What’s it about?
True North (2007) is a guide to discovering your inner compass and staying true to yourself, all while developing the skills you need to be an authentic leader. By uncovering your values and motivations, you’ll gain the tools you need to build a professional life that remains true to who you are.
About the author
Bill George is a professor of management practice at the Harvard Business School, and is currently on the board of directors at ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs and Novartis. He is also the author of the best-selling book Authentic Leadership.
Peter Sims established the “Leadership Perspectives” course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and co-founded the London office of the global investment firm Summit Partners.
Bill George: True North copyright 2007, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.
什么是它的主题?
《真正的北方》(2007)是一本指南,旨在帮助您发现自己的内心指南,并坚守真实的自我,同时发展您所需的真实领导者的技能。通过发现您的价值观和动机,您将获得构建一个真实的职业生活所需的工具。
关于作者
比尔·乔治(Bill George)是哈佛商学院管理实践教授,目前担任埃克森美孚,高盛和诺华董事会成员。他也是畅销书《真实领导力》的作者。
彼得·西姆斯(Peter Sims)在斯坦福大学商学院建立了“领导力视角”课程,并共同创立了全球投资公司Summit Partners的伦敦办事处。
比尔·乔治:《真正的北方》2007年版,约翰·威尔斯公司出版。未经约翰·威尔斯公司的授权,不得向任何未经授权的第三方提供。
Introduction
What’s in it for me? Find your True North and let it guide you toward being a better leader.
对我有什么好处?寻找你的真正方向,并让它指引你成为更好的领袖。
Sometimes it seems as if the great leaders of the world are guided by a supernatural hand. They seem too focused, too smart, too right all the time to make decisions like the rest of us, don’t they?
Not necessarily.
The authors of this book interviewed some 125 great leaders and found that they’re not so different from the rest of us. They have unique qualities that can’t be summed up in a few simple leadership cliches about “vision” or “talent.”
Rather, these leaders manage to concentrate on the right things; they know which issues are most important and stay focused on them. How? They follow their True North, that is, the compass that represents who they truly are and guides them to become the best leaders they can be.
As these blinks show, when the world around you seems in disarray or feels like it’s spinning out of control, your own True North can keep you on track, inspired and true to yourself. Find your True North to become an excellent, authentic leader.In these blinks, you’ll learn
- how a fishing trip suddenly re-motivated the chairman of The Gap;
- which tear-filled inspiration changed Oprah’s approach to leadership; and
- why great leaders have the self-awareness to see their own shortcomings.
有时候,似乎世界上的伟大领袖是由超自然的手所指引。他们似乎过于专注,聪明,总是正确的,不像我们其他人那样做决定,不是吗?
并非如此。
本书的作者采访了约125位伟大领袖,发现他们与我们其他人并没有太大的不同。他们有独特的特质,不能用几个简单的关于“愿景”或“才能”的领导 Klisé 来概括。
相反,这些领导者设法集中精力处理正确的事情;他们知道哪些问题最重要,并专注于这些问题。怎么做到的?他们遵循他们的“真北”,即代表他们真正的自我并指导他们成为最好的领导者的指南针。
正如这些闪烁所示,当你周围的世界似乎处于混乱状态或感觉失控时,您自己的真北可以让您保持在正确的轨道上,激励您并保持真实。找到您的真北,成为一位优秀,真正的领袖。
在这些闪烁中,您将了解
- 钓鱼旅行是如何突然重新激励 The Gap 董事长的;
- 哪种泪水涟涟的灵感改变了 Oprah 的领导方式;以及
- 为什么伟大的领导者具有自我意识,能看到自己的不足之处。
Key idea 1
Take your inspiration and passion for leadership from your life story.
从你的人生故事中获取领导力的灵感和热情。
We all have unique life stories shaped by past relationships and events. Authentic leaders, however, gain more from these experiences than the rest of us.
Authentic leaders are genuine people – that is, true to themselves and their beliefs – who are able to motivate others to perform at their best. Ultimately, they’re more concerned with serving others than with their own success or recognition.
Understanding the meanings of the key events in your unique story will guide you and help you find and focus on your True North. This, in turn, will set you on the path to becoming an authentic leader.
A case in point is Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks. When an accident caused his father to lose his job, his whole family lost their health coverage. Schultz’s mother was pregnant and unable to work, so his parents borrowed money and avoided bill collectors.
