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An unmatched exercise in leadership and self-discovery, written by a best-selling author and the preeminent thought leader on authentic leadership today In the newly revised Emerging Leader Edition of the True North Fieldbook, seasoned executive and Harvard Business School Executive Fellow Bill George delivers an eye-opening discussion of how to find your leadership purpose: your True North. Through a series of reflective exercises, you'll become a better leader by reconnecting with what makes you effective and unique. In the guide, the author walks you through your own life story, sharpening your personal narrative through an intimate process of personal discovery. You'll discover the same lessons taught to MBA students at Harvard Business School and senior executives in many Fortune 100 companies. The Emerging Leader Edition of the True North Fieldbook also offers: * New and updated case studies and content from up-and-coming leaders about navigating crises * Strategies for encouraging diversity and inclusivity without engaging in tokenism * Ways to generate a customized, behaviorally anchored Leadership Development Plan that supports immediate action and impact A can't-miss roadmap to authentic leadership efficacy, the True North Fieldbook will open your eyes to the once-in-a-lifetime leadership opportunities that await you.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
True North Series
Dedication
Preface: Emerging Leader's Guide to True North
WHY THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU
DISCOVERING YOUR AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP
HOW SHOULD I USE THIS GUIDE?
A FINAL WORD TO USERS OF THIS GUIDE
Introduction: Developing as an Authentic Leader
WHAT IS AN AUTHENTIC LEADER?
HOW WILL THIS GUIDE HELP YOU BECOME AN AUTHENTIC LEADER?
YOUR IDEA OF LEADERSHIP
NO LEADER IS PERFECT
LEARNING FROM YOUR LEADERSHIP JOURNEY
SUGGESTED READING
Part I: Discover Yourself
1 Your Life Story
LEARNING FROM YOUR LIFE STORY
AUTHENTICITY AND EFFECTIVENESS
YOUR JOURNEY TO AUTHENTIC LEADERSHIP
BUILDING ON YOUR STORY
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
2 Crucibles Shape Your Leadership
CRUCIBLES
LEARNING FROM YOUR CRUCIBLE
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
3 Leading without True North
ON THE HERO'S JOURNEY
FIVE HAZARDS OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
GETTING BACK ON TRACK IS A SOURCE OF STRENGTH
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
Part II: Develop Yourself
4 Develop Self‐Awareness
SELF‐AWARENESS CAN BE DEVELOPED
DISCOVERING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF
SELF‐ACCEPTANCE
SELF‐COMPASSION AND VULNERABILITY
FEEDBACK SEEKING
LEARNING ABOUT YOURSELF IS AN ONGOING PROCESS
SELF‐AWARENESS IS PREPARATION FOR GROWTH
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
5 Live Your Values
VALUES ARE PERSONAL
IDENTIFYING VALUES, PRINCIPLES, AND ETHICAL BOUNDARIES
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES: MAKING YOUR VALUES ACTIONABLE
ESTABLISHING ETHICAL BOUNDARIES
VALUES, PRINCIPLES, AND ETHICAL BOUNDARIES BENEFIT FROM PRACTICE
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
6 Find Your Sweet Spot
DISCOVER YOUR INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATIONS
LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS
DISCOVERING YOUR SWEET SPOT
YOUR SWEET SPOT TODAY
YOUR SWEET SPOT HOLDS THE KEY TO YOUR EFFECTIVENESS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
7 Lead an Integrated Life
DEVELOPING MENTORS
DEVELOPING GENUINE FRIENDSHIPS
LEADING AN INTEGRATED LIFE
THE BUCKETS OF YOUR LIFE
MEASURING SUCCESS IN YOUR LIFE
PRIORITIZING WHAT YOU LOVE DOING
REFLECTING ON SUPPORT TEAMS AND YOUR JOURNEY TO AN INTEGRATED LIFE
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
Part III: Lead People
8
I
to
We
THE END OF THE HEROIC LEADER
GUIDING YOUR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
9 Lead with Purpose
REDISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE
LEADING WITH PURPOSE
ALIGNMENT OF INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSE
A LIFE OF PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
10 The Leader as Coach
ENGAGED LEADERS
COACH
THEIR TEAM
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
Part IV: Navigate Today's Challenges
11 Inclusive Leadership
FOSTERING A CULTURE OF BELONGING AND ACCEPTANCE
