Discover Your True North is the best-selling leadership classic that enables you to become an authentic leader by discovering your True North. Originally based on first-person interviews with 125 leaders, this book instantly became a must-read business classic when it was introduced in 2007. Now expanded and updated to introduce 48 new leaders and new learning about authentic global leaders, this revisited classic includes more diverse, global, and contemporary leaders of all ages. New case studies include Warren Buffett, Indra Nooyi, Arianna Huffington, Jack Ma, Paul Polman, Mike Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, and many others. Alongside these studies, former Medtronic CEO Bill George continues to share his personal stories and his wisdom by describing how you can become the leader you want to be, with helpful exercises included throughout the book.
William W. George
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow
WILLIAM W. GEORGE
Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Medtronic
Author of Discover Your True North
Bill George is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School, and is the former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic. He is the author of: Discover Your True North and The Discover Your True North Fieldbook, Authentic Leadership, True North, Finding Your True North, 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis and True North Groups. Bill currently serves as a director for the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities. Previously he has served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, The Mayo Clinic, Target, Novartis and The World Economic Forum USA. In 2018, Bill was presented with the Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication by the Arthur W. Page Center. The Franklin Institute presented Bill with the Bower Award for Business Leadership in 2014. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012 and was named one of "Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years" by PBS. Mr. George received his BSIE with high honors from Georgia Tech, his MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar. He has received honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, Mayo Medical School, University of St. Thomas, Augsburg College, and Bryant University.
Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Medtronic
Author of Discover Your True North
Bill George is Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership as a Professor of Management Practice since 2004. He is the former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic and the author of Discover Your True North and its companion workbook, The Discover Your True North Fieldbook, as well as four best-selling books: Authentic Leadership; True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership; Finding Your True North; and 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis. Professor George created HBS’s “Authentic Leadership Development” course for MBAs and executive education as its “Leading Global Business” executive course.
He has served as a member of the board of directors of Goldman Sachs, Novartis, Target, ExxonMobil and the Mayo Clinic. He serves on the board of directors of YMCA of the North, Guthrie Theater as a lifetime director, and is co-chair of George Family Foundation. Previously, he was chair of Allina Health, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, Advamed, and Twin Cities United Way.
Mr. George received his BSIE with high honors from Georgia Tech and his MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar. He is a member of National Academy of Engineering and has received honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, Mayo Medical School, University of St. Thomas, Augsburg College, and Bryant University. During 2002-03 he was professor at IMD International and Ecole Polytechnique in Lausanne, Switzerland, and executive-in-residence at Yale School of Management.
He has been named one of the "Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years" by PBS. In 2014 he was awarded the prestigious Bower Award for Business Leadership by The Franklin Institute. He was recognized as "Executive of the Year-2001" by the Academy of Management and "Director of the Year-2001-02" by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
- Featured Work
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The Leadership Classic, Discover Your True North, expanded for today's leaders
- Books
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- Craig, Nick, Bill George, and Scott Snook. The Discover Your True North Fieldbook: A Personal Guide to Finding Your Authentic Leadership. Rev. and updated ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2015. View Details
- George, Bill, and Doug Baker. True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011. View Details
- George, William W. Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis. Warren Bennis Signature Series. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2009. (ISBN 978-0-470-53187-7.) View Details
- George, Bill, Andrew McLean, and Nick Craig. Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008. View Details
- George, William W. True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. (Wall Street Journal Best Seller List.) View Details
- George, William W. Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003. View Details
