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Discovering your authentic leadership by Bill George

The ongoing problems in business leadership over the past five years have

underscored the need for a new kind of leader in the twenty-first century: the

authentic leader. Author Bill George, a Harvard Business School professor and the

former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, and his colleagues, conducted the largest

leadership development study ever undertaken. They interviewed 125 business

leaders from different racial, religious, national, and socioeconomic backgrounds

to understand how leaders become and remain authentic. Their interviews showed

that you do not have to be born with any particular characteristics or traits to lead.

You also do not have to be at the top of your organization. Anyone can learn to be

an authentic leader.

The journey begins with leaders understanding their life stories. Authentic leaders

frame their stories in ways that allow them to see themselves not as passive

observers but as individuals who learn from their experiences. These leaders make

time to examine their experiences and to reflect on them, and in doing so they

grow as individuals and as leaders. Authentic leaders also work hard at developing

self-awareness through persistent and often courageous self-exploration. Denial

can be the greatest hurdle that leaders face in becoming self-aware, but authentic

leaders ask for, and listen to, honest feedback. They also use formal and informal

support networks to help them stay grounded and lead integrated lives.

The authors argue that achieving business results over a sustained period of time is

the ultimate mark of authentic leadership. It may be possible to drive short-term

outcomes without being authentic, but authentic leadership is the only way to

create long-term results.