Schultz had vowed to create a different reality for workers if he had the chance, and he thus made Starbucks the first company in the United States to offer health coverage to part-time employees working as little as 20 hours a week.
In this case, Schultz’s experience and memories of his father carried him along the path to authentic leadership.
Authentic leaders’ stories also provide the context for their lives, as well as the inspiration to have an impact in the world.
Take Reatha Clark King, former president of the General Mills Foundation. As a poor, black woman growing up in Georgia during the 1940s, both poverty and discrimination were constant obstacles in King’s life. Nevertheless, she won scholarships and eventually earned a PhD in thermochemistry.
King’s goal is to create more opportunities for the poor and to help others overcome the barriers of racial and gender discrimination. She drew inspiration from her own story to stay true to who she is – and to stay on course with her True North.
Money and success don’t make authentic leaders forget those they’ve left behind; rather, they spur a sense of responsibility to help them.
我们都有独特的人生故事,这些故事是被过去的关系和事件所塑造的。然而,真正的领袖比我们中的其他人从这些经历中获得更多的收益。
真正的领袖是真实的人,也就是说,他们忠于自己和自己的信仰,并能够激励他人发挥最佳表现。最终,他们更关心为他人服务,而不是自己的成功或认可。
了解你独特故事中关键事件的含义将指导你,并帮助你找到并聚焦于你的“真正北极”。这反过来将使你走上成为真正领袖的道路。
一个例子是星巴克创始人霍华德·舒尔茨。当一次事故导致他的父亲失去工作时,他的整个家庭失去了医疗保险。舒尔茨的母亲怀孕了,无法工作,因此他的父母借钱避开账单收取者。
舒尔茨发誓要为工人们创造一个不同的现实,因此他使星巴克成为美国第一家为每周工作至少20小时的兼职员工提供医疗保险的公司。
在这种情况下,舒尔茨对他父亲的经历和记忆沿着真正领导力的道路带领他前进。
真正领袖的故事也为他们的生活提供了背景,以及在世界上产生影响的灵感。
以前的通用磨坊基金会主席瑞莎·克拉克·金为例。作为一个在20世纪40年代在乔治亚州贫穷的黑人女性,贫困和歧视是金的生活中不断的障碍。尽管如此,她赢得了奖学金,并最终获得了热化学博士学位。
金的目标是为贫困人口创造更多机会,帮助其他人克服种族和性别歧视的障碍。她从自己的故事中获得灵感,保持忠于自己的本性,并保持与自己的“真正北极”保持一致。
金钱和成功不会使真正的领袖忘记那些被他们遗留下来的人,相反,它们激发了一种责任感来帮助他们。
Key idea 2
Self-centeredness can make you lose sight of your inner compass.
自我中心可能让你失去内心的指南针。
As you start earning acclaim and the rewards that come with it, you’re at greater risk to get derailed from a path to authentic leadership.
There are five archetypal leaders who most easily lose sight of their True North: Imposters, Rationalizers, Glory Seekers, Loners and Shooting Stars.
Imposters lack self-awareness and self-esteem, and accomplish success through cunning and aggression. They are politically minded, and once they’ve attained power, they care little about the way they’re perceived.
Rationalizers’ weakness is that they deviate from their values. These are the managers who never take responsibility, but do everything they can to make their quotas. Rationalizers sacrifice a company’s long-term health for their own short-term gain.
Glory Seekers are people we all know. They work for and are motivated by outward signs of success, like money, fame, glory, power and acclaim.
Loners’ fatal flaw is their failure to develop personal support structures, such as close relationships or mentors. Picture someone who thinks they can – and must – be the lone wolf. Being so intently focused on their objectives, they are likely unaware that their behavior identifies them as a loner.
Shooting stars don’t have an integrated life. They rise too fast to learn from their mistakes, and they never have time for family or friends. Their sudden rise to power often leaves them overwhelmed by personal and professional problems.
A real-life example of one archetype, the imposter, is Philip Purcell, the former CEO of Morgan Stanley, who was challenged to create a financial services powerhouse by combining investment banking with the brokerage business. Purcell built his power base by cunningly manipulating the board and pushing out people who questioned his leadership. Many became frustrated with his “leadership” style, and several talented workers left.
While anyone can lose their way, you can get back on track by understanding that leadership isn’t about you, but about empowering others to lead.
