Seven Lessons for Leading in Crisis

by Bill George

Overview

One of the country's most trusted leaders offers time-tested and real world advice for leading in economic hard times

From business giant Bill George, the acclaimed author of Wall Street Journal's bestseller True North, comes the just-in-time guide for anyone in a leadership position facing today's unprecedented economic challenges. The former CEO of Medtronic draws from his own in-the-trenches experience and lessons from leaders (representing an array of companies) who have weathered tough economic storms. With straight talk and clear directions, George shows leaders specifically what they must do to become strong leaders and survive any crisis. His seven lessons include: Face Reality, Starting with Yourself; Never Waste a Good Crisis; and Be Aggressive: This is Your Best Chance to Win in the Market. Seven Lesson for Leading in Crisis is a survival kit for anyone in a leadership position.

• A concise handbook for applying proven leadership lessons in tough times
• Written by Bill George one of America's most trusted business leaders and author of True North and Authentic Leadership
• Offers realistic actions leaders can take to put their companies on the right long-term path

Seven Lesson for Leading in Crisis gives leaders a solid strategy for staying the course.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470531877
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/24/2009
Series:	J-B Warren Bennis Series , #166
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.55(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Bill George is professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and the author of the best-sellers True North and Authentic Leadership. He is former chairman and CEO of Medtronic; under his leadership, Medtronic's market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35% per year. Earlier in his career, he was an executive with Honeywell and Litton Industries and served in the U.S. Department of Defense. He currently serves as a director of ExxonMobil and Goldman Sachs, and also recently served on the board of Novartis and Target. He is a trustee of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, World Economic Forum USA and the Guthrie Theater. He has served as board chair of Allina Health System, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, United Way of the Greater Twin Cities, and Advamed. George has been named one of "Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years" by PBS; "Executive of the Year 2001" by the Academy of Management; and "Director of the Year 2001-2" by the National Association of Corporate Directors. He has made frequent appearances on TV and radio including Charlie Rose, The Today Show, News Hour with Jim Lehrer, NOW, CNBC, Bloomberg News, and NPR. His articles have appeared in Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, and many others.
George received his BSIE from Georgia Tech, his MBA from Harvard, where he was a Baker Scholar, and honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech and Bryant University. He has been a professor at IMD International and Ecole Polytechnique (Switzerland), and executive-in-residence at Yale School of Management. He lives in Minnesota, Massachusetts and Colorado.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

The Author xiii

Foreword by Warren Bennis xv

Introduction The Ultimate Test of Leadership 1

Lesson #1 Face Reality, Starting with Yourself 15

Lesson #2 Don’t Be Atlas; Get the World Off Your Shoulders 31

Lesson #3 Dig Deep for the Root Cause 47

Lesson #4 Get Ready for the Long Haul 61

Lesson #5 Never Waste a Good Crisis 75

Lesson #6 You’re in the Spotlight: Follow True North 89

Lesson #7 Go on Offense, Focus on Winning Now 105

Conclusion Crisis May Be Your Defining Moment 121

Appendix Leaders Featured in 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis 129

References 133

Further study of 7 lessons for leading in crisis 139

Editorial Reviews

In their 2007 book True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, Bill George and his coauthors set out to help readers locate "the internal compass that guides you successfully through life." In Seven Lessons to Leading in Crisis, he offers steadying counsel to help leaders guide themselves and their companies or departments successfully through a storm. Paradoxically, his lessons -- "Never Waste a Good Crisis," and "Be Aggressive: This Is Your Best Chance to Win in the Market" -- are both realistic and uplifting.