 "Bill's message resonated with the audience and it worked well in the context of the rest of the program. He was able to "model" his message so that they had both words and actions to absorb. It really was excellent." -Vanguard "In a time when ethical leadership has more value than ever, George shows us the way with clarity and conviction." -Daniel Goleman, author Bill George is Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School where he teaches leadership. He was CEO of Medtronic from 1991 until 2001 and Chairman from 1996 to 2002. Under his leadership, Medtronic's market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35% a year. He is the author of three best-selling books: True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide, and Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets of Creating Lasting Value. He has been named one of the “Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years” by PBS, “Executive of the Year – 2001” by the Academy of Management, and “Director of the Year – 2001-02” by the National Association of Corporate Directors. Mr. George is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic. He joined Medtronic in 1989 as president and chief operating officer, was chief executive officer from 1991-2001, and 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 director of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, and the Mayo Clinic and also served on the board of Novartis and Target Corporation. He is currently a trustee of the World Economic Forum USA and Guthrie Theater and a former Trustee of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He has served as board chair for Allina Health System, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, United Way of the Greater Twin Cities, and Advamed. OFFICIAL BIO [PDF] TOPICS An enormous leadership vacuum exists today - in business, politics, government, education, religion, and nonprofit organizations. Yet there is no shortage of people with the capacity for leadership. The problem is that we have a wrongheaded notion of what constitutes a leader, driven by an obsession with leaders at the top. That misguided standard often results in the wrong people attaining critical leadership roles. Given the growing leadership crisis, it has become increasingly evident that a new kind of business leader is needed in the 21st century. In 2003, Bill George's bestselling book, Authentic Leadership, challenged the new generation of leaders to lead authentically. The feedback from readers, including many CEOs, was that they had a tremendous desire to be authentic leaders and many of them asked how they could become such a leader. True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership uses face-to-face research on the lives of 125 authentic leaders to demonstrate conclusively how readers can become authentic leaders. These interviews constitute the largest in-depth study of leadership development ever undertaken. The interviewees discussed openly and honestly how they developed their leadership, and candidly shared their life stories, personal struggles, failures, and triumphs. Drawing on his own experience as former CEO of Medtronic, Board Director for Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis and Target, and currently Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, Bill will share his 7 lessons for leading in crisis and how you can apply them in your own organization in times of crisis……..and in times of revitalization. They include: -Face Reality, Starting with Yourself -Don’t Be Atlas, Get the World Off Your Shoulders -Dig Deep for the Root Cause -Get Ready for the Long Haul -Never Waste a Good Crisis -You’re in the Spotlight; Don’t Lose Track of True North -Go on Offense, Focus on Winning |
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Bill George
TAGS: CEO, Leadership, Strategy