随着你开始赢得赞誉和随之而来的奖励,你更容易偏离成为真正领袖的道路。有五种典型的领导者最容易失去他们的“真北”:冒充者、合理化者、追求荣耀者、孤独者和流星。
冒充者 缺乏自我意识和自尊心,通过狡猾和攻击性获得成功。他们以政治手段为手段,一旦获得权力,便不太关心他们的形象。
合理化者 的弱点是他们偏离了自己的价值观。这些经理们从不承担责任,但却做出一切努力来完成他们的指标。合理化者牺牲了公司的长期健康,换取自己的短期利益。
追求荣耀者 是我们都认识的人。他们为外在成功的迹象工作,并受到金钱、名声、荣誉、权力和赞誉的驱动。
孤独者 的致命缺陷是他们没有建立个人支持结构,例如亲密关系或导师。想象一下有人认为他们可以 – 也必须 – 成为孤独的狼人。他们如此专注于自己的目标,很可能意识不到他们的行为使他们被认为是一个孤独者。
流星 没有一个完整的生活。他们的崛起太快,没有时间从错误中学习,也没有时间陪伴家人或朋友。他们突然崛起的力量常常让他们被个人和专业问题压倒。
一个现实生活中的例子是,前摩根士丹利首席执行官菲利普·普尔塞尔(Philip Purcell)是冒充者的典型代表。他挑战通过将投资银行与经纪业务相结合,创建一个金融服务巨头。普尔塞尔通过狡猾地操纵董事会和推出质疑他领导力的人来建立自己的权力基础。许多人对他的“领导”风格感到沮丧,几个才华横溢的工人离开了。
虽然任何人都可能迷失自己的道路,但只要明白领导力不是关于你,而是关于赋权他人领导,你就可以重新回到正轨。
Key idea 3
Authentic leadership is about empowering others on their journeys.
真正的领导是关于赋权他人在他们的旅途中。
Some leaders think their power lies in their ability to motivate others to follow them – but that’s a myth. Being an authentic leader isn’t about getting supporters to help move you along; it’s about motivating others to reach their full potential.
It often takes a triggering experience to get you to realize this essential purpose of your leadership.
Oprah Winfrey, for example, once conducted an interview on her show with a woman named Trudy Chase, who had been sexually abused as a child. During the interview, Winfrey remembered her own traumatic experiences from her youth, and was overcome by her emotions.
Since that pivotal interview, she understands that her mission goes far beyond pursuing personal success, and instead revolves around empowering people all around the world, especially women.
Winfrey’s story illustrates the kind of transformative events that most authentic leaders experience. It is often during these hard moments that you realize authentic leadership isn’t about advancing yourself and your interests; rather, it’s about inspiring others to bring out their best.
Having undergone this transformation, you will abandon the belief that you are the hero of your own journey in order to lead others to a greater calling.
We see an example of this in Steve Rothschild. As vice president of General Mills in his thirties, he felt like a man in the middle, lacking the satisfaction of leading his own team. A year later, he decided to leave General Mills, having realized that his passion was helping poor, underprivileged people become financially sufficient and develop stronger families.
So, he set out on a mission to provide employers with skilled workers by training unemployed or underemployed adults, founding the organization Twin Cities RISE!
Your leadership purpose is your True North. The following blinks will look even closer at the compass that will guide you there.
有些领导者认为他们的权力在于激励他人追随他们 – 但这是一个谬论。成为真正的领导者不是让支持者帮助你前进,而是激励他人达到他们的最大潜力。
通常需要一个触发性事件让你意识到你的领导目的的本质。
例如,奥普拉·温弗瑞曾在她的节目中采访过一位名叫特鲁迪·切斯的女子,她在童年时期曾遭受性虐待。在采访中,温弗瑞回忆起自己青少年时期的创伤经历,被情感所淹没。
自那次关键的采访以来,她明白了她的使命远远超出了追求个人成功,而是围绕着赋予全世界人民,特别是女性力量的使命。
温弗瑞的故事说明了大多数真正的领导者经历的转变事件。通常在这些艰难的时刻,你会意识到真正的领导不是为了推进自己和自己的利益,而是要激励他人发挥他们的最大潜力。
经历了这种转变后,你将放弃认为自己是自己旅程的英雄的信仰,以引导他人走向更伟大的事业。
我们在史蒂夫·罗斯柴尔德身上看到了这样的例子。在三十多岁时担任通用磨坊公司副总裁时,他感觉自己处于中间地位,缺乏领导自己的团队的满足感。一年后,他决定离开通用磨坊公司,意识到他的热情是帮助贫困、弱势人群实现财务自给和发展更强大的家庭。
因此,他开始了一项使命,通过培训失业或就业困难的成年人为雇主提供熟练工人,创立了组织“双城崛起”!