ELIMINATING UNCONSCIOUS BIASES
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
12 Leading in Crisis
LEADING THROUGH CRISES
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
13 The Moral Leader
KEY TAKEAWAYS
SUGGESTED READING
Conclusion: Your Leadership Development PlanYour Leadership Development Plan
YOUR TRUE NORTH GUIDES YOUR FUTURE
SUGGESTED READING
Appendix A: Ways to Use This Guide
AS AN INDIVIDUAL
AS A MEMBER OF A GROUP OF PEERS
AS A MEMBER OF A TEAM OR AS A TEAM LEADER
AS A COACH OR MENTOR
AS A FACILITATOR
AS AN EDUCATOR
Appendix B: Form a True North Group
Appendix C: Course Syllabus: True North for Emerging Leaders
COURSE PURPOSE
INTELLECTUAL PREMISE AND COURSE CONCEPTS
BOOK READING
TRUE NORTH GROUPS (TNG)
SYLLABUS FOR TRUE NORTH EMERGING LEADERS (TNEL) COURSE
About the Authors
Index
End User License Agreement
Chapter 1
Table 1.1 The Impact of Your Life Story
Chapter 3
Table 3.1 Healthy Versus Destructive Responses to Normal Goals and Fears
Table 3.2 Indicators of the Imposter
Table 3.3 Indicators of the Rationalizer
Table 3.4 Indicators of the Glory Seeker
Table 3.5 Indicators of the Loner
Table 3.6 Indicators of the Shooting Star
Chapter 5
Table 5.1 Definitions of Your Values
Chapter 6
Table 6.1 Your Extrinsic Motivations
Table 6.2 Your Intrinsic Motivations
Table 6.3 Your Leadership Strengths
Table 6.4 Finding Your Sweet Spot
Chapter 7
Table 7.1 The Buckets of Your Life
Introduction
Figure I.1 Differences in 20th‐ and 21st‐Century Leaders
Figure I.2 Book Map: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 Path of Life Example
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1 Five Archetypes of Derailing
Part 2
Figure II.1 A Compass for the Journey
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1 Peeling Your Onion
Figure 4.2 Gaining Self‐Awareness
Figure 4.3 The Johari Window
Chapter 5
Figure 5.1 Defining Values, Leadership Principles, and Ethical Boundaries
Chapter 6
Figure 6.1 Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations
Figure 6.2 Finding Your Sweet Spot
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1 Integrating Your Life
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1
I
Leaders versus
We
Leaders
Chapter 10
Figure 10.1 The Leader as Coach
Figure 10.2 Levels of Involvement
Chapter 11
Figure 11.1 What You Are versus Who You Are
Chapter 12
Figure 12.1 VUCA and VUCA 2.0
Figure 12.2 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis
Chapter 13
Figure 13.1 Sustaining Growth and Performance
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright
True North Series
Dedication
Preface Emerging Leader's Guide to True North
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Conclusion: Your Leadership Development Plan
Appendix A: Ways to Use This Guide
Appendix B: Form a True North Group
Appendix C: Course Syllabus: True North for Emerging Leaders
About the Authors
Index
Wiley End User License Agreement
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NICK CRAIG, BILL GEORGE, AND SCOTT SNOOK
WITH
LAUREN SCHWENK AND JOSH HALL
Copyright © 2023 by Nick Craig, Bill George, and Scott Snook. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per‐copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750‐8400, fax (978) 750‐4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748‐6011, fax (201) 748‐6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data is Available:
ISBN 9781119886266 (Paperback)ISBN 9781119886273 (ePub)ISBN 9781119886280 (ePDF)
Cover Design and Illustration: Wiley
Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value (2003)
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership with Peter Sims (2007)
Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide with Nick Craig and Andrew McLean (2008)
7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis (2009)
True North Groups with Doug Baker (2011)
Discover Your True North: Becoming an Authentic Leader (2015)
The Discover Your True North Fieldbook with Nick Craig and Scott Snook (2015)
Emerging Leader Edition of True North: Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace Bill George and Zach Clayton (2022)
Emerging Leader's Guide to True North with Nick Craig, Scott Snook, Josh Hall, and Lauren Schwenk (2022)
Bill George dedicates this book to his colleagues Nick Craig and Scott Snook, who have devoted their lives to enabling leaders to discover their True North.
