Bill George: the era of self-serving leadership is over but global markets pose the next authenticity challenge for leaders

Abstract

Purpose

This interview covers research published in three major books by Bill George. The first was in response to a massive governance crisis as high-flyers like Enron, WorldCom and Tyco crashed. George’s first book, offered an alternative to self-serving leadership, was “Authentic Leadership” in 2003. Having been a highly successful CEO, he watched with grave concern as the stock market and media mistakenly venerated CEOs like Bob Nardelli at Home Depot and Hewlett-Packard’s Carly Fiorina for their charisma, style and image rather than their character and substance.

Design/methodology/approach

In 2005-2006 he created a research team at Harvard Business School to determine how to develop authentic leaders. This project still stands as the largest, in-depth research of leaders ever undertaken. The result was his second book, True North, published in 2007.

Findings

A third book, Discover Your True North, the result of a second Harvard study displays the dramatic changes for the better in leadership in the past decade.

Practical implications

The best of today’s corporate leaders are less hierarchical and bureaucratic than their predecessors. They focus primarily on gaining alignment around their organization’s mission and values, and empowering their employees to step up and lead rather than merely following rules and processes. They operate less in their self-interest, and more in service to others and pursuit of greater societal good on a global scale. The new leaders are authentic and open, rather than focused on leadership style and charisma.

Originality/value

Bill George’s research has defined an effective alternative to self-serving leadership, one that can be a model for 21st Century leaders facing the demands of a rapid change, continuous innovation global marketplace. Authentic leaders make good strategists.

Citation

Leavy, B. (2015), "Bill George: the era of self-serving leadership is over but global markets pose the next authenticity challenge for leaders", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 43 No. 6, pp. 25-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-09-2015-0071