你的领导目的是你的真正北极星。接下来的内容将更加深入地探讨指引你到达那里的指南针。
Key idea 4
Self-awareness will keep you moving in the right direction.
自我意识将让你朝着正确的方向前进。
Know thyself is age-old advice, but that doesn’t make it any easier to follow. After all, we’re complex beings with numerous aspects to our character.
That’s why you need a compass – one that helps you calibrate your actions so that your leadership stays aligned with how you want to live your life. When your compass works, it keeps you on track toward your True North.
Self-awareness lies at the heart of your compass. You need to know which roles you’re best at, along with your natural strengths and interests.
One key thing self-awareness does is help you find true self-confidence. Take Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen; he felt insecure about working in the tech industry because he was not an engineer, but he knew he had business and product-marketing skill and that he could learn about engineering. This assessment of his skills and abilities gave him the confidence to work his way up to becoming CEO.
Another reason self-awareness is so important is that it helps you fill your skill gaps with colleagues that complement them. For Ned Barnholt, former CEO of Agilent, self-awareness allows leaders to see their own shortcomings, which helps them build stronger teams.
Barnholt has enough self-awareness to know that accounting isn’t his strong suit. So, he surrounds himself with excellent financial people.
On the flip side, a lack of self-awareness can lead to major problems. For example, David Pottruck, former CEO of Charles Schwab, was an extremely hard worker, and simply couldn’t understand why his colleagues resented him. He was understandably shocked when his boss gave him a low rating for trustworthiness – the reason: his colleagues saw him as self-serving.
Pottruck had to work hard to confront his blind spots and gain an understanding of how others see him. But it paid off. After winning the support of his colleagues he eventually led the firm to outstanding success.
“认识自己”是古老的建议,但这并不意味着它更容易遵循。毕竟,我们是复杂的人物,具有众多不同的特点。
这就是为什么你需要一个指南针 – 一个帮助你校准行动的指南,以便你的领导力始终与你想要生活的方式保持一致。当你的指南针有效时,它会帮助你朝着你的真正北方保持方向。 自我意识是你指南针的核心。你需要知道你最擅长的角色,以及你的自然优势和兴趣。
自我意识的一个关键作用是帮助你找到真正的自信。以Adobe的CEO布鲁斯·奇森为例,他对在科技行业工作感到不安,因为他不是一名工程师,但他知道自己具备商业和产品营销技能,他可以学习工程知识。对自己技能和能力的评估使他有信心一步步晋升为CEO。
另一个原因是自我意识非常重要的是,它可以帮助你用补充自己的同事填补技能差距。对于Agilent公司的前CEO Ned Barnholt来说,自我意识使领导者能够看到自己的不足之处,这有助于他们建立更强大的团队。
Barnholt非常清楚会计不是他的强项。因此,他团队中有优秀的财务人员。
反过来,缺乏自我意识可能会导致重大问题。例如,Charles Schwab的前CEO David Pottruck是一位非常努力工作的人,但他无法理解他的同事为什么对他感到不满。当他的老板给他一个低的信任评级时,他感到非常震惊 – 原因是:他的同事认为他是自私自利的。
Pottruck不得不努力克服他的盲点,并了解他人如何看待他。但是这种努力得到了回报。在赢得同事的支持后,他最终带领公司取得了杰出的成功。
Key idea 5
Practice your values and principles.
践行你的价值观和原则。
With the center of your compass firmly grounded in self-awareness, you must now uncover the values and the principles that will guide your leadership. What is most important to you? Is it maintaining your integrity? Or perhaps helping other people?
Once you know what matters in your life, you are well equipped to establish the leadership principles that will define your leadership style. In essence, these leadership principles are your values translated into action.
It’s easy to live by your values when times are good. But when you’re under pressure – like when your success, career or life is at stake – those same values will be seriously tested and may even change.
For instance, David Gergen, former presidential advisor of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, wanted to lead a life that was consistent with the values passed on to him by his family.