Nick Craig dedicates this book to the authentic leaders in his life, who showed him the way by being just themselves.
Scott Snook dedicates this book to his wife Kathi, and their five children, Sean, Kyle, Megan, Robby, and Jessica.
Lauren Schwenk dedicates this book to her children, Haley, Ethan, and Elsie, who turn her world upside down but always keep her grounded.
Josh Hall dedicates this book to his wife, Meredith, in appreciation of her unwavering belief in him and relentless support.
This guide is your way to become an authentic leader who follows your True North. It will lead you through a series of introspective exercises that enable you to reflect on yourself as you strive to reach your full potential as a leader. The chapters parallel the chapters in the Emerging Leader Edition of True North. In using this guide, you should first read the chapter in the book, and then work through the exercises in this guide.
We have organized this guide around the proven process of becoming an authentic, effective leader. This means starting with the inner journey of understanding who you are because the hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself. First, you will explore your life story and its relationship to your leadership.
After a broad review of your life story, we'll ask you to unpack significant crucibles, or searing moments that seem to hold great meaning. By mining your life stories and exploring your crucibles, you begin to uncover unique patterns that help to define who you are—your authentic self. To keep you from losing your way, we'll also highlight several common patterns that might distract you from realizing your True North.
Next you will work through the key developmental steps to becoming an authentic leader: developing your self‐awareness, living your values, finding your sweet spot, and leading an integrated life.
Having completed the inner journey, you are ready for the outer journey of leading people. It starts with the journey from I to We. Then you are ready to find your purpose in leading—your North Star, a fixed point that guides your leadership. You will then learn how to be a coach to other leaders to enable them to reach their full potential.
In taking on today's challenges, we need authentic leaders who will create sustainable organizations dedicated to making this world better for everyone. This includes taking on today's greatest challenges of being an inclusive leader, leading through crises, and becoming a moral leader who is true to your beliefs and your values as you carry out your purpose.
After completing this work, you'll be ready to create your own Leadership Development Plan (LDP). This is a dynamic document that you can return to in future years to assess your progress, make any necessary updates, and use as a lifelong guide to remain oriented toward your True North.
Leadership matters. It matters a great deal—to our organizations and institutions, to the people who work in them, and to the people who are served by them. As a leader, you have the opportunity to influence the lives of thousands of people and have a positive impact on organizations and the greater society in which you live.
We wrote the Emerging Leader Edition of True North because we have a passion to see more people in all walks of life lead authentically and because we wanted to help people like you discover your authentic leadership so you can make this world a better place for everyone.
No longer is leadership just about the people on top. Today's challenges require all of us to step up to the challenges of leadership. Any time you make a decision that impacts others, you are leading. In a crisis it is often the people with no titles who rise to the occasion to meet the challenges. Thus, whether you are a student, parent, bus driver, army officer, CEO, grandparent, or citizen of the world, you have the opportunity to step up and lead.
This book is for those who wish to become authentic leaders so that when they have the opportunity to lead, they will step up to the challenges and lead effectively, while living meaningful lives. As you navigate the unchartered territory of the 21st century, we hope our guide assists you in becoming a highly effective—and authentic—leader, one who follows your True North and discovers your North Star.
Becoming an authentic leader is hard work. The process is not much different from becoming a world‐class musician or a successful athlete. To become great in any endeavor—whether in your career, your family, or your community—you must leverage the unique strengths you were born with, while acknowledging and learning from your shortcomings.
After searching for a role model for many years, I learned that I could never become a great leader by emulating someone else or by minimizing my shortcomings. As National Association of Corporate Directors “Director of the Year” Reatha Clark King says, “If you're aiming to be like somebody else, you're being a copycat because you think that's what people want you to do. You'll never be a star with that kind of thinking. But you might be a star—unreplicable—by following your passion.”
Many books offer quick fixes or seven easy steps to leadership. Unfortunately, leadership development doesn't work that way. To realize your potential as a leader, you need a systematic plan to enable your growth. That's the goal of the Emerging Leader's Guide to True North: to offer a clear and detailed path to guide your development.
We encourage you to take on as many leadership experiences early in life as you can. Don't sit back and wait for them to come to you. Seek them out! After each experience, process them by returning to your development plan, make necessary changes, and reengage with a clearer sense of your True North. This is a lifelong process. Start now.