- Journal Articles
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- George, Bill. "The CEO's Guide to Retirement." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 6 (November–December 2019): 64–68. View Details
- George, Bill, and Jay W. Lorsch. "How to Outsmart Activist Investors." Harvard Business Review 92, no. 5 (May 2014): 88–95. View Details
- George, Bill. "Leaders' Character More Important Than Resumes." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (June 24, 2012). View Details
- George, Bill. "Developing Innovative Leaders." MWorld: The Journal of the American Management Association 11, no. 2 (Summer 2012): 6–9. View Details
- George, Bill. "Bill George: Speaking Out Against the Marriage Amendment." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (May 19, 2012). View Details
- George, Bill, and Jim Rogers. "Charlotte's Competitive Muscle." Charlotte Business Journal (May 11, 2012). View Details
- George, Bill. "Greatest Generation is Passing Local Leadership Torch." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (April 14, 2012). View Details
- Coleman, John, and William W. George. "Enhance Your Overseas Experience." Harvard Business Review Blogs (March 6, 2012). http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/03/enhance-your-overseas-experience/. View Details
- George, Bill. "A New Era for Global Leadership Development." Harvard Business Review Blogs (February 17, 2012). http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/02/a-new-era-for-global-leadershi/. View Details
- George, Bill. "What Minnesota can Learn from Germany." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (January 7, 2012). View Details
- George, Bill. "How IBM's Sam Palmisano Redefined the Global Corporation." Harvard Business Review Blogs (January 18, 2012). http://blogs.hbr.org/hbsfaculty/2012/01/how-ibms-sam-palmisano-redefin.html. View Details
- George, Bill. "What Minnesota Can Learn from Germany." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (January 7, 2012). View Details
- Coleman, John, and Bill George. "Five Resolutions for Aspiring Leaders." Harvard Business Review Blogs (December 31, 2011). http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/five_resolutions_for_aspiring.html. View Details
- George, Bill. "True North Groups: Leadership Development for the 21st Century." Public Management (PM) Magazine (December 31, 2011). View Details
- George, Bill. "Extraordinary Collaboration Can Rebuild Minnesota Miracle." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (November 19, 2011). View Details
- George, Bill. "Group Therapy for Executives." Fortune (November 16, 2011). View Details
- George, Bill. "The Power of Leadership Groups for Staying on Track." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (September 6, 2011). View Details
- George, Bill. "Becoming a Collaborative Leader." MWorld: The Journal of the American Management Association 10, no. 3 (fall 2011). (Commentary.) View Details
- George, Bill. "Why Leaders Lose Their Way." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (June 6, 2011). View Details
- George, Bill. "Take a Close Look at the New Generation of Corporate Leaders." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (May 16, 2011). View Details
- George, Bill. "Gregg Steinhafel Has Faced Up to Many Challenges as Target CEO." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (December 5, 2010). View Details
- George, William W. "Mindful Leadership." European Financial Review (November–December 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "The Economist Debate: Obama and Business." Economist (October 10, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Coming Home to Minnesota." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (October 10, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "It's Time for Obama 2.0." New York Times (October 8, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Authentic Leaders." Leadership Excellence 27, no. 10 (October 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Executive Pay: Rebuilding Trust in an Era of Rage." Bloomberg Businessweek (September 13, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Mindful Leadership: When East Meets West." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (September 8, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "It's Time to Invest in America." New York Times (August 9, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Win Wallin: An Authentic Leader in our Midst." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (August 8, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Great Leaders Forge the Way to Win-Win Solutions for all Parties." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (July 3, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Can Biotech Survive Icahn." New York Times (June 3, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Collaboration Necessary for Positive Change." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (May 16, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "The New 21st Century Leaders." Harvard Business Review Blogs (April 30, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Passage of U.S. Healthcare Reform Legislation." Harvard Business School Newsroom (March 23, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Time to Transform State's Health Care." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (March 7, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "A Golden Opportunity for Ford and GM." Views on News. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (March 1, 2010). View Details
