Bill George on Self-Awareness, Authenticity, and Leadership
40mBeginner2026-06-10
Authors

Bill George
Executive Fellow and Former Professor at Harvard Business School
Course details
What’s the secret to becoming a more self-aware, authentic leader? In this course, join Bill George—the originator of True North and former CEO of Medtronic—as he explores how self-awareness and authenticity are the foundation for your effective leadership. Through reflection, storytelling, and feedback, you’ll learn practical, actionable ways to discover your purpose, stay true to your values under pressure, and grow through life’s crucible moments. Along the way, Bill shares strategies to transform adversity into resilience, strengthen trust, and lead with integrity in today’s rapidly changing, AI-driven world. By the end of this course, you’ll be equipped with the skills you need to navigate challenges with confidence and inspire others through authentic leadership.
Learning objectives
Identify the core values and life experiences that shape your authentic leadership.
Apply self-awareness techniques—reflection, feedback, and storytelling—to strengthen leadership impact.
Analyze challenges and crucible moments to extract lessons for growth and resilience.
Evaluate leadership decisions to ensure alignment with values and authenticity.
Design strategies to lead with integrity and influence in an era of technological and organizational change.
Learning objectives
Identify the core values and life experiences that shape your authentic leadership.
Apply self-awareness techniques—reflection, feedback, and storytelling—to strengthen leadership impact.
Analyze challenges and crucible moments to extract lessons for growth and resilience.
Evaluate leadership decisions to ensure alignment with values and authenticity.
Design strategies to lead with integrity and influence in an era of technological and organizational change.
Concepts
Introduction
- Authentic leadership in the AI era
Bill's Principles of Self-Awareness, Authenticity, and Leadership
- Know your life story
- Learn from your crucibles
- Storytelling for stakeholder influence
- Becoming a self-aware leader
- Staying true to your values
Best Practices
- Why spending time with customers and employees is so important
- Coaching vs. managing
- Seek and receive feedback
- Coping with short-term pressures without abandoning long-term goals or values
Lead an Integrated Life
- How many hours per week should I work to get ahead
- Learn to reflect
Expand Your Leadership
- Invest in lifelong learning through mentorship
- AI integration - efficiency vs. effectiveness
Conclusion
- Conclusion