As you embark on this journey, recall the fundamental messages from the Emerging Leader Edition of True North:
You do not have to be born with characteristics or traits of a leader.
You do not have to be at the top of an organization.
You can step up and lead today.
You can discover your True North right now.
Your responses to the exercises and your notes in this personal guide are your confidential work. However, we do encourage you to share them with trusted others, including mentors, coaches, and members of your support team or True North Group. Their feedback will be invaluable to you in developing your Leadership Development Plan.
As you share your personal story and insights with others, we encourage you to take some risks; experiment with being a bit more vulnerable than perhaps you might ordinarily be. We've found that sharing your story can be incredibly liberating and in fact deepen ties with those you trust.
There are several ways you might use this guide:
As an individual, you can complete these exercises and draft your LDP on your own.
You can work through this personal guide in a True North Group (TNG), with friends or even with new acquaintances. Everyone should complete the exercises individually, and then discuss the insights openly with other members of the group. Then it can be helpful to go back to the exercises and update them, based on the feedback. Your group can be led by a professional facilitator, who guides your discussion and keeps the group on track. Or you can create a peer‐facilitated group, in which leadership of the group rotates to a different group member for each session. I pioneered this approach using peer facilitators in six‐person True North Groups in the Authentic Leadership Development classes at Harvard Business School.
To enhance the process, you can also use the
Emerging Leader's Guide to True North
in conjunction with a personal coach or mentor. Experienced partners can help deepen your learning, provide feedback, and add an additional layer of insights and discipline to the process.
You can also use this personal guide with your team at work. As team leader, you can guide your team through the process yourself or enlist a professional team‐building consultant or facilitator to enhance the process.
You can use this guide along with the
Emerging Leader Edition
of
True North
as the basis for a course on leadership development, either in an academic setting or in an organization. This material is flexible enough to support leaders at all stages in their careers: young leaders, including college and graduate students; midcareer leaders; leaders at the top of their organizations; and leaders embarking on the third phase of their journeys after having completed their principal leadership roles.
In the case of a larger group, you may need a professor, teacher, or leadership development professional to help structure the material and lead the group. Many others have used this book as the backbone for executive MBA courses on leadership.
As you embark on this journey of self‐discovery, let us offer our personal welcome. We encourage you to be as open and honest as possible when you complete these exercises. The more truthful and vulnerable you are with yourself, the greater the impact of this personal guide. Have the courage to explore your life deeply to understand who you are as a human being, to discover where you really fit in this world, to recognize how you can use your leadership to impact others in a positive way, and to leave a lasting legacy of which you'll be proud.
We have witnessed deep and lasting transformation in leaders who have taken this journey as they shaped their century organizations and institutions. Whether they were leading in business, government, education, or religion, they discovered that the journey was not only about becoming more authentic themselves, but about helping everyone they touch become authentic leaders as well.
Your dedication to finding your True North will make this world a better and richer place for us all.
Crises are hitting us from all directions. It is increasingly clear we need an infusion of strong, new leaders to help us navigate safely.
—David Gergen, Hearts Touched with Fire
Why is it important for you to become an authentic leader?
Leading in the 21st century is vastly different from leading in the 20th century (Figure I.1). People in organizations have changed dramatically—to the point where they will no longer tolerate “command and control leaders” of the last century. Nor are they impressed by charismatic leaders who say one thing and do another.
Figure I.1 Differences in 20th‐ and 21st‐Century Leaders
Over the past 50 years, many of us worked for powerful leaders who seemed to know where they were going, only to discover later they were leading us down destructive paths, or that these leaders were in it mostly for themselves and were largely unconcerned with our well‐being. Organizations expected us to be loyal to these leaders and wait in line for our turn to lead, if it ever came. And then we learned that our loyalty was not returned, as many lost their pensions and health care. As a consequence, we lost trust in our leaders. More recently, many of us were dazzled by charismatic leaders who impressed everyone with their charm, yet went off the deep end.
People in organizations today seek authentic leaders whom they can trust, but they are not so easily fooled or so quick to offer their loyalty. People are willing to work extremely hard, but they will do so only for leaders they trust and organizations whose purpose they believe in, as they are seeking meaning and significance in their work. They are willing to trust their leaders only if these leaders prove themselves worthy of their trust.
If you want to be effective as a leader, then you must be authentic. If you are not authentic, the best people won't want to work with you, and they won't give you their best work.