- George, William, and Charles R. Denham, MD. "Leading in Crisis: Lessons for Safety Leaders." Journal of Patient Safety 6, no. 1 (March 2010): 24–30. View Details
- George, William. "Tragedy at Toyota: How Not to Lead in Crisis." Views on News. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (February 22, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Leadership's Lost Decade." Wall Street Journal (February 3, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "An Agenda Disrupted: Obama after Year One." Bloomberg Businessweek (January 26, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Revisiting the Rights and Responsibilities of Business." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (January 15, 2010). View Details
- George, Bill. "Bezos, Chambers Provide Model for Leaders after Crisis." Management. Wall Street Journal (online) (January 7, 2010). View Details
- George, William W. "Innovation Can Unlock Job Growth." New York Times (December 1, 2009). View Details
- George, William W. "Eboo Patel: Obama Faith Advisor Preaches Religious Tolerance." U.S. News & World Report (October 22, 2009). View Details
- George, William W. "Rays of Hope at General Motors." Business Week (October 2, 2009). View Details
- George, Bill. "Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis." Wall Street Journal (February 24, 2009). View Details
- George, Bill. "A New Makeover for an Old Retail Face." U.S. News & World Report (November 12, 2007). View Details
- George, Bill, and Andrew N. McLean. "Why Leaders Lose Their Way." Strategy & Leadership 35, no. 3 (April 2007). View Details
- George, William W. "What Is Your True North?" Fortune 155, no. 5 (March 19, 2007). View Details
- George, Bill, and Andrew N. McLean. "The Transformation from 'I' to 'We'." Leader to Leader, no. 44 (Spring 2007). View Details
- George, Bill, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer. "Discovering Your Authentic Leadership." Harvard Business Review 85, no. 2 (February 2007). View Details
- George, Bill. "Truly Authentic Leadership." U.S. News & World Report (October 30, 2006), 52–54. View Details
- George, Bill. "The Master Gives It Back." U.S. News & World Report (October 30, 2006), 66–68. View Details
- George, William W. "Waking Up a Sleeping Company." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (April 12, 2004). View Details
- George, William W. "Values Drive Performance." Executive Excellence (March 2004). View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership Is Authentic." Costco Connection (March 2004). View Details
- George, William W. "Find Your Voice." Harvard Business Review 82, no. 1 (January 2004): 35. View Details
- George, Bill. "The Journey to Authenticity." Leader to Leader, no. 31 (Winter 2004). View Details
- George, William W. "Meditate On It." Harvard Business Review 82, no. 1 (January 2004). View Details
- George, William W. "Becoming an Authentic Leader." Innovative Leader (January 2004). View Details
- George, Bill. "Wanted: Authentic Leaders." Wall Street Journal (December 16, 2003), Section B, Page 2. View Details
- George, William W. "Authentic Leaders Needed to Restore Trust." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (December 15, 2003). View Details
- George, Bill. "Taking Charge: Vision and Heart." Chief Executive 194 (December 2003): 30–32. View Details
- George, William W. "Seven Deadly Sins: Avoid These Pitfalls to Growth." Executive Excellence (December 2003). View Details
- George, Bill. "Restoring Trust at the NYSE." Chief Executive 193 (November 2003): 20. View Details
- George, William W. "Shareholders Come Third." Strategy & Leadership (November 2003). View Details
- George, William W. "Authentic Leaders: Devote Yourself to a Cause." Executive Excellence (October 2003): 6–7. View Details
- George, William W. "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" European Business Forum, no. 15 (autumn 2003). View Details
- George, Bill. "Why It's Hard To Do What's Right." Fortune 148, no. 6 (September 29, 2003): 95–100. View Details
- George, William W. "Authentic Leaders 'Get' Governance." Directorship 29, no. 8 (September 2003). View Details
- George, William W. "If Only We Had Listened." Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (July 27, 2003). View Details
- George, William W. "The Need for Improved Corporate Governance." Corporate Board (January–February 2003). View Details
- George, William W. "Imbalance of Power." Harvard Business Review 80, no. 7 (July 2002). View Details
- George, William W. "Restoring the Governance Balance." Director's Monthly (July 2002). View Details
- George, William W. "How Mission-Driven Companies Create Long-Term Shareholder Value." Academy of Management Executive 15, no. 4 (November 2001). View Details
- George, William W. "Mission Driven, Values Centered." Executive Excellence (August 1999). View Details
- George, William W. "Task Teams for Rapid Growth." Harvard Business Review 55, no. 2 (March–April 1977). View Details
- Book Chapters
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- George, Bill. "Authentic Leadership Development." In The Handbook for Teaching Leadership: Knowing, Doing, and Being, edited by Scott Snook, Nitin Nohria, and Rakesh Khurana, 313–328. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2011. View Details
