The only bad thing is that this made me a little bit depressed about my current place of employ; I couldn't tell you that I "feel" our mission, or even that I've ever met anybody above my current manager in the hierarchy to understand what they feel about it. Sure, I have my personal motivation, and my product has a mission, but as a company, I'd love to have what he brought to Medtronics.
There's plenty of good material in here about how to become an Authentic Leader and how to build an Authentic Company, but I don't see this book as the panacea to all ills. It's a timely criticism of American Values, but it doesn't go far enough, because Bill is still a victim of his Culture.
When you open the book, you have to wade through no less than 33 advance reviews from other CEO's and Academics - this is overkill - just let me get at the book proper! Also this book was published in July 2003, and so it is ironic that one of those acclaiming 'authenticity' is the former CEO of the NYSE.
Bill has a few good words to say about having a Balanced Life, but the USA is still on a different planet.
On page 46 he rightly criticises those people who 'live for work', and do 80 hours per week; but then he praises those who work 50-60 hours per week, and who in his opinion have achieved 'a balance between their work and the needs of their families'. In my experience, the only way to see your kids weekdays as they are growing up, to read them a bedtime story or help them with their homework, is to try to never exceed 45 hours per week. Then on page 48 Bill talks more about the need for a Work-Life Balance, defining the problem, but then never discusses the solution. This 1-page is all you get, in a 200+ page self-help book?
All good stuff thereafter for the next 80 pages.
Then on pages 128-131 Bill describes an Ethical Challenge he experienced with a European subsidiary. No problems with what he did and why, but only with the principles he advocates in general. He was accused of being a typical American 'trying to impose American values on Europeans'. He's in favour of global principles, but only if they're on the American model - a true hegemonist. Bill is in favour of 'when in Rome...' just so long as the Romans are Americans. Americans should try to learn the opposite - to import European values. Anyone found consistently working more than 50 hours a week should be investigated - they can't be up to the job, or they are doing the job wrong - and that applies at all levels.
Bill never comments about the Minimum Wage, but since its now 'official' that if you're only paid the Minimum Wage you can't ever earn above the Poverty Level, it's a shame he doesn't discuss what he think about the ethics of that?
In closing, before any American Reader refutes my claims, let's just point out that the UK has (a) a higher Minimum Wage than the USA, (b) we work less Hours than the USA (48 hours max by law for most workers), (c) we have more Holidays/Vacation than the USA (20 days minimum by law, typically more than 30 days), and yet we have a lower Rate of Unemployment & a Lower Rate of Inflation. The higher standard of living in the USA is based upon working excessively longer hours, and I'm afraid Bill isn't proposing to challenge that regime.
"When beloved third-base coach Al Newman was hospitalized in Chicago this month because of a brain hemorrhage, general manager Terry Ryan remained with him for the entire 11-day stay. While Newman was hospitalized, the Twins clinched the Central title at home. Manager Ron Gardenshire stopped the postgame celebration, brought out Newman's uniform top and reminded the crowd of what he had done for the club."
If I understand George's key points in Authentic Leadership, both Ryan and Gardenshire offer examples of it. Specifically, they demonstrate "the highest integrity, [are] committed to building enduring organizations...who have a deep sense of purpose and are true to their core values...who have the courage to build their companies to meet the needs of all stakeholders, and who recognize the importance of their service to society." George addresses what he views as a need for new leadership when in fact the need is to increase the number of authentic leaders, not only in business but in government, religion, and the military. We need more men and women who "genuinely desire to serve others through their leadership...are more interested in empowering the people they lead to make a difference than they are in power, money, or prestige for themselves. They are as guided by qualities of the heart, by passion and compassion, as they are by qualities of the mind."
George invites, indeed urges his reader to "rediscover the secrets of creating lasting value" in literally all areas of contemporary life. On page 6, he poses a series of questions and then in the 17 chapters and Epilogue which follow, he responds to each. However insightful those responses may be, and they are, I think the primary purpose of the questions is to guide and inform each reader's consideration of the various issues which those questions suggest. With all due respect to what George so generously shares from his own life and career, the nature and extent of the reader's own engagement in self-exploration will ultimately determine the value of this book.
The material is exceptionally well-organized. The quality of writing is first-rate, and especially effective because of the conversational tone of George's observations and suggestions. Although there are frequent references in this book to "companies," the questions posed and the issues associated with them are also directly relevant to all other organizations (regardless of size or nature) in which there is a compelling need for authentic leaders. Daily, it seems, there is evidence of such need in news accounts of corruption in all areas of our society. Corporate executives are indicted and convicted of fraud. Officers in the military are demoted, discharged or, in some instances, imprisoned as are clergy in various denominations. Although the reasons for their behavior vary, all of them betrayed the trust of those to whom they were accountable and for whom they were responsible.
Authentic leaders are first and foremost authentic human beings. For me, this is George's key point and because it seems so obvious, it may also seem simplistic. On the contrary, he has cut through all the rhetoric and urges his reader to examine her or his core values. For most of us, that is an immensely difficult, perhaps painful experience. In this context, I am reminded of the fact that in The Inferno, Dante reserved the last and worst ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserve their neutrality. Throughout all manner of organizations, there are women and men who are authentic leaders and should be commended. The reality is, their respective organizations need more of them. More to the point, all of us in our global community need more of them. In his unique and compelling book, George challenges us to join their number.