Bill George
Harvard Business School Professor; Former CEO, Medtronic
Every leader needs to build a trust with their own people, with their customers, and with all their external stakeholders... You have to build that trust every day.
Summary
This week on “Leadership Matters,” Alan is joined by Bill George — a trailblazing private sector leader and business school professor who has dedicated his career to teaching effective leadership to the next generation of business leaders.
Bill is the former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical device company, and is credited with its phenomenal growth from a small producer of pacemakers to an international manufacturer of a broad line of medical devices. Earlier in his career, he was an executive with Honeywell and Litton Industries and also served in the U.S. Department of Defense. Bill has taught leadership at Harvard Business School since 2004 and authored numerous bestselling books on the subject, most recently publishing True North: Emerging Leader Edition, aimed at helping younger audiences navigate society’s changing expectations of leaders across sectors and industries.
In his conversation with Alan, Bill tells the story of his career and shares his thoughts on many of the most pressing issues facing CEOs today. From the importance of authentic leadership to the importance of private sector leadership on social issues, Bill’s advice and writings cover a range of issues that will resonate with leaders regardless of where they are in their career journeys.
Mentions & Resources in this Episode
True North: Emerging Leader Edition, by Bill George and Zach Clayton
Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value, by Bill George
Guest Bio
Bill George is executive fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of: Emerging Leader Edition of True North, Discover Your True North and The Discover Your True North Fieldbook, Authentic Leadership, True North, Finding Your True North, 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis and True North Groups.
He was chair and CEO of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical technology company. Under his leadership, Medtronic’s market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35 percent a year. He joined Medtronic in 1989 as president and COO, was CEO from 1991 to 2001, and was chair of the board from 1996 to 2002. Earlier in his career, he was an executive with Honeywell and Litton Industries and served in the U.S. Department of Defense.
He has served as a director of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, Target, the Mayo Clinic, and World Economic Forum USA. He received the 2014 Bower Award for Business Leadership and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012. He has been named one of the Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years by PBS, Executive of the Year by Academy of Management, and Director of the Year by National Association of Corporate Directors.
Bill received a BS in industrial engineering with high honors from Georgia Tech and a MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar. He has received honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, Mayo Medical School, University of St. Thomas, Augsburg College, and Bryant University. He and his wife, Penny, reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.