True North

Have you ever felt pulled in multiple directions, unsure of who you truly are as a leader? In True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, Bill George and Peter Sims invite you to embark on the ultimate leadership journey—the one inward. They argue that the most powerful and trustworthy leaders lead not through charisma or command, but through authenticity. Rather than chasing success, these leaders follow their True North—a moral compass grounded in purpose, passion, and values.

Through interviews with 125 leaders—from Starbucks founder Howard Schultz to Oprah Winfrey and Nelson Mandela—George demonstrates that authentic leadership isn’t innate or bestowed. It’s developed through life’s crucibles—adversity, reflection, and service. The result is not a formula but a personal compass guiding every decision through integrity and self-awareness.

The Core Argument: Leadership Born from Life Stories

George’s central claim is radical: leadership cannot be reduced to traits, styles, or charisma. Decades of leadership research failed to identify an ideal leader because every leader’s authenticity originates from their life story. Understanding your unique past—its struggles, setbacks, and triumphs—reveals your motivations and passions. For instance, Howard Schultz’s commitment to employee well-being at Starbucks came directly from watching his father lose jobs and health benefits as a child; for Oprah Winfrey, it was the pain of abuse and the discovery of her voice through storytelling.

In George’s words, your life story is not just what happens to you—it’s how you interpret it. By reframing hardship through reflection, leaders transform suffering into meaning, purpose, and empathy. That process, he insists, forms the bedrock of becoming authentic.

The Five Dimensions of Authentic Leadership

George distills authentic leadership into five dimensions, each anchoring your internal compass: pursuing purpose with passion, practicing solid values, leading with heart, building enduring relationships, and demonstrating self-discipline. These dimensions are interconnected; purpose grounds you, values direct you, heart connects you, relationships sustain you, and discipline steadies you.

When aligned, these traits make leaders credible because they act consistently with who they are. In contrast, inauthentic leaders—whom George calls imposters, rationalizers, glory seekers, loners, or shooting stars—lose touch with their True North by pursuing ego, power, or external validation. Their collapse, from corporate scandals to moral failures, is often not for lack of skill but of self-awareness.

Leadership as a Lifelong Journey

Leadership, George insists, is not a destination but a lifelong process—a marathon filled with crucibles and reinventions. Interviewed leaders described a three-part journey: preparing for leadership (gaining experience and self-understanding), leading (facing challenges and transformation), and giving back (mentoring and serving future generations). Each phase, he shows, builds new dimensions of authenticity.

The book’s structure mirrors that journey. Part One explores how life stories and crucibles mold authentic leaders and why some lose their way. Part Two outlines tools for discovering authenticity—self-awareness, clarifying values, understanding motivations, building a support team, and integrating your life. Part Three examines the outward expression of authenticity: inspiring others through purpose, empowerment, and servant leadership.

Why Authenticity Matters Now

In an age of corporate scandals and leadership crises, George argues that authenticity isn’t just ethical—it’s effective. People crave trust and meaning from leaders. He contrasts self-serving executives who chased short-term gains at Enron or Tyco with leaders like Merck’s Roy Vagelos, who gave away a life-saving drug for free because it was the right thing to do. True authority, he argues, comes not from position or reward but from trust, integrity, and service to others.

In essence, to become a great leader, you must first learn to lead yourself. That means mastering your emotions, staying grounded amid pressure, and aligning actions with values. As Kroger’s CEO David Dillon summarized, the hardest person you’ll ever lead is yourself.

A Compass, Not a Roadmap

The metaphor of True North encapsulates George’s vision: a compass that keeps you oriented when the world spins wildly. Unlike a GPS or corporate career map, True North doesn’t tell you exactly where to go; instead, it helps you navigate ambiguity while remaining true to who you are. Success, therefore, becomes measured not by title or wealth but by integrity, impact, and fulfilment.

As Warren Bennis writes in the foreword, “Character is the single most important asset of a leader.” Authentic leadership, George adds, is the practical expression of that character. In today’s volatile, uncertain world, the leaders who endure are not the most charismatic or brilliant—they are the most genuine. They follow their True North, and in doing so, light the way for others to find theirs.

George’s framework of authentic leadership rests on five interdependent dimensions that define what it means to lead from your True North. Each dimension deepens your capacity for grounded, trustworthy leadership.

1. Pursuing Purpose with Passion

Authentic leaders derive energy from a clear purpose, not from fame or financial reward. Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon, stayed at the company even after being passed over for the top job because she believed in Avon’s mission to empower women. Years later, her patience and purpose paid off when she became CEO and reshaped the company’s vision as “The Company for Women.” Her story reminds you that purpose fuels resilience when recognition falters.

