William George
at CEIBS
Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School
Biography
CEIBS
Bill George is senior fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of four best-selling books:7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, True North, Finding Your True North, and Authentic Leadership, as well True North Groups. His newest book, Discover Your True North, was published in August of 2015 along with its companion workbook, The Discover Your True North Fieldbook.
Mr. George is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic. He joined Medtronic in 1989 as president and chief operating officer, was chief executive officer from 1991-2001, and board chair from 1996-2002. Earlier in his career, he was a senior executive with Honeywell and Litton Industries and served in the U.S. Department of Defense.
Mr. George currently serves as a director of Goldman Sachs, The Mayo Clinic, and Minnesota’s Destination Medical Center Corporation. He has served recently on the boards of ExxonMobil, Novartis, and Target Corporation. He is currently a trustee of World Economic Forum USA, and has served as board chair for Allina Health System, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, United Way of the Greater Twin Cities, and Advamed.
In April 2014 the Franklin Institute awarded him the Bower Award for Business Leadership. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012. He 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-2001-02" by the National Association of Corporate Directors. Mr. George is a CNBC Contributor and has made frequent appearances on television and radio.
He received his BSIE with high honors from Georgia Tech, his MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar, and honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, Mayo Medical School, University of St. Thomas, Augsburg College and Bryant University. During 2002-03 he was professor at IMD International and Ecole Polytechnique in Lausanne, Switzerland, and executive-in-residence at Yale School of Management.
He and his wife Penny reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Harvard Business School
Bill George is executive fellow at Harvard Business School (HBS), where he has taught leadership since 2004. He is the author of: Emerging Leader Edition of True North, Discover Your True North and The Discover Your True North Fieldbook, Authentic Leadership, True North, Finding Your True North, 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis and True North Groups.
He was chair and CEO of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical technology company. Under his leadership, Medtronic’s market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35 percent a year. He joined Medtronic in 1989 as president and COO, was CEO from 1991 to 2001, and was chair of the board from 1996 to 2002. Earlier in his career, he was an executive with Honeywell and Litton Industries and served in the U.S. Department of Defense.
He has served as a director of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, Target, the Mayo Clinic, and World Economic Forum USA. He received the 2014 Bower Award for Business Leadership and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012. He has been named one of the Top 25 Business Leaders of the Past 25 Years by PBS, Executive of the Year by Academy of Management, and Director of the Year by National Association of Corporate Directors.
Bill received a BS in industrial engineering with high honors from Georgia Tech and his MBA with high distinction from Harvard University, where he was a Baker Scholar. He has received honorary PhDs from Georgia Tech, Mayo Medical School, University of St. Thomas, Augsburg College, and Bryant University. He and his wife, Penny, reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Videos
Former Medtronic CEO Bill George on Successful Leadership
Prof. Bill George, Harvard Business School speaks to Economic Forum Deutschland
U.S. Competitiveness Paths Forward: Bill George
Bill George: "Discover Your True North" | Talks at Google
Bill George at Davos, on leadership
I think inflation is going to be with us a long time, says Harvard's Bill George
Vail Symposium presents Bill George author of Discover Your True North
Harvard's Bill George: Inner Work for Authentic Leadership
Bill George, Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School - IMPACT
Leadership Speaker Series: Bill George
Bill George Guides Emerging Business Leaders Through Management Transition Of Lifetime
Bill George: Leaders Need High Emotional IQ to Succeed
Harvard's George Discusses Banking Executive Leadership: Video
William George Presentation at Pepperdine University Dean's Executive Leadership Series
Courses Taught
Read about executive education
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