First Friday Book Synopsis

As this Emerging Leader Edition is being published, the world faces a leadership crisis…

This book can help us find our way. If individual leaders can recognize when they have drifted away from True North and make successful course corrections, as Bill George argues, nations can as well. Surely, authentic leadership beats what we have now.  — (David Gergen, Cambridge, Massachusetts, from the foreword)

The first two decades of the 21st century have careened from one crisis to the next.

At their core, these tragic events can all be traced to failed leadership. …this is a calling to you as emerging leaders of the next generations—Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—to step up and lead authentically by discovering your True North and following your North Star to make this world a better place.

Wherever you live, whatever you do, this is your calling: Make a positive impact on the world as an authentic leader: Discover your True North, and follow your North Star.  

Authentic leaders are true to themselves and their beliefs. They engender trust and develop genuine connections, which enables them to motivate people to achieve high levels of performance. Rather than letting the expectations of others guide them, they are their own person and go their own way. As servant leaders, they are more concerned about helping others succeed than about their own success or recognition.  

How many business leaders can you name who put empathy at the center of their leadership?  

The real measure of your effectiveness as a leader is your ability to use your True North to lead a group of people in solving challenging problems that truly impact the world.

As an emerging leader, your most important task is to bring people together to pursue a shared purpose that inspires them.

While your title makes you a manager, your character makes you a leader.

You can become a moral leader by discovering your True North, behaving authentically, and following your North Star to pursue your purpose. When you do so, you inspire people to follow your leadership, and you become a role model for others.

Bill George and Zach Clayton, True North: Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition

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Years ago, I read that American business is overmanaged and underled.  Yep!

The evidence is in:  a good leader is good for the organization, the community, and the country.  And a bad leader is…bad for the organization, bad for the community, and bad for the country.

There is no shortage of good books on leadership.  Leaders read such books, and attend seminars, and support leadership initiatives.  And yet, the quality of leadership in our country is not what it should be; not close.

In other words, yes, we do have a leadership crisis.  There are not enough good leaders.  And, after years, after decades of being aware of this problem, and after countless books and seminars and studies and articles, things have not noticeably improved.  We had a shortage of good leaders; we still have a massive shortage of good leaders.

Last Friday, I presented my synopsis of the significant book True North: Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition by Bill George and Zach Clayton.  Bill George wrote his first version of this book some fifteen years ago.  This updated edition includes examples of current leaders – good leaders and bad leaders – and plenty of recent illustration and stories.

Let me put it directly:  I believe that this book should be mandatory reading for every CEO, every President, every top level leader of every organization.  And, I think that Corporate Boards should carefully read this book as preparation for choosing their next leader(s) for their organization.

In my synopses, I begin with this:  What is the point of this book?  Here it is for this book:  Leaders who lead from their True North leadership – authentic leaders (true to themselves and their beliefs); servant leaders – are the leaders needed for this era.

And then I ask Why is this book worth our time?  Here are my three reasons for this book:

#1 – This book is a warning to us all about leaders who “lead” without a well-formed moral compass.

#2 – This book is a culmination of the ideas developed over a life-time of leading and reflecting by a substantial thinker about and practitioner of leadership; Bill George.

#3 – This book is a call to practice serious self-reflection, in order to develop a self-awareness that reveals one’s own weaknesses and vulnerabilities. 

I always include a few pages of Quotes and Excerpts from the book – the “best of” Randy’s highlighted Passages.  Here are a few of the best of these best highlights: 

In 2008, public trust of business leaders fell to a 50‐ year low following the global financial collapse.   

Now the hierarchical, directive leadership style so prevalent in the past century has been replaced by empowerment, collaboration, and authenticity.   

No longer is leadership about developing charisma, emulating other leaders, looking good externally, and acting in your self‐ interest. …If you create a false persona or hide behind a mask, people will quickly see through you.

Dov Seidman says leadership has morphed in recent centuries from “hands to heads to hearts.” In the industrial revolution, companies strove to maximize the output of people using their hands. In the past 50 years, the information revolution shifted the focus to data analysis, maximizing people’s use of their heads. In the era that’s developing, we are focusing on using our hearts. …essential leadership qualities of the heart such as empathy, passion, courage, values, intuition, and purpose. As leaders we must develop our hearts to grapple with complex challenges and dilemmas. Do you have these qualities of the heart? You need to cultivate them throughout your lifetime to be an authentic leader in today’s world.   

Ralph Lauren CEO Patrice Louvet summarizes the distinction between 20th‐ and 21st‐ century leaders: We have gone from leaders who expect everyone to serve them to servant leaders who see their role as serving the people they lead and represent.   

The inner journey of understanding and developing yourself will prepare you for the outer journey of making your most meaningful contribution to the world.   

I learned the hard way that leadership is not a singular destination—it is a marathon that progresses through many stages with lots of ups and downs and surprises along the way as you progress to your peak leadership and continue leading through the final stage.   

To overcome their fears, some leaders drive so hard for results that they lose touch with reality and become incapable of acknowledging their weaknesses. 

“Everybody talks about change, but everybody wants the other person to change and not change themselves. The reality is that the inner change is the hardest one,” Satya Nadella remarks. “That applies to human beings, societies, countries, and the world.” 

This is a common occurrence for high performers, who walk a tightrope between the drive that makes them successful and the perspective that keeps them grounded.   

“Denial is the biggest challenge we face.”  

You should take at least 20 minutes every day to pause and reflect on your day and your leadership.  

Honest feedback is often hard to get, because many people tell leaders what they want to hear.  

If you establish clear boundaries early in life, your moral compass will kick in when you reach your limits and tell you it is time to pull back, even if the personal sacrifices are significant.  