What do authentic and effective leaders do?
They align people around a common purpose that inspires them to peak performance.
They unite people around a common set of values so that everyone knows precisely what is expected.
They empower others to step up and lead so that people throughout the organization are highly motivated and give their best.
They are in constant dialogue with all constituencies; as leaders, they bear the responsibility of engaging not only shareholders, but customers, employees, and communities as well.
This is not easy. It is the hard side of leadership.
The easy side of leadership is getting the short‐term numbers right. Many smart people can figure out how to do that. It is much more difficult to get people aligned, empowered, and committed to serve a broad set of constituencies.
Being authentic as a leader creates a virtuous cycle; the best people will want to work with you. As a result, the performance of your teams will be superior, and you will be able to take on ever greater challenges.
The bottom line is this: In the 21st century, without authentic leaders, there will be no sustained effectiveness in organizations. With authentic leaders, the possibilities are unlimited.
Authentic leaders have discovered their True North, align people around a shared purpose and values, and empower them to lead authentically in order to create value for all stakeholders.
Discovering your True North is about mining your life story for deep insights, discovering the unique gifts that you bring to the world, being clear about your values, and knowing the underlying purpose of your leadership.
This journey is not about style. This is a common misconception. Authentic leadership is about the deeper you; by knowing and living from your leadership purpose and values, you are able to let go of seeing yourself as one type of leader (strategic, tactical, introverted, extroverted, etc.). You begin to realize that who you are, your True North, gives you the flexibility to excel in a wide range of situations, all while being true to your authentic self.
Aligning others around a shared purpose and values becomes possible when you can see and feel the connection of your own purpose and values to those of your organization. This enables others to really trust you, increase engagement, and produce higher levels of performance.
This does not mean you have to be perfect—far from it. Like all of us, you can have your weaknesses and be subject to the full range of human frailties and mistakes, and still be a successful authentic leader. In fact, by acknowledging your shortcomings and admitting your errors, you will connect with people and empower them.
To develop as an authentic leader, start by mining your life story for patterns and inspiration. Anchor your current leadership by reviewing your past leadership experiences in order to learn from them. Identify and unpack significant life crucibles to discover how they influence and shape who you are and how you lead. Explore reasons why you could lose your way by not discovering your True North—becoming an imposter, rationalizer, glory seeker, loner, or shooting star. These elements are covered in Part I of this guide.
Part II turns to leader development by drilling down on several elements that define the True North compass:
Leading with self‐awareness
requires you to ask for tough feedback, be vulnerable, and have compassion for yourself—the cornerstone of authentic leader development.
Figure I.2 Book Map: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV
Leading through values
asks you to gain some clarity about your values, leadership principles, and ethical boundaries.
Leading from your sweet spot
encourages you to define when you are at your best by discerning patterns of essential strengths and passions.
Leading an integrated life
demands that you show up the same in every domain in your life and encourages you to define what it really means to live an integrated life with the support of others.
Part III focuses on leading through today's challenges. We examine the importance of creating inclusive cultures and leading through crises. Finally, we challenge you to be a moral leader serving society by committing to solving some of the world's most difficult problems.
We conclude by asking you to summarize and integrate everything you've learned in this guide by preparing your own Leadership Development Plan (LDP).
The Emerging Leader Edition of True North is for all leaders, regardless of what group or organization you lead, whether you have already established yourself and are trying to develop further, if you plan to be a leader in the future, or even if you don't typically think of yourself as a leader.
Consider these contrasting examples:
“From my earliest days I have been fascinated with leadership,” said Kevin Sharer, CEO of Amgen. “When somebody asked me at 10 years old, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?' I said, ‘I just want to be in charge.'”
“I don't think other people think of me as a leader,” said David Kelley, founder of IDEO. “‘Leader' is a funny word for me. You see, I'm a collaborator. If there is a problem, I call all the smart people I know and get them in a room and have them figure it out.”
How about you? How do you think of yourself as a leader?
You first encounter leadership and leaders through the examples of others. These examples give you patterns from which to learn. They are the raw material from which you build the conceptions of leadership you carry into your work and your life.
The purpose of this exercise is to draw on the thinking that you have already done on the topic of leadership. The exercise starts with your existing models of leadership.
Think of five leaders, past or present, whom you have admired. Write their names below, and then answer for yourself the questions that follow.