2. Practicing Solid Values

Values act as a moral compass in moments of temptation. Jon Huntsman, founder of Huntsman Corporation, refused to declare bankruptcy even when advisors told him it was the only option. He believed paying back every creditor was a matter of integrity, not just business. For him, “the softest pillow is a clear conscience.” In contrast, leaders who bend ethics for expediency ultimately lose trust and legacy. Authenticity requires knowing your ethical boundaries before you face crisis.

3. Leading with Heart

To lead with heart is to integrate empathy, compassion, and courage. It’s not softness—it’s strength grounded in humanity. Starbucks’s Howard Schultz built a company that treated employees with dignity because he remembered his father’s despair after workplace injuries. “Starbucks is a people business,” Schultz said, “coffee is just the catalyst.” Leading with heart connects leaders to the deeper human needs behind performance. (This mirrors Brené Brown’s assertion that vulnerability, properly channeled, breeds trust and innovation.)

4. Establishing Enduring Relationships

Enduring relationships form the glue of authentic leadership. Warren Bennis once said leadership means “having some group that will tell you the truth.” Genuine leaders cultivate trust through openness and sustained presence. eBay president John Donahoe made his marriage and family central parts of his life, believing that being a better father made him a better leader. When crises struck, that authenticity resonated with his employees. People commit deeply only when they feel their leaders truly care.

5. Demonstrating Self-Discipline

Discipline is the habit of holding yourself to your own standards, especially when no one else is watching. Authentic leaders never stop learning or refining their judgment. Jeff Immelt’s “crucible” at GE—leading a failing unit that missed its profit targets—taught him perseverance. Even under pressure, he refused to cut corners, which later prepared him to succeed Jack Welch as CEO. Discipline sustains integrity when passion fades.

Together, these dimensions anchor leaders in turbulent times. They remind you that authenticity is not static virtue—it’s disciplined, values-driven action that renews itself through courage, compassion, and self-honesty.

George shows that authentic leadership begins with understanding your own life story. You cannot lead others authentically until you’ve made sense of the experiences that shaped you. This narrative—your triumphs, trauma, and turning points—reveals the purpose that fuels your leadership.

Connecting Past to Purpose

For Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, his father’s financial struggles informed his passion to create a business that respected workers. For Reatha Clark King, born to Georgia farmworkers, the discrimination she endured became the foundation for her mission to open doors for others. By reframing hardship into meaning, each leader transforms pain into fuel. John Barth’s reminder that “the story of your life is not your life—it is your story” echoes throughout the book.

Reframing Your Narrative

George challenges readers to reframe their stories. Many people see themselves as victims of circumstance, but authentic leaders reinterpret adversity as opportunity for growth. Ellen Breyer, who was punished by her government for student activism, later realized that experience had taught her resilience and conviction; years later, as CEO of the Hazelden Foundation, she used that same energy to fight addiction stigma.

Writing Your Own Definition of Success

Society’s definition of success—wealth, title, power—can easily eclipse self-knowledge. Authentic leaders flip that equation. They realize that failure, criticism, and doubt are often the teachers that cultivate empathy and wisdom. Consider Oprah Winfrey: after years of trauma and shame, she reframed her suffering into purpose—helping others find healing through truth. Leadership, she discovered, isn’t about upward mobility but inward mastery.

Making Your Story a Compass

George asks: What events most shaped you? Who influenced your understanding of right and wrong? When did you feel most alive? By reflecting honestly on these questions, you turn your story into a compass that keeps you oriented toward what matters. Every authentic leader—whether Starbucks’s Schultz, GE’s Immelt, or Wells Fargo’s Kovacevich—uses that compass not to mimic others, but to navigate their own terrain with integrity.

Even capable leaders can drift from their True North when ego, fear, or success cloud judgment. George identifies five archetypes of derailment—warning signs for anyone aspiring to lead with integrity.

1. Imposters and Rationalizers

Imposters lack confidence and compensate with manipulation, while Rationalizers twist ethics for convenience. George cites executives who bent rules to meet quarterly results, convincing themselves it was ‘temporary.’ These self-deceptions often escalate—the slope from justification to corruption is slippery.

2. Glory Seekers and Loners

Glory Seekers chase fame over impact; Loners reject counsel and isolate themselves. When surrounded by sycophants, they confuse control with leadership. Lack of honest feedback disconnects them from reality, as seen in Morgan Stanley’s fallen CEO Philip Purcell, who ignored criticism until rebellion ousted him.

3. Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars rise fast but burn out—they prioritize career velocity over growth. They never stay long enough to face consequences, mistaking motion for mastery. Eventually, under stress, their lack of grounding becomes fatal to both performance and wellbeing.

Returning to True North

Yet redemption is possible. Amgen CEO Kevin Sharer, once overconfident at GE and MCI, confronted failure, owned his arrogance, and changed. His humility later defined Amgen’s culture. George calls this the transformation from “I” to “We”—when leaders shift from self-glory to enabling others. Authenticity is not perfection but persistent re-alignment with values when temptations arise.

The antidotes to losing your way? Self-awareness, trusted advisors, grounded relationships, and reflective discipline. These forces keep your compass steady, especially when success tempts you to drift.

At the heart of George’s philosophy lies a dramatic shift: authentic leaders evolve from self-centered achievers to servant leaders focused on empowering others. This is the transformation from “I” to “We.”

From Ego to Empathy

Early in your career, success hinges on personal performance—grades, promotions, visibility. But leadership demands a pivot: your growth now depends on how well you inspire growth in others. GE’s Jaime Irick puts it simply: “You’ve got to flip the switch from winning yourself to helping others win.” When you lead from service rather than status, people commit rather than comply.

Crucibles that Catalyze Change

Transformation usually occurs through crucibles—intense trials that strip away ego. For Dan Vasella, repeated childhood illness and loss helped him develop compassion that later shaped Novartis’s patient-centered culture. For Oprah Winfrey, confronting her trauma on-air ignited a life mission to empower others through truth-telling. Such moments of clarity turn pain into purpose.

Mentorship and Feedback

Mentors like John Gardner (who guided Jim Thompson) or Anna Mulcahy’s team at Xerox demonstrate that feedback can dismantle ego safely. When Ecolab’s Doug Baker received searing criticism from colleagues, it shattered his pride but rebuilt his authenticity. Instead of defending, he listened—and emerged as a humble leader who engaged his team in shared success.

Seeing Leadership as Service

Nelson Mandela epitomized “We” leadership. After 27 years in prison, he rejected vengeance and led South Africa through reconciliation. “I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant,” he said. That humility turned moral authority into national healing. Authentic leadership, George concludes, begins when you stop being the hero and start building heroes around you.

To lead authentically, you must first know yourself. Self-awareness—the ability to perceive your emotions, values, and impact—is the core of George’s compass. Without it, even brilliance can become self-sabotage.

Understanding Your Inner Landscape

David Pottruck’s journey at Charles Schwab exemplifies this truth. Brilliant and driven, he alienated colleagues with intensity until blunt feedback pierced his denial: “Your colleagues don’t trust you.” That truth devastated him but triggered transformation. Through coaching and radical self-honesty, Pottruck learned to replace ego with empathy, becoming a wiser, more human leader. (This parallels Daniel Goleman’s concept of Emotional Intelligence: self-awareness fuels self-regulation and empathy.)

Peeling Back the Onion

George likens self-knowledge to peeling an onion—outer layers reveal behavior, inner layers expose motivations, blind spots, and vulnerabilities. Only by confronting your fears and insecurities can you stop overcompensating through control or image. Randy Komisar’s meditation practice helped him uncover the divide between his father’s materialism and his grandmother’s compassion—integrating both shaped the leader he wanted to be.

Reflection and Acceptance

Self-awareness isn’t judgment—it’s acceptance. As Reatha Clark King said, “I feel good in my skin.” The goal isn’t to perfect yourself but to love your imperfections enough to lead without pretense. Feedback, mindfulness, journaling, and honest relationships serve as mirrors to your true self. When you embrace rather than repress your humanity, others trust you more deeply.

Values, George argues, are the moral compass of your True North. Without clarity about what you stand for, turbulence will steer you astray. The challenge isn’t identifying values—it’s living them when stakes are high.

Defining and Testing Values

David Gergen’s Watergate experience exposed how proximity to power can corrode integrity. As he watched Nixon’s downfall, he vowed never to sacrifice transparency again. From that crucible emerged his lifelong principle: “Act openly—always.” Similarly, former Ariba CEO Keith Krach resigned from a lucrative post when asked to compromise ethics. Values, like muscles, strengthen only through resistance.

Ethical Boundaries and Courage

George urges all leaders to articulate their ethical boundaries—nonnegotiable lines they won’t cross. Using the “New York Times test” (“Would I still act if this were on tomorrow’s front page?”), you clarify not just decisions but identity. Baxter executive Judy Haberkorn lived this when she risked her job to correct a major privacy breach honestly. Her courage restored company trust and exemplified ethical leadership in action.

Leading by Values, Not Rules

Corporate values work when lived, not laminated. Narayana Murthy built Infosys on radical transparency and fairness: refusing bribes even in bureaucratic India, he waited a year for a phone line. “The softest pillow,” he said, “is a clear conscience.” Values-driven leadership, George concludes, replaces compliance with conscience; it empowers people to choose ethics not out of fear—but conviction.

Why do you lead? For recognition or for meaning? George differentiates between extrinsic motivations (money, power, title) and intrinsic ones (purpose, growth, service). Sustainable leadership balances both—extrinsic rewards may start you out, but only intrinsic motivations sustain you.

From Ambition to Purpose

Charles Schwab’s entrepreneurial story captures this arc. Struggling with dyslexia, he found liberation in helping everyday Americans invest—democratizing finance. His passion to empower others made him wealthy, but his purpose made him fulfilled. Similarly, Dona Dubinsky left high-paying roles to innovate accessible technology (Palm and Handspring), finding joy in impact over income.

Avoiding the Trap of Success Addiction

Leaders often get trapped by the chase for validation. Alan Horn of Warner Brothers warned that “incremental wealth adds complexity, not happiness.” When you define success through comparison, you surrender control of your compass. Authentic motivation comes from contribution, not competition—a point echoed by Viktor Frankl’s notion that purpose, not pleasure, drives human fulfillment (Man’s Search for Meaning).

Finding Your Sweet Spot

George encourages you to find the “sweet spot” where your strongest capabilities meet your deepest motivations. When you align competence with calling, work becomes flow, not force. The leaders interviewed—from nonprofit founders to Fortune 500 CEOs—all discovered that alignment by interrogating not just what they do, but why.

Leadership without grounding leads to burnout. George devotes an entire chapter to integration—the art of aligning personal, professional, spiritual, and relational life into a coherent whole. Authentic leaders don’t live double lives; they are the same person at work, home, and in private.

Making Conscious Choices

Warren Bennis rejected the word “balance,” preferring “choice.” Life, he said, isn’t about symmetry—it’s about awareness. eBay’s John Donahoe demonstrated this by turning down relentless travel so he could take his children to school. That decision didn’t cost him leadership; it deepened it. “Being authentic,” he said, “means being the same person everywhere.”

Grounding Practices

Leaders in George’s study relied on rituals—exercise, meditation, prayer, family dinners—to manage stress and maintain perspective. Kris Johnson, a Medtronic executive, left an executive role to prioritize family and later called it her best decision. George calls this living with integrity: breaking down the walls between home, work, and community so you can act from the same center in every room of your life.

Defining Success on Your Terms

The integrated life culminates in redefining success—not by external measures, but by alignment with values and joy. Dermot Dunphy of Sealed Air summarized it perfectly: “To love and be loved, to be respected, and to possess honor.” When your external achievements and internal compass converge, leadership becomes not a role—but a way of living.

Leadership reaches fulfillment when you align personal passion with organizational purpose. George’s later chapters show how authentic leaders empower others by channeling passion into service.

Finding Purpose Through Passion

Andrea Jung turned Avon into a force for female empowerment because it resonated with her upbringing and values. Penny George founded the Bravewell Collaborative on integrative medicine after surviving cancer; transforming personal suffering into collective healing became her calling. Authentic leaders don’t manufacture passion—they uncover it through self-examination.

Empowering Others to Lead

Anne Mulcahy rescued Xerox from bankruptcy not by charisma but by trust. By engaging employees candidly, she rebuilt belief from the ground up. Similarly, Marilyn Carlson Nelson reshaped Carlson Companies by replacing command-and-control with empathy and service, redefining leadership as partnership. These leaders demonstrate that empowerment, not control, multiplies impact.

Purpose Beyond Profit

George challenges leaders to reclaim business as a vehicle for enduring value. Drawing on Michael Porter’s distinction between shareholder and economic value, he argues that companies must serve customers, employees, and society to sustain themselves. As Infosys’s Narayana Murthy declared, “Long-term shareholder value cannot exist without fairness to all stakeholders.”

Following this ethos, Roy Vagelos of Merck distributed a life-saving drug for free in Africa, advancing both humanity and innovation. True leaders, George concludes, make service their legacy. Their fulfillment comes not from titles but from the difference they leave behind—the living proof that authentic leadership and moral excellence are inseparable.