But when the Watergate Scandal emerged, Gergen felt he couldn’t resign, as he didn’t want to be viewed as a rat leaving a sinking ship. Even though he wasn’t corrupt himself, he was still in a potentially career-ending situation.
And after seeing Nixon’s total lack of transparency, both before the scandal broke and after he misled the public, Gergen realized that his central leadership principle was transparency.
Your values and moral compass can be tested in every conceivable way. But once you’ve discovered your True North, you can remain true to your values without straying.
Take Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, who wanted to show the world that it was possible to run a business in India without corruption, and create wealth legally and ethically.
For example, because he refused to pay bribes, Infosys had to wait an entire year before their telephone line was installed! Although this made it difficult to grow at first, Murthy’s leadership principle of honesty instilled discipline throughout the company – something everyone they worked with came to appreciate.
According to Murthy, there is a direct connection between his company’s system of values and the success they’ve enjoyed over the last 24 years.
以自我意识为中心,你现在必须找出将指导你领导的价值观和原则。什么对你来说最重要?是维护你的诚信吗?还是帮助他人?
一旦你知道自己生活中最重要的事情,你就可以建立定义你领导风格的领导原则。实质上,这些领导原则是你的价值观转化为行动的结果。
在顺境时遵循你的价值观很容易。但是当你承受压力——比如你的成功、职业或生活面临危机时——这些价值观将受到严重考验,甚至可能改变。
例如,曾担任理查德·尼克松、杰拉尔德·福特、罗纳德·里根和比尔·克林顿总统顾问的戴维·格根想要过一种与家庭传承的价值观一致的生活。
但当水门事件曝光时,格根觉得自己不能辞职,因为他不想被视为离开一个正在下沉的船只的叛徒。即使他本人并不腐败,他仍处于一个潜在的有可能毁掉事业的局面。
在看到尼克松完全缺乏透明度之后,不仅在丑闻爆发前,而且在他误导公众之后,格根意识到他的核心领导原则是透明度。
你的价值观和道德指南可以通过各种方式得到测试。但一旦你发现了你的真正方向,你就可以坚定不移地遵循你的价值观。
以Infosys创始人纳拉扬·穆尔蒂为例,他想向世界展示,在印度经营一家没有腐败的企业、合法和道德地创造财富是可能的。
例如,因为他拒绝支付贿赂,Infosys必须等待整整一年才能安装他们的电话线路!虽然一开始这使得公司难以成长,但穆尔蒂的诚实领导原则在整个公司内树立了纪律,所有与之合作的人都很欣赏。
据穆尔蒂称,他公司的价值体系和他们在过去24年中取得的成功之间存在直接联系。
Key idea 6
Find the right motivation to get the most out of your capabilities.
找到合适的动力,充分发挥你的能力。
In addition to self-awareness and values, authentic leaders also need to find the right motivation. Of course, to do that, you first need to know what motivates you.
There are two types of motivations: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivations, such as good grades, trophies or high salaries, are measured by the external world.
Intrinsic motivations, on the other hand, are derived from your own sense of meaning in your life – in other words, your True North. These motivations are often closely linked to your life story, and can be things like personal growth, the satisfaction of doing a good job or staying true to your beliefs.
Intrinsic motivations come from within you, and are thus more subtle than extrinsic motivations. In fact, many people never tap into these powerful motivations. Indeed, society’s obsessive focus on material gain and the accompanying social pressures cause many leaders to seek international acclaim rather than doing what motivates them intrinsically.
For instance, many young leaders take high-salaried jobs in order to pay off loans or build a nest egg. They believe that, after ten years or so, they can move on to do the work they find fulfilling. Instead, they become addicted to their lifestyle and become increasingly demotivated and unhappy.
The key to developing as an authentic leader isn’t purging yourself of all extrinsic motivations, but balancing them with intrinsic motivations.
Bob Fischer, chairman of The Gap, offers a good example of how to balance these motivations. In his mid-20s, he went fishing in the north fork of the Feather River, where he came across the remains of rusted gold mining equipment. This sight inspired a deep concern in him about the well-being of the environment.
This environmental awareness led to a new intrinsic motivation in Fischer. He brought his employees together to look at what the company could recycle and joined the board of the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC). His initiative not only helped the environment (intrinsic motivation), but also the company’s public perception (extrinsic motivation).
