How Bill George Uses Authentic Leadership: Building Companies That Outlast Markets

Bill George is the former CEO and Chairman of Medtronic and a longtime professor at Harvard Business School. Starting from an early conviction that leadership had to mean more than chasing titles, he helped transform Medtronic from a 4,000-person medical device maker into a 30,000-person, purpose-driven global leader. Along the way he codified a playbook for “True North” leadership that combines clear purpose, distinctive strategy, and uncompromising values.

In this conversation, Bill unpacks what authentic leadership really is (and isn’t), why purpose has to precede strategy, and how leaders actually grow as their organizations scale. If you’re a founder, executive, or intrapreneur trying to build something durable—not just profitable—this is a masterclass in aligning who you are with how you lead.

👉 Bill’s latest book, True North: Emerging Leader Edition: https://billgeorge.org/book/true-north-emerging-leader-edition
👉 Connect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwgeorge

In this episode, you’ll learn:
•How to use crucible moments to find your True North, deepen self-awareness, and stop “faking it to make it.”
•Why purpose and uniqueness—not “being the best”—should anchor your strategy and define how you win in the market.
•What it really takes to scale from thousands to tens of thousands of people, including upgrading your leadership bench and shifting from managing to coaching.
•How to build leadership circles and feedback systems that create psychologically safe spaces, grow authentic leaders, and keep values alive at scale.
•How to design metrics that actually matter, resist short-term gaming of the numbers, and hold your values under pressure from boards, investors, and the market.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Self-Leadership
01:16 Welcome to the Strategy at Scale Podcast
01:39 Meet Bill George: Leadership Luminary
04:05 Bill George’s Leadership Journey
06:04 Defining Strategy and Purpose
11:38 Authentic Leadership Explained
23:01 The Importance of Crucibles in Leadership
29:23 Introduction to the Men’s Group
29:45 Weekly Meetings and Topics
30:11 Dealing with Illness in the Group
31:14 Personal Reflections and Values
34:56 The Importance of Metrics
42:16 Leadership and Growth
44:42 Challenges and Solutions in Leadership
49:12 The Role of Values in Leadership
53:07 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Thanks for listening! This episode is brought to you by Kaihan Krippendorff of Outthinker Networks and Verne Harnish of Scaling Up.