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True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership
by
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Discover your authentic leadership. Leadership success book.
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Hardcover, 251 pages
Published
March 9th 2007
by Jossey-Bass
(first published January 5th 2007)
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Start your review of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership
OK, my second of three self-help books for the months of October/November.
I came to this book with the utmost level of skepticism and came away with slightly less skepticism. I've seen several cases of people taking "leadership courses" only to become distant and insecurely authoritarian with the team that they must manage. If I were to write a leadership book, it would take a sentence: Don't be an asshole, listen more than talk, admit to being wrong, and lead by example.
Bill George has a ...more
I came to this book with the utmost level of skepticism and came away with slightly less skepticism. I've seen several cases of people taking "leadership courses" only to become distant and insecurely authoritarian with the team that they must manage. If I were to write a leadership book, it would take a sentence: Don't be an asshole, listen more than talk, admit to being wrong, and lead by example.
Bill George has a ...more
This book gets good reviews, but I think it's mostly due to the fact that other business books are so BAD. Most are self-congratulatory and promote bad behavior -- you get the immediate impression that the sole purpose of the book is to establish the author's cult of personality.
In case you're wondering, this is how you write a book on leadership:
1. Compile a list of 5-10 "make-or-break" traits of a winning person or company
2. Write a chapter for each trait, containing generic information ...more
In case you're wondering, this is how you write a book on leadership:
1. Compile a list of 5-10 "make-or-break" traits of a winning person or company
2. Write a chapter for each trait, containing generic information ...more
A great guide to self-discovery with self-assessing questions at the end of each chapter.
Oct 20, 2008
Jessica
rated it
liked it
Recommended to Jessica by:
read for NCLA Leadership Institute
Shelves:
2008,
adult-non-fiction
I generally do not care for books like this one, BUT, this was not as bad a read as I thought it might be. I marked a few passages that struck a cord with me. It was certainly biased toward for-profit arenas and was difficult to liken some statements to the library world, but I did get some wisdom that transferred.
<> "Courage is an especially important quality for leaders as they navigate through unpredictable terrain." p.xxxiii
<> "People today demand personal relationships with ...more
<> "Courage is an especially important quality for leaders as they navigate through unpredictable terrain." p.xxxiii
<> "People today demand personal relationships with ...more
A must read for all leaders of people. The value of knowing your story, really knowing your story, and how you've developed into who you are today.. Your principles, values, and style... Are formed by your life story and your crucible. Highly recommend and will be using this as a tool in my career.
Picked up the book because it's a requirement for HBS, but I could only get through half of it. The advice seems indistinguishable from bullshit. To summarize: be an "authentic" leader by re-interpreting your story so that you can derive purpose/meaning in your job. Would suggest skipping it.
This book, of course, is another foray into leadership strategy. I have to admit that I went into the book with a bad attitude because I am not a huge fan of the professor who assigned it. That said, it actually was a pretty good book. The author's rhetoric is a bit cliche, but the book won me over with all the personal stories of ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things. My personal favorite was Andrea Jung, the first female CEO of Avon - her passion for empowering women from all walks
...more
Yes, leaders need to be authentic. I love the true north compass, where we should put our self-awareness ahead before we define our values/principles, what motivate us, who are our support groups, and how to integrate our life. Served with exemplars and steps how to become authentic leader, this book is worth to read for everyone, i believe everyone is a leader!
Really nice read. I think, if you've never read a leadership book before, or if you've not taken any courses on self-awareness and reflection, this would be a very powerful book. I've studied this content in great detail over my life-time, so it wasn't incredibly earth shattering to me, but I recognize I'm a little abnormal in terms of my background in this stuff (my undergrad is in it. ;) ).
Book rating criteria; to help objectify my ratings.
1. I would read again?
No, but I’ll certainly skim my ...more
Book rating criteria; to help objectify my ratings.
1. I would read again?
No, but I’ll certainly skim my ...more
Aug 09, 2009
Thomas C.
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
those searching for leadership help
Recommended to Thomas by:
teh author at Maximum Impact Conference
Because of the number of books I have read on leadership, I expect that some of the content of almost every leadership book will be duplicative of some other book I have read. My standard is whether or not the book contains something new and valuable for me in my quest to be a better leader. This book has it. I was impressed with two areas of in depth material, that regarding the need for leaders to be in a give and take mentoring relationship, and the description of the types of leadership
...more
Useful guide for staying true to ourselves, since not all leaders are authentic, so it is always better to follow our "True North". There is an example of a company in India who didn't have a phone line for a year, because they wanted to avoid brives, so their employees saw that as a model for being honest. If we as leaders know our motivations, we will develop a compass for the right path.
It's a good read to figure out your true self. Kinda helps you out in finding your way through the corporate world!
A valuable book on effective leadership traits. Depending upon your level, you may find it revealing many new concepts or simply providing a good refresher on many you felt you already knew. Regardless of whether it is revealing, reinforcing, or both, there are good lessons here for all.
Lots of anecdotes about what it means to be an authentic leader that resonated with me. Reason for the 3 star was that I listened to the Audible version and the narrator did my head in, was like listening to a monotone computer voice for 7 hours!
Read the Blinkist version. Solid stuff.
I stumbled upon this book when looking for something about authenticity in leadership. And Bill George successfully presents his ideas on how to lead with passion, values, purpose and empathy, the things that caracterize an authentic leadership, according to him. One of the main ideas of the book for me is that regarding vulnerabilities. George tells us how to allow other to know our vulnerabilities and how this contribute to building good relationship between the leader and the followers. From
...more
While I like leadership books, this one was just okay. It had some good points in it about knowing yourself and your passions, being authentic, and the importance of feedback. In the leadership roles I take on, which don’t include aspiring to lead a corporation, I tend to be pretty quiet and reserved to begin with. I read this because I do lead in my church and will be a leader as a school librarian, but there was probably a better book out there for me and the leadership roles I tend to step
...more
This is a great book for any stage of your career or vocation. The examples of leaders that talk about their crucible moments, when they realized they were full of sh*t, and the choices we make daily, gave me great insight.
Lots of stories from various business types. The underlying theme is to be your true self, but also don't forget about others in their quest for leadership. I did enjoy the story of Starbucks Howard Schultz & Investor Charles Schwab. Worth the quick read if ya get some time.
I read this book with a group and found the group discussion to be the best part. The book seems backwards in the chapter selections but the material really helps you understand where you came from and how it relates to your leadership style.
A good read about finding authenticity in your work and life. Be true to that, and everything else will become easier. Several great points but seemed to drag on a little at the end.
Good book with key information inside. My summation of this read is in order to lead other you must first know who you are and hold true to that insight.
Some solid concepts that felt like they got lost amid the unending case study examples. I typically appreciate compelling stories and examples, and this book felt like a compilation of examples and case study stories that diminished impact. The leadership lessons are solid, I am feeling after finishing that because there were so many, I'm hard pressed to remember one!
Great self discovering book for leadership developement with lots of modern adn currently very up to date knowledge based on science and real practise!
Found it fairly tedious and I often failed to focus on it.
Could have been a far thinner book and still communicate the learning outcomes.
Could have been a far thinner book and still communicate the learning outcomes.
Not much new. I did appreciate the individuals’ stories.
Jan 12, 2020
Justin Fanelli
added it
Pretty broad (brush), useful
Great for introspective people wanting to build leadership skills.
I read most of this book for a class at my law school. It provides helpful and interesting stories of the successes and failures of leaders. The key is to shape your story!
Good mix of stories with advice. Focuses a lot on how to integrate your personal beliefs and ideology with the demands of a workplace.
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