2. Bill George
• He was the CEO of Medtronic
• Now a professor at Harvard
Business School
• Term was first used in his 2003
book, “Authentic Leadership”
during the Enron & WorldCom
scandals, which prompted people
to realize the importance of having
leaders they could trust
• Also co-authored a book with Nick
Craig called, “Defining Your True
North”
3. What is it?
• Founded based off the importance of being genuine & earning
peoples trust through honesty while staying true to your own
personality and values
• From the book, “Defining Your True North” – four elements of
authentic leadership
1. Be true to yourself in the way you work – no façade
2. Be motivated by a larger purpose (not by your ego)
3. Be prepared to make decisions that feel right – fit
your values, not decisions that are aimed to “get you
popular”
4. Concentrate on achieving long-term sustainable
results
4. How to Be an Authentic Leader
• Understand yourself & lead with your heart
• There is always room to grow and develop yourself –
be flexible and open to learn
• Draw inspiration from your own experiences
• Build strong relationships with your team – create
good moral
• Some are now developing it to a more spiritual
connotation - “The authentic self is the soul made
visible” - Sarah Ban Breathnach
5. Negatives?
• Might Be selfish
• Decisions that align with your values, might not
always be the right decisions for the situation or
what the group wants
• Frankly some people’s authentic self is just plain bad
Editor's Notes
a generally commendable and positive leadership philosophy, with emphasis on openness and honesty, being true-to oneself, and similarly ethical and high-integrity behaviours - see authentic leadership.
