George Bill, Sims Peter, McLean Andrew N, Mayer Diana
Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.
Harv Bus Rev. 2007 Feb;85(2):129-30, 132-8, 157.
The ongoing problems in business leadership over the past five years have underscored the need for a new kind of leader in the twenty-first century: the authentic leader. Author Bill George, a Harvard Business School professor and the former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, and his colleagues, conducted the largest leadership development study ever undertaken. They interviewed 125 business leaders from different racial, religious, national, and socioeconomic backgrounds to understand how leaders become and remain authentic. Their interviews showed that you do not have to be born with any particular characteristics or traits to lead. You also do not have to be at the top of your organization. Anyone can learn to be an authentic leader. The journey begins with leaders understanding their life stories. Authentic leaders frame their stories in ways that allow them to see themselves not as passive observers but as individuals who learn from their experiences. These leaders make time to examine their experiences and to reflect on them, and in doing so they grow as individuals and as leaders. Authentic leaders also work hard at developing self-awareness through persistent and often courageous self-exploration. Denial can be the greatest hurdle that leaders face in becoming self-aware, but authentic leaders ask for, and listen to, honest feedback. They also use formal and informal support networks to help them stay grounded and lead integrated lives. The authors argue that achieving business results over a sustained period of time is the ultimate mark of authentic leadership. It may be possible to drive short-term outcomes without being authentic, but authentic leadership is the only way to create long-term results.
过去五年中商业领导力方面持续存在的问题凸显了21世纪对新型领导者的需求：真实领导者。哈佛商学院教授、美敦力公司前董事长兼首席执行官比尔·乔治及其同事开展了有史以来规模最大的领导力发展研究。他们采访了125位来自不同种族、宗教、国家和社会经济背景的商业领袖，以了解领导者如何成为并保持真实。他们的采访表明，领导并不需要天生具备任何特定的特征或特质。你也不必处于组织的高层。任何人都可以学会成为一名真实领导者。旅程始于领导者了解自己的人生故事。真实领导者以某种方式构建他们的故事，使他们将自己视为并非被动的观察者，而是从自身经历中学习的个体。这些领导者会抽出时间审视自己的经历并进行反思，如此一来，他们作为个体和领导者得以成长。真实领导者还通过持续且往往勇敢的自我探索努力培养自我意识。否认可能是领导者在实现自我意识过程中面临的最大障碍，但真实领导者会寻求并倾听诚实的反馈。他们还利用正式和非正式的支持网络来帮助自己脚踏实地并过上完整的生活。作者认为，持续取得商业成果是真实领导力的最终标志。不真实也有可能推动短期成果，但真实领导力是创造长期成果的唯一途径。