Which of these leaders have had the greatest impact on your conceptions of leadership?
What specific examples of leading stand out in your mind for each of these leaders?
Which three of these leaders do you consider to be the most authentic?
What reservations or concerns might you have about following each one?
How did the context in which each of them led differ from what you face today?
What qualities, if any, of these three leaders would you like to emulate?
What qualities, if any, would you like to avoid?
The biographies of those most often placed on the media's “best leaders” lists can be surprising at times. Even the most widely admired leaders have very human weaknesses: notable failures as well as successes, startling inconsistencies in relationships or behaviors, and times of intense struggle with their values and principles. These shortcomings do not disqualify anyone from being a source of inspiration, a role model for others, or a teacher. Indeed, leaders, teachers, and mentors must know and understand their own developmental needs in order to help you work on yours.
The purpose of this exercise is to establish your starting point for your work with this personal guide.
What are the most important qualities you bring to leading?
All good leaders are continuously developing. Which leadership qualities would you like to develop further?
It is important to keep in mind those qualities that you want to work on. This personal guide is intended to help you fulfill your aspirations to become a more authentic and effective leader. No one can give you the leadership qualities you seek. You already have them within you. This guide is designed to help you gain a clearer understanding of what they are, identify those aspects of yourself that you like and want to embrace, as well as those that you'd like to change.
In Part I, you will begin your leadership journey. You will go beyond the standard signposts of leadership by looking through the lens of your life story, examining significant crucibles, and learning from times when you lost your way.
Bennis, W.
On Becoming a Leader
. Addison‐Wesley, 1989.
Boyatzis, R., and McKee, A.
Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion
. Harvard Business School Press, 2005.
Gardner, J.
On Leadership
. Free Press, 1990.
When you're in trouble and all your defenses get stripped away, you realize what matters and who matters. That's when you need to get back to your roots and to your values.
—David Gergen, counselor to four U.S. presidents
Your life story is the foundation for your leadership. Your development as an authentic leader begins by analyzing your life story and your formative experiences. As you reflect on your past, you will develop tools to see yourself clearly, understand your leadership achievements, and embrace your goals for future leadership development.
In Part I of this guide, we begin with your life story.
Chapter 1
: Your Life Story
Chapter 2
: Crucibles Shape Your Leadership
Chapter 3
: Leading without True North
The reservoir of all my life experiences shaped me as a person and a leader.
—Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks
The process of becoming a True North leader begins by unpacking the fundamental question: Who are you?
When you first meet someone and they say, “So tell me a little bit about yourself,” how do you respond? If you are like most of us, you share selected highlights of your life story. In many ways then, we are the stories we tell others about ourselves.
In this chapter we ask you to reflect on your life to gain a better understanding of who you are. You will be exploring how various aspects of your story fit together to define you as a unique individual. This is the starting point for gaining greater self‐awareness and for understanding what your life and your leadership are all about.
In the 222 interviews we conducted with authentic leaders for the Emerging Leader Edition of True North, leaders consistently told us that they found their purpose for leadership by mining their life stories. Having a clear sense of their personal narratives enabled them to remain grounded and stay focused on their True North.
These leaders did not define themselves by a list of characteristics, traits, or styles. Although some tried to emulate great leaders early in their lives, they soon learned that attempting to mimic others did not improve their effectiveness as leaders.
Some interviewees did not see themselves as leaders at all, even though they had been identified by others as exemplary leaders. Instead, they viewed themselves as people who wanted to make a difference and who inspired others to join them in pursuing common goals. By understanding and framing their life stories, they found their passion to lead and were able to discover their True North.
In this first exercise, you are going to draw the path of your life to date. Figure 1.1 is an example of what this might look like. On the facing page is a workspace for drawing your own path. Label the lower left corner of the page “Birth” and the upper right “Present Day.” Begin drawing your life's path from one corner to the other.
Figure 1.1 Path of Life Example
Let the terrain of your journey be unique to who you are. Include mountains and valleys, cities and wilderness, forks, bridges, cliffs.
Add in houses, buildings, and so on along the way, each representing places you have lived or worked. Likewise, indicate key people and important events with pictures or a diagram along or across the path.
Add representations for your family, work, hobbies, spiritual life—anything that is meaningful to you.
Be creative and allow your story to unfold in front of you.