalization increased from $1.1 billion to $60 billion. Since 2004, he has been a professor at the Harvard Business School. His 2004 book Authentic Leadership (0-7879-7528-1) was a BusinessWeek bestseller. Peter Sims (San Francisco, CA) established "Leadership Perspectives," a course on leadership development at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and cofounded the London office of Summit Partners, a leading investment firm. Their Web site is www.truenorthleaders.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

The Authors

Editor's Note

Foreword

Introduction: True North

Leadership Is a Journey

The Journey to Authentic Leadership

Why Leaders Lose Their Way

Transformation From "I" to "We."

Discover Your Authentic Leadership

Knowing Your Authentic Self

Practicing Your Values and Principles

What Motivates You to Be a Leader?

Building Your Support Team

Staying Grounded: Integrating Your Life

Empowering People to Lead

Leadership with Purpose and Passion

Empowering People to Lead

Honing Your Leadership Effectiveness

Epilogue: The Fulfillment of Leadership

Appendixes

Research Study on Development of Authentic Leaders

Authentic Leaders Interviewed for True North

Leadership Exercises for Each Chapter

References

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.