The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

561: Harvard’s Bill George on Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace

Jun 18, 2025
In this enlightening talk, Bill George, former Medtronic CEO and Harvard professor, discusses leading with authenticity in a rapidly changing world. He encourages emerging leaders to take initiative and solve unaddressed problems rather than waiting for titles. George shares insights on fostering innovation through direct customer engagement, emphasizing that breakthroughs come from empathy, not just data. He advocates for risk tolerance in leadership and highlights the importance of resilience and adaptability in driving meaningful change.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
ADVICE

Seize Leadership Opportunities

  • Emerging leaders should actively seek opportunities without waiting for promotions or titles.
  • Volunteer to lead initiatives and demonstrate capability in your current role.
INSIGHT

Culture Limits Innovation

  • Leading innovation can fail if culture discourages risk, even with top engineering talent.
  • Europe's innovation struggles partly stem from lack of new company formation and risk aversion.
ADVICE

Incubate Ventures Independently

  • Incubate and protect new ventures outside main organizational structures.
  • Let innovations operate independently until they mature for integration.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app