- George, William W. "Transformational Leadership." Chap. 4 in Enterprise Transformation, edited by William Rouse, 69–77. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. View Details
- George, William W. "Whither Governance: Process or People?" In Leadership and Governance from the Inside Out, edited by Robert Gandossy and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004. View Details
- Cases and Teaching Materials
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- George, William W., Hubert Joly, and Amram Migdal. "When Should CEOs Speak Out Publicly? The 2021 Georgia Voting Law." Harvard Business School Case 322-015, March 2022. (Revised May 2022.) View Details
- George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Best Buy's Corie Barry: Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic." Harvard Business School Case 321-073, January 2021. (Revised January 2021.) View Details
- George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "What Went Wrong with Boeing’s 737 Max? (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 321-001, January 2021. View Details
- George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "What Went Wrong with Boeing's 737 Max?" Harvard Business School Case 320-104, June 2020. (Revised October 2020.) View Details
- George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Facebook Confronts a Crisis of Trust." Harvard Business School Case 318-145, June 2018. (Revised June 2018.) View Details
- George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: Unilever and the Kraft Heinz Takeover Bid (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 317-128, May 2017. View Details
- George, William W., and Amram Migdal. "Battle for the Soul of Capitalism: Unilever and the Kraft Heinz Takeover Bid (A)." Harvard Business School Case 317-127, May 2017. View Details
- George, William W., and Monica Baraldi. "Medtronic: Making the Big Leap Forward (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 317-074, January 2017. View Details
- George, William W., and Monica Baraldi. "Medtronic: Making the Big Leap Forward (A)." Harvard Business School Case 317-031, January 2017. View Details
- George, William W., Carin-Isabel Knoop, and Amram Migdal. "Royal DSM: From Continuous Transformation to Organic Growth." Harvard Business School Case 317-063, January 2017. (Revised March 2017.) View Details
- George, William W. "The Battle at JPMorgan Chase." Harvard Business School Case 414-017, July 2013. View Details
- George, William W., Krishna G. Palepu, and Carin-Isabel Knoop. "Novartis: Leading a Global Enterprise." Harvard Business School Case 413-096, May 2013. (Revised October 2014.) View Details
- George, Bill, Krishna G. Palepu, Carin-Isabel Knoop, and Matthew Preble. "Unilever's Paul Polman: Developing Global Leaders." Harvard Business School Case 413-097, May 2013. View Details
- George, Bill, and Natalie Kindred. "Omar Ishrak: Building Medtronic Globally." Harvard Business School Case 413-065, March 2013. (Revised May 2013.) View Details
- George, William W. "Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul: Building on a Diversified Base." Harvard Business School Case 412-074, November 2011. (Revised February 2012.) View Details
- George, William W. "Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul: Building on a Diversified Base (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 412-088, November 2011. (Revised February 2012.) View Details
- George, William W. "The Big 3 Roar Back." Harvard Business School Case 412-072, November 2011. (Revised June 2012.) View Details
- George, William W. "Envision Charlotte: Building an Energy Cluster." Harvard Business School Case 412-073, November 2011. View Details
- George, William W. "Envision Charlotte: Building an Energy Cluster (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 412-087, November 2011. View Details
- George, William W. "Leading by Values: Sam Palmisano and IBM." Harvard Business School Case 411-097, June 2011. (Revised July 2011.) View Details
- George, William W., and Matthew D. Breitfelder. "David Neeleman: Flight Path of a Servant Leader (A)." Harvard Business School Case 409-024, November 2008. (Revised May 2011.) View Details
- George, William W., and Matthew D. Breitfelder. "David Neeleman: Flight Path of a Servant Leader (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 409-038, November 2008. (Revised May 2011.) View Details
- George, William W., and Natalie Kindred. Kent Thiry: "Mayor" of DaVita. Harvard Business School Case 410-065, May 2010. (Revised May 2011.) View Details
- George, Bill, and Natalie Kindred. "Daniel Kim's Dilemma (A)." Harvard Business School Case 411-009, April 2011. View Details
- George, Bill, and Natalie Kindred. "Daniel Kim's Dilemma (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 411-054, April 2011. View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Anne Mulcahy: Leading Xerox through the Perfect Storm (A)." Harvard Business School Case 405-050, January 2005. (Revised July 2010.) View Details
- George, William W. "Philip McCrea: Once an Entrepreneur... (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 409-025, July 2008. (Revised April 2009.) View Details
- George, William W. "Martha Goldberg Aronson: Challenges at Mid-Career (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 409-030, September 2008. (Revised April 2009.) View Details
