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Book Review
Authentic Leadership
Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value
Jossey-Bass
—2003 (218 pages in hardback)
Author
Bill George
ISBN 0-7879-6913-3
Authentic Leadership is a book written by a man who is
genuine and highly credible. Bill George is the former Chairman and CEO of
Medtronic, a leading medical technology company. He also serves on a number of
corporate boards and has demonstrated a career of successful achievement. This is a
book you will enjoy reading. First of all it is written from his heart. He
confides late in the book that he wrote it himself and did not use a ghost
writer. This is a refreshing
confession because far too many executives who agree to commit their ideas to
publishing ventures use ghost writers. It is an easy read and you get the
“feel” from Bill George that you are casually enjoying a meal with him, as he
discusses his personal reflections and ideas on leadership. The core of the
book is outlined in the first chapter. George writes, “I believe that
leadership begins and ends with authenticity. It’s being yourself; the person
you were created to be. That is not what most of the literature on leadership
says, nor is it what the experts in corporate
Bill George goes on to explain that
authentic leaders “genuinely desire to serve others through their leadership”.
This includes truly understanding yourself and your own strengths and
weaknesses. Authentic Leadership boldly discusses the moral aspects needed to demonstrate effective
modern leadership in a complex world. It is not afraid to discuss the crucial
need to practice solid values, possessing a caring heart, establishing enduring
relationships and demonstrating self-discipline. What also makes this book
worth reading is that it has heart!
The author discusses his personal journey to become an Authentic Leader that
brings the subject to life. In the final chapter he briefly discusses what he
considers to be “the greatest failure in his career”. Though the circumstances occurred
many years before this book was written, you can still sense the pain he feels
from this unfortunate event.
Authentic Leadership is organized into
17 chapters which are divided into 4 parts. Part one discusses becoming an Authentic Leader. Part two
describes how to build an Authentic
Company. Part three analyzes corporate survival
in the marketplace, including pitfalls, overcoming obstacles, innovation and
the role of shareholders. Part four contemplates the needs of sound governance, and provides a
long-term succession strategy. A powerful epilogue pulls the ideas of the book
together and encourages the reader to accept the call of leadership where they are right now. This is one of those
rare books where you feel you get to really know the author, and you like what
you discover. If you want to read a book that embodies the practical side of servant-leadership and a man who has discovered
it, Authentic Leadership should be on your shopping list!
weLEAD rating - highly recommended
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