Bill George, Former CEO of Medtronic — Stay connected to your front lines

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

We all have those days where we hop from meeting to meeting, only to look back on the day and wonder what we really accomplished.

If that sounds familiar, then you’re going to find a lot of value in this conversation with Bill George, the former Chairman & CEO of Medtronic.

He’s also an executive fellow at Harvard Business School and, like all of us here at How Leaders Lead, he is passionate about developing great leaders.

But he sees so many leaders spending more and more time in meetings, and less and less time with customers and front-line employees.

How can you eliminate the layers that tend to build up between you and the people who work on the front lines of your organization?

Hit play if you want to see how to do it and why it matters so much.

Plus, you’ll hear great wisdom about leading with authenticity, finding your purpose, and so much more.

You’ll also learn:

• How to calibrate your ambition and drive, especially early in your career
• Advice for forging a career path that fits who you are and what you want
• The danger of making your job your identity—and how to avoid it
• The reason behind great successions (Microsoft) and not-so-great ones (GE)
• Tips for focusing on long-term goals without ignoring immediate issues

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Get coaching from David by signing up to receive his Weekly Leadership Plan. It builds on each podcast episode by offering actionable steps you can take each week to incorporate the learnings from the episode into your leadership style. It only takes about 5 minutes and is a great way to start off your week!
• Become a better leader in 5 days with our free, 5-Day Leadership Tune Up. This five-minute-a-day program is designed for the busy leader – it cuts right to the chase and gives you the practical know-how you’ll need to boost your confidence as a leader.
• Subscribe to the How Leaders Lead podcast to ensure you never miss an episode!