Best Answer
In Bill George’s model of authentic leadership, he develops five factors that he believes define authentic leadership. Those factors include: purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and heart. Peter Northouse investigate’s George’s leadership model, along with several other models of leadership in his book on the topic. In the book, he gives an abbreviated version of George’s model. However, George has his own book that gives a longer and more detailed explanation of his model, how he developed it, and what the five factors mean. It also goes into further detail about George’s idea of “True North.”
According to Bill George, your “True North” is your calling. It is what you are meant to accomplish in your lifetime. In some ways, it is your purpose. However, George believes that your calling goes beyond purpose and is a combination of your values, beliefs, and purpose.
To fully understand George’s concept of “True North,” it is important to understand his five components of authentic leadership. Purpose refers to knowing who you are, what you are doing now, and where you want to be. People manifest purpose through passion. Values refers to those things that the leader considers important and worthwhile. However, it is important to realize that values go beyond speech; people reveal their true values through their behaviors. Relationships are how people connect with others. Self-discipline examines how a person is able to maintain their purpose even when faced with challenges and setbacks, which are inevitable in any pursuit. Heart may relate to the idea of relationships, since it is based in the ability to be compassionate and empathize with others. Leaders who lack heart may be plagued by an inability to create enthusiasm among their followers.