What do the former CEOs of McDonald’s, Intel, Hewlett‐Packard, Best Buy, and Boeing have in common? As CEO, each was charged with enforcing the company code of conduct, which expressly banned such behaviors, while they were terminating employees who violated their codes. Why would these talented leaders knowingly violate company values? There are two explanations: either they thought they could get away with it without anyone knowing, or they were above the rules, given their importance to the company. Neither reason holds water. 

Fame is fleeting—it can be built for many years and then slip through your fingers. Seeking power over others is the ultimate corrupter of the human character. 

There is a paradox that leaders who focus on their intrinsic motivations wind up achieving the greatest extrinsic success. 

The most difficult transition for emerging leaders is recognizing that leadership is not about them—it’s about serving others and bringing out their best. We leaders are servant leaders.  – Robert Greenleaf: “The servant leader is servant first. One wants to serve first; then one aspires to lead. This is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions.”

While people succeeded in the past by pushing others aside to get ahead, our colleagues today won’t tolerate that kind of behavior. 

Making the journey from I to We is not easy.

And then, in my synopses, I compile key points and principles from the book.  Here are a few of the ones I highlighted from True North (sentences in italics come directly from the book):

• What is your True North?
• Your True North is the moral compass that guides your actions, derived from your most deeply held beliefs, your values, and the principles you lead by. It is your internal compass, unique to you, that represents who you are at your deepest level.
• Your North Star is the purpose that you pursue to make this world better for everyone.
• When you discover your True North, you know yourself at the deepest level and can be authentic. When you have found your North Star, you are ready to pursue your purpose as your calling.
• At the core of your being is who you really are—your True North.

• Get serious about your “inner journey:’ – toward genuine self-awareness…
• Starting with an honest look at your life story — The journey to authentic leadership begins with understanding yourself: your life stories and crucibles.

• But…stay “young”…
• Warren Bennis described his philosophy of the third phase of leadership with the little‐ known term neoteny, “the retention of all those wonderful qualities we associate with youth: curiosity, playfulness, eagerness, fearlessness, warmth, energy.” …Older people with neoteny continue to grow while retaining the youthful qualities of joy, exploration, and discovery. 

• The great temptations (to abandon your true north)…
• You are subject to being driven by external gratification—money, fame, and power—and these great tempters can control you and your decisions, even if you aren’t aware of their impact. 

• Five Archetypes of Derailing:
• imposters
• rationalizers
• glory seekers
• loners
• shooting stars

• Four essential elements in your personal development:
• self‐ awareness
• Self‐awareness is the foundation of authenticity.
• values
• sweet spot — When you are operating in your sweet spot—in a role where you add distinctive value and are highly motivated, you’ll develop your skills faster because your work fascinates you.
• integrated life 

• Become, and then be, a COACH
• The concept of the leader as coach contrasts with decades of literature describing the leader as manager.
• Purpose‐driven leaders COACH their teammates to achieve their full potential by Caring, Organizing, Aligning, Challenging, and Helping.
• Care: Build understanding and trust. Organize: Get people playing as a team. Align: Unite people around a common vision. Challenge: Summon people’s best. Help: Engage with your teams in solving problems.
• Many business schools prefer to teach traditional managerial techniques of exerting power over subordinates, directing them, delegating work, and evaluating their performance via quantitative metrics. …In contrast, coaching is the process of fully engaging a team and bringing out the best qualities and skillsets of each member. 

• As a leader, you will inevitably face a crisis during your career that becomes the defining moment of your tenure. There are 7 lessons for leading in crisis that all leaders should follow:
• Lesson 1: Face Reality, Starting with Yourself
• Lesson 2: Dig Deep for the Root Cause
• Lesson 3: Engage with Frontline Teams
• Lesson 4: Never Waste a Good Crisis
• Lesson 5: Get Ready for the Long Haul
• Lesson 6: In the Spotlight, Follow Your True North
• Lesson 7: Go on Offense, Focus on Winning Now

• Pay attention to:
• Your own self-reflection, and your own self-awareness
• Building a diverse team
• Find, and work in, your sweet spot — The term sweet spot describes your motivated capabilities when your motivations and your strengths align.
• Aim toward intrinsic motivation – for yourself, and for all on your team…
• Moving from I to We, and then maintaining that We
• Always prepare for the next crisis; there will be a next crisis!
• You do need some “helpers”

And here are my six Lessons and Takeaways:

#1 – Leaders without a moral compass are harmful to our culture, and ultimately, bad for their organizations.

#2 – It takes a lot of serious self-reflection, leading to genuine self-awareness, for a leader to discover his/her true north.

#3 – Leaders of today need to look well beyond stockholder value; they need to look at all of the obligations and impacts of a good-for-society organization. (Profit, yes, but also…people; community; environment…)

#4 – Leaders who lead with a moral compass are people centered; they coach (rather than manage), in order to help build people.

#5 – For True North leadership to be put into effect, leaders must adopt fully a servant leadership mindset and approach.

#6 – This appeal to lead from your True North is not just an idea worth pondering; it is essential to a good society. 

I recently wrote a post on this blog recommending my current “top three” books on leadership.  This was the book I placed at spot #1.  If you are a leader, read this book.  If you are choosing where to work, read this book and choose your next position based on the kind of leader, and leaders, you see in the company you are about to join.

We’ve got to get better at this – at genuine, authentic, leadership – leadership that flows from a true, well-developed moral compass.  This book can help.

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My synopsis of True North, with the audio recording of my presentation, and my comprehensive, multi-page handout, will soon be available on this web site.  Click here for our newest additions.

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