Outthinkers
The Outthinkers podcast is a growth strategy podcast hosted by Kaihan Krippendorff. Each week, Kaihan talks with forward-looking strategists and innovators that are challenging the status quo, leading the future of business, and shaping our world.
Chief strategy officers and executives can learn more and join the Outthinker community at https://outthinkernetwork.com/.
Outthinkers
#156 — Bill George: Authentic Leadership, Purpose & Performance
Bill George is one of the most influential leadership thinkers of our time. A former CEO of Medtronic and long-time Harvard Business School professor, he’s served on the boards of Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil, Novartis, and the Mayo Clinic. His books including True North and True North: Emerging Leader Edition—have shaped how thousands of leaders approach purpose, values, and character.
When performance pressure rises, it’s easy for leaders to drift from their values chasing quarterly metrics, external validation, and “style” over substance. Bill argues the opposite: sustainable performance springs from purpose, self-awareness, and a culture people believe in. We explore how to stay grounded as expectations, visibility, and success scale.
You’ll learn how authentic leaders make the hard calls without becoming “nice at the expense of necessary,” choose metrics that drive meaning (not gaming), and build teams that keep you honest, learning, and aligned.
In this episode we cover:
•Authentic leadership: what it is and isn’t
•Purpose-first strategy
•The Medtronic metric: measuring outcomes people feel, not just inputs
•Making tough people & portfolio decisions without losing your values
•Building your leadership circle for honest feedback & growth
•Short-term vs. long-term: preventing KPI gaming and hollow wins
Episode Timeline
00:00 Introduction to Outthinkers Podcast
00:35 Bill George on Medtronic's Impact
01:40 Bill George's Leadership Journey
05:00 Defining Strategy and Purpose
10:32 Authentic Leadership Explained
12:45 Challenges and Examples of Leadership
16:04 Personal Growth and Leadership
20:53 Developing Self-Awareness as a Leader
22:15 Facing Crucibles: Overcoming Tough Times
23:47 Exercises for Self-Discovery
25:33 The Power of Small Groups
27:32 Long-Standing Support Systems
29:28 Assessing Leadership Values
33:01 Effective Metrics for Leadership
39:56 Engaging with Bill George
Additional Resources
•Bill George — Website: https://www.billgeorge.org
•LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwgeorge/
•Book: True North: Emerging Leader Edition
•Book: True North
•Kaihan Krippendorff: https://www.outthinker.com
Thank you to our guest, our executive producer Zach Ness, our editor James Pearce, and the Outthinker team. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, download, and subscribe. I’m your host, Kaihan Krippendorff—thank you for listening.
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