除了自我意识和价值观之外,真正的领袖还需要找到正确的动机。当然,要做到这一点,首先需要知道什么是你的动机。
有两种动机:外在动机和内在动机。外在动机,如好成绩、奖杯或高薪水,是由外部世界衡量的。
另一方面,内在动机是源自于你对生命意义的自我感知 – 换句话说,是你的“真正北极”。这些动机通常与你的人生经历密切相关,可以是个人成长、完成一项良好工作的满足感或忠于信仰等。
内在动机来自你内心深处,因此比外在动机更微妙。事实上,很多人从来没有挖掘出这些强大的动机。确实,社会对物质利益的痴迷和相应的社会压力使许多领导者寻求国际声誉,而不是做他们内在动机所驱使的事情。
例如,许多年轻领袖会接受高薪工作,以偿还贷款或建立储蓄。他们认为,在十年左右的时间里,他们可以转而做他们认为充实的工作。但他们最终变得对自己的生活方式上瘾,越来越缺乏动力和不快乐。
作为真正领袖的关键不是清除所有外在动机,而是平衡它们和内在动机。
Gap公司的主席鲍勃·菲舍尔提供了一个很好的平衡这些动机的例子。在他二十多岁时,他在费瑟河北支流钓鱼时,发现了生锈的金矿设备的残骸。这个景象引起了他对环境状况的深切关注。
这种环保意识引发了菲舍尔一种新的内在动机。他让他的员工一起看看公司可以回收利用什么,并加入了自然资源保护委员会 (NRDC) 的董事会。他的举措不仅有助于环境(内在动机),还有助于公司的公众形象(外在动机)。
Key idea 7
Build your support team by investing in lasting relationships.
通过投资持久的关系来建立您的支持团队。
Everybody needs support and appreciation – even high-level executives who seem completely self-assured. Great leaders understand this, and build great support teams as a result.
Indeed, many authentic leaders have had a mentor who has changed their lives by helping them develop skills to become better leaders, as well as the confidence to lead authentically.
Mentors don’t necessarily make you feel good about yourself, but they do provide the tough love necessary to help you learn critical lessons.
Don’t be afraid to approach potential mentors. There’s always more to learn from experienced people who are willing to help you and and challenge you to improve.
While still in his 20s, Dave Dillon was made merchandising vice president of Fry’s supermarket, a division of the family-owned Dillons company. One day he got a call from Chuck Fry, the man who sold Fry’s to Dillons. Fry offered to walk him through a Fry’s store; since then, they speak for at least one hour a day, with Fry coaching Dillon on how to maximize the company’s potential.
Like mentors, personal support groups can also be a powerful source of wisdom and advice that will help you grow as a leader.
The most effective groups are those made up of peers who meet regularly and talk about what’s most important in their lives.
One of the authors, Bill George, meets every Wednesday morning for 75 minutes with a men’s group that formed 30 years ago. In fact, he and the other group members all consider the group to be one of the most important elements of their lives. It enables them to clarify their beliefs, values and understanding of vital issues, while also providing a source of honest feedback when it’s needed.
You don’t even have to leave the office to find a peer support group – look within your company. Your colleagues will face similar challenges and give you insights about things you don’t see.
Building a support team doesn’t end with personal support groups or mentors; your life partner, family and close friends are also part of this support network.
Being a leader can be lonely and isolating, so keep nourishing your good relationships.
每个人都需要支持和赞赏,即使是看起来完全自信的高级管理人员。优秀的领导者明白这一点,因此组建了出色的支持团队。
事实上,许多真正的领导者都有一位导师,通过帮助他们发展成为更好的领导者的技能和领导的自信心,改变了他们的生活。
导师不一定会让你感觉良好,但他们提供了必要的严厉爱,帮助你学习重要的课程。
不要害怕接近潜在的导师。有经验的人总是愿意帮助你,并挑战你提高。
戴夫·迪龙还在20多岁时,就被任命为家族企业Dillons公司旗下Fry’s超市的商品副总裁。有一天,他接到了Chuck Fry的电话,Chuck Fry是将Fry’s出售给Dillons的人。 Fry提出带他参观Fry’s商店;从那时起,他们每天至少交谈一小时,Fry指导Dillon如何最大化公司的潜力。
与导师类似,个人支持团体也可以成为智慧和建议的有力来源,这将帮助您成长为领导者。
最有效的团体是由同龄人组成的,他们定期见面并谈论他们生活中最重要的事情。
作者之一比尔·乔治(Bill George)每周三上午与一个30年前成立的男子团体会面75分钟。实际上,他和其他团体成员都认为该团体是他们生活中最重要的元素之一。它使他们能够澄清自己的信仰,价值观和对重要问题的理解,并在需要时提供诚实的反馈来源。
您甚至不必离开办公室即可找到同龄人支持团体-在公司内寻找。您的同事将面临类似的挑战,并为您提供您没有看到的见解。
建立支持团队并不仅仅限于个人支持团体或导师;您的生活伴侣,家人和亲密朋友也是此支持网络的一部分。
成为领导者可能是孤独和孤立的,因此请继续培养您良好的关系。
Key idea 8
Integrate all aspects of your life so that you always stay true to yourself.