- George, William W. "Kevin Sharer at Amgen: Sustaining the High-Growth Company (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 409-037, September 2008. (Revised April 2009.) View Details
- George, Bill, and Jens Audenaert. "Lisa Sherman (A)." Harvard Business School Case 408-115, March 2008. (Revised August 2020.) View Details
- George, Bill, and Jens Audenaert. "Lisa Sherman (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 408-116, March 2008. (Revised October 2008.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Kevin Sharer at Amgen: Sustaining the High-Growth Company (A)." Harvard Business School Case 406-020, October 2005. (Revised September 2008.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Philip McCrea: Once an Entrepreneur...(A)." Harvard Business School Case 406-018, September 2005. (Revised August 2008.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Xerox Corporation: Anne Mulcahy, Chairman & CEO - Video." Harvard Business School Video Supplement 408-714, June 2008. View Details
- George, William W. "Instructor's Guide to Authentic Leadership Development." Harvard Business School Course Overview Note 408-124, May 2008. View Details
- George, William W. "Richard Grasso and the NYSE, Inc. (TN) (A) and (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 408-119, April 2008. View Details
- George, William W. "Oprah! (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 408-117, April 2008. View Details
- George, Bill. "Anne Mulcahy: Leading Xerox through the Perfect Storm (TN) (A) and (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 408-101, February 2008. View Details
- George, Bill. "Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Young Minister Confronts the Challenges of Montgomery (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 408-102, February 2008. View Details
- George, William W., Diana Mayer, and Andrew N. McLean. "Andrea Jung: Empowering Avon Women (A)." Harvard Business School Case 408-035, July 2007. (Revised January 2008.) View Details
- George, William W. "Andrea Jung: Empowering Avon Women (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 408-036, July 2007. (Revised January 2008.) View Details
- George, William W., and Lance P. Pierce. "Howard Schultz: Building Starbucks Community (B)." Harvard Business School Case 407-127, June 2007. View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Oprah!" Harvard Business School Case 405-087, March 2005. (Revised April 2007.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Richard Grasso and the NYSE, Inc. (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 405-088, March 2005. (Revised April 2007.) View Details
- George, William W., Diana Mayer, and Andrew N. McLean. "Wendy Kopp and Teach For America (A)." Harvard Business School Case 406-125, June 2006. (Revised April 2007.) View Details
- George, William W., Diana Mayer, and Andrew N. McLean. "Wendy Kopp and Teach For America (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 407-031, August 2006. (Revised April 2007.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Howard Schultz: Building Starbucks Community." Harvard Business School Case 406-127, June 2006. (Revised April 2007.) View Details
- George, William W., Rick Buhrman, and Andrew N. McLean. "Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Young Minister Confronts the Challenges of Montgomery." Harvard Business School Case 406-016, August 2005. (Revised February 2007.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "John Whitehead: A Life in Leadership." Harvard Business School Case 406-024, November 2005. (Revised August 2006.) View Details
- George, William W., Shailendra Jit Singh, and Andrew N. McLean. "Narayana Murthy and Compassionate Capitalism." Harvard Business School Case 406-015, July 2005. (Revised June 2006.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Richard Grasso and the NYSE, Inc. (A)." Harvard Business School Case 405-051, February 2005. (Revised April 2006.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Marilyn Carlson Nelson and the Carlson Companies Renaissance." Harvard Business School Case 406-019, November 2005. View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Tad Piper and Piper Jaffray." Harvard Business School Case 406-033, October 2005. View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Martha Goldberg Aronson: Leadership Decisions at Mid-Career." Harvard Business School Case 406-017, September 2005. View Details
- George, William W. "Note on Why Leaders Lose Their Way." Harvard Business School Background Note 404-126, March 2004. (Revised March 2005.) View Details
- George, William W., and Andrew N. McLean. "Anne Mulcahy: Leading Xerox through the Perfect Storm (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 405-065, March 2005. View Details
- Presentations
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- George, William W. "Discover Your Authentic Leadership." Lecture at the Westminster Town Hall Forum, March 15, 2008. (Lecture given at Westminster Town Hall Forum.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Bethel University, January 1, 2008. (Lecture given at Bethel University.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Johnson & Johnson, December 4, 2007. (Lecture given at Johnson and Johnson.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Center for Creative Leadership, November 30, 2007. View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." SkillSoft, November 24, 2007. View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." American Association of Colleges and Universities, November 20, 2007. (Lecture given at the American Association of Colleges and Universities; Navigant Consulting; Aurora Healthcare; Pepsico; CEO READ; and Thrivent Financial.) View Details
