[...]... digging into what a True North Group is and why you would want to join one, we would like to share our stories of how we got interested in small groups BILL’S STORY All my life I have been passionate about leadership From observing leaders at a young age to leading business organizations and working with leaders committed to making a difference, I’ve always wanted to be engaged with leaders and with leading... days As we interviewed a wide range of people participating in groups and studied the small-group movement in its larger sociological context, however, we recognized there is a much greater need for these groups and that they are part of a broader societal shift toward forming small groups Thus, we expanded our focus to looking at the essential role True North Groups can play in human growth and leadership. .. to share the path in helping us claim our gift and heed our calling Still, it takes no small courage to be willing to seek company on our journey — to ask to be accompanied For many years I belonged to a circle of a dozen men who called themselves the Junto Patterned after Benjamin Franklin’s group of the same name, we met nine times a year to exchange stories from our journeys and to share our challenges... Medtronic and spending two years teaching in Switzerland and at Yale School of Management, I joined the faculty of Harvard Business School in 2004 to teach a new course called Leadership and Corporate Accountability I soon realized there was an absence of leadership development courses for MBA students In interviewing leaders in 2005–06 for True North and reviewing transcripts from 125 leaders, our research... contemplate what lay ahead Whatever I explored — from health care to international finding depth and intimacy in your life 5 relations, corporate governance, government service, and education — my thoughts always came back to leadership Thanks to