将生活的方方面面融为一体,始终保持真实的自我。
As we’ve seen, authentic leadership isn’t just about who you are at the office. In order to get the most out of your True North, you have to lead an integrated life.
An integrated life is one that brings together the major elements of your personal and professional life, including work, family community and friends, so that you can truly be the same person in each environment.
Many people wonder whether it’s possible to live a rich personal life and a great work life at the same time. It is! You simply have to realize you can’t be everywhere for everyone. Sometimes you need to make trade-offs.
Take Kris Johnson, once a rising star at Medtronic. After being promoted to head of Medtronic’s global business, Johnson found that she was spending too much time away from her family on grueling international trips.
She left Medtronic’s for another mid-sized venture capital company so she could spend more time with her daughters. In essence, she found the freedom to strike the proper balance between work and family. That balance required her to sacrifice some career potential for more family time.
Moreover, authentic leaders are always aware of the importance of staying down to earth – it keeps them from getting cocky at high points and forgetting who they are during low points.
One way to do this is to find a place you can return to to help you stay grounded. Many authentic leaders have a special place they can go with their families to restore themselves and regain their perspective.
Akshata Murthy, having grown up in Bangalore as the daughter of Infosys CEO Narayana Murthy, regularly returns to India to see old friends and her extended family, and is committed to making an impact there someday.
You can’t avoid the stress of leadership, but you can maintain a balance between your personal and professional life.
正如我们所见,真正的领导力不仅仅关乎你在办公室的形象。为了从你的“真正北极”中获得最大的收益,你必须过一种“融合的生活”。
“融合的生活”是将你的个人和职业生活的主要元素(包括工作、家庭、社区和朋友)结合在一起,这样你就可以在每个环境中真正成为同一个人。
许多人想知道是否可能同时过上丰富的个人生活和出色的工作生活,答案是肯定的!你只需要意识到你不能随时随地为每个人服务。有时你需要做出取舍。
以Kris Johnson为例,她曾是Medtronic的一颗冉冉升起的明星。在晋升为Medtronic全球业务负责人后,Johnson发现她在艰苦的国际旅行中离家太久了。
她离开了Medtronic,加入了另一家中型风险投资公司,这样她就可以花更多的时间陪伴女儿。实质上,她找到了在工作和家庭之间取得适当平衡的自由。这种平衡需要她牺牲一些职业潜力,换取更多的家庭时间。
此外,真正的领导者始终意识到保持脚踏实地的重要性——这可以使他们在高峰时不会变得自大,在低谷时不会忘记自己是谁。
一个方法是找到一个可以让你保持脚踏实地的地方。许多真正的领导者有一个特殊的地方,他们可以和家人一起去那里恢复自己的状态,重新获得他们的视角。
Akshata Murthy在班加罗尔长大,是Infosys CEO Narayana Murthy的女儿,她经常回到印度看望老朋友和她的大家庭,并致力于在那里产生影响。
你无法避免领导带来的压力,但你可以在个人和职业生活之间保持平衡。
Final summary
最终总结
The key message in this book:
Not every leader is an authentic leader, someone who follows their “True North” and leads a mission of integrity. By exploring different aspects of your character and your motivations, you can develop an internal compass that will always keep you pointed in the right direction.
这本书的关键信息:
并非每位领导者都是真正的领导者,真正的领导者是那些遵循他们的“真正北极”并带领着一个诚信的使命。通过探索你个人品格和动机的不同方面,你可以发展一个内在罗盘,它将始终指引你朝着正确的方向前进。