- George, William W. "The Spirituality of Authentic Leaders." Opportunity International, November 3, 2007. (Lecture given at Opportunity International.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Hewitt Associates, October 28, 2007. (Lecture given at Hewitt Associates; the Urban Land Institute; Mastercard; and the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." American Bankers Association, October 7, 2007. View Details
- George, William W. "Discover Your Authentic Leadership." Lecture at the Webcast with Professor Ben Dean, September 28, 2007. (Webcast with Professor Ben Dean.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Lecture at the ThinkEquity's Annual Growth Conference, September 19, 2007. (Lecture given at the the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society; the G5 Think Equity Conference; and the Gallup Leadership Institute.) View Details
- George, William W. "A Manifesto for New Leaders." Lecture at the Global Institute for Leadership Development, September 18, 2007. (Lecture given at the Global Institute for Leadership Development and the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Lecture at the Dental Trade Alliance Annual Meeting, July 26, 2007. (Lecture given at the Dental Trade Association and the Vail Symposium.) View Details
- George, William W. "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" Paper presented at the Aspen Ideas Festival, July 06, 2007. View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Farm Credit System, June 18, 2007. (Lecture given at the Farm Credit Services and the American Society of Association Executives.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Lecture at the Harvard Leadership Institute, Leadership Institute at Harvard College, May 05, 2007. (Lecture given at the Harvard Leadership Institute.) View Details
- George, William W. "The Age of Integrative Leadership." University of Minnesota, May 3, 2007. View Details
- George, William W. "The Spirituality of Authentic Leaders." Lecture at the Francis Greenwood Peabody Lecture, Harvard University, April 13, 2007. (Peabody Lecture, Harvard University Memorial Chapel.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Stanford University, April 12, 2007. (Lecture given at Stanford University; the University of Southern California; and the IMPACT SERIES, Georgia Institute of Technology.) View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Lecture at the Bentley University Raytheon Lecture Series, March 28, 2007. (Raytheon Lecture, Bentley College.) View Details
- George, William W. "America's Leadership Deficit." John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, March 21, 2007. View Details
- George, William W. "Finding the Passion to Lead." Minneapolis Public Library, March 15, 2007. View Details
- George, William W. "Leadership in the 21st Century." Lecture at the Isabella Cannon Lecture, Elon University, March 12, 2007. (Isabella Cannon Lecture, Elon University.) View Details
- Research Summary
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Professor George recently completed a three-year study of small groups, in conjunction with Douglas M. Baker and Jane L. Cavanaugh. The output of this research was published as part of his new book, True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development (Berrett-Koehler, September 2011). These groups are an outgrowth of the Leadership Development Groups used in his course, "Authentic Leadership Development," in which 1,600 MBAs and executives have participated.
Professor George has completed his research study on leadership development, based on in-person, in-depth interviews with 125 business and non-profit leaders, over half of whom are chief executive officers. They range in age from 23 to 93, with thirty per cent women. As the result of this research study, his new book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, was published in March 2007.
Continuing his research on leadership development, he has developed a series of leadership exercises for individuals and groups to use in developing their leadership. These exercises can be used in academic courses for undergraduates, graduate students, and executive education as well as in corporate education and training sessions. This research has resulted in a new book, Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide, that will serve as a companion to True North and will be published in May 2008.
His current research focuses on the use of leadership discussion groups, with peer facilitators, to enable individuals to discover their authentic leadership and to develop themselves.
- Awards & Honors
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Awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2011 by St. Thomas University.
- Additional Information
- Areas of Interest
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- leadership
- leadership development
- boards of directors
- corporate culture
- general management
Additional Topics - In The News