 |

Entelechy Speaks to Bill George about Authentic Leadership |
 | 5 |
| |
|
Submitted by Theodore Heisenberg
| RSS Feed
| Add Comment
| Bookmark Me!
Ive had the pleasure and honor to meet some of the worlds greatest leaders and leadership gurus, from Sir Richard Branson, General Tommy Franks, and Captain Mike Abrashoff to Dr. Warren Bennis, Dr. Henry Mintzberg, and Tom Peters.
I recently had the opportunity to meet with Bill George, former chairman and chief executive of Medtronic, Inc., the worlds leading medical technology company, and author of the best-selling book, Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value.
Bill George speaks boldly against the shareholders are king philosophy that has created many of the problems facing businesses today. With corporate accounting scandals rampant and CEOs being handsomely rewarded even while their companies are rushing headlong to failure, George believes that leaders must reexamine their values and principles and refocus their companies on the things that create true sustainable value: satisfied customers serviced through valued employees.
In the pursuit of shareholder not customer value, CEOs have been driven to pursue quick riches almost always at the expense of long-term growth and customer service. Worse, this misguided pursuit of shareholder profits has led some as evident in Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, and others to create the illusion of profitability and growth.
Wheres the leadership? In many cases, the leadership is as vaporous as the long-term profits.
Bill George calls on all of us to demonstrate authentic leadership, to return to the core values of sound business. He argues that taking good care of employees and customers will result in a higher stock price than focusing on shareholder value. And his arguments are persuasive. During his tenure as CEO at Medtronic, revenues grew from $750 million in 1989 to $5 billion in 2001. The companys market capitalization rose from around $1 billion to more than $60 billion a 37.5% growth rate compounded annually.
Bill George has faced many of the same pressures all leaders face: the CEO cult of personality, the 24/7 workday, the passionate pursuit of earnings, the excesses of ego, and the breach of trust by far too many corporate leaders in the 1990s. In his book, Mr. George draws from his rich experiences as well as from those of leaders he admires and disdains to illustrate his five dimensions of authentic leaders:
Understanding why you want to lead Practicing solid values Leading with a heart Establishing connected relationships Showing self-discipline
Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com. Check out Entelechy's website at www.unlockit.com.
|
|
 |

|
LinkedIn Recommendation:
Carl Madden - Search Engine Marketing Consultant at Osato Tree - There are many times I have been stuck on something, but now I that I am working with Teo Graca, I know I can get unstuck quickly. He has a way of getting at the meat of the solution to any problem when it comes to business planning. I really don't know anyone with such a well rounded skill set. I think that is what makes it possible for him to do what he does. I highly recommend Teo and Net-Teams! - March 15, 2012, Carl was Teo's client |
|
Featured [Leadership] Articles:
|
 |