BILL GEORGE
Not many people know that Bill
George had written a book about his experiences running Medtronic which never
found a publisher. But he went on to publish five books after making the
transition from CEO to Harvard professor. While his first book on authentic
leadership was based on his own experiences, the second one required detailed
research which resulted in a 3000 page transcript and findings fairly different
from what he had expected. Instead of characteristics of successful leaders, he
came back with their stories and challenges. His subsequent books have been
derivatives of this one, including a workbook. “If you’ve had the burden of
major decisions and are willing to open up and write about your feelings and
emotions, it becomes very valuable to other leaders. People want to know the
thought process and the tradeoffs behind the decision,” he says. It’s important
to be able to bring in that honesty in your writing. George is among the few
who made a conscious decision to shift tracks after he felt he’d had enough of
the corporate world. It was important for him as he felt that he couldn’t
dedicate enough time to this while actively running a company. “I’ve written 5
books and everything comes from me. If you don’t have an authentic first person
voice, it doesn’t play well,” he says. While he’s had some assistance with his
research, he says he’d be horrified if someone came up and asked him why he’d
written something and he’d have to say that he didn’t write it but the editor
or ghost writer put it in.
CDET 140131
No comments:
Post a Comment