Bill George - Businessman, Author & Harvard Professor | True North: A Clarion Call to Emerging Leaders - Step Up and Lead Now!

Bill George is a senior fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of four best-selling books: 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, True North, Finding Your True North, and Authentic Leadership, as well as True North Groups. His newest book, Discover Your True North, was published in August of 2015 along with its companion workbook, The Discover Your True North Fieldbook.Mr. George is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic. He joined Medtronic in 1989 as president and chief operating officer, was a chief executive officer from 1991-2001, and was board chair from 1996-2002. Earlier in his career, he was a senior executive with Honeywell and Litton Industries and served in the U.S. Department of Defense.Mr. George currently serves as a director of Goldman Sachs and The Mayo Clinic. He has recently served on the boards of ExxonMobil, Novartis, Target Corporation, and Minnesota’s Destination Medical Center Corporation. He is currently a trustee of the World Economic Forum USA. He has served as board chair for Allina Health System, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, United Way of the Greater Twin Cities, and Advamed.

➡️ Talking Points

00:00 — Intro

01:45 — Bill George's origin story

04:33 — How many people pursue careers that they’re not fulfilled or happy with?

06:24 — The concept of True North

10:49 — How to effectively action authentic leadership in an organization

12:28 — Leading an organization 30 years back vs now

15:24 — How and when should a leader take a stand?

17:32 — When should a CEO take a social stand?

20:10 — Advice for people who want to expand their business overseas

22:35 — Bill George on leading without True North

24:57 — What is Mark Zuckerberg trying to accomplish as a leader?

27:05 — Is there a place for a leader to be charismatic?

31:05 — Challenges leaders are going to experience in the next ten years

34:29 — What businesses are actually making a difference in the world?

35:56 — What can the new generation of leaders learn from the last generation of leaders?

37:57 — Advice for emerging leaders

39:41 — Where can people connect with Bill George?

40:47 — What does success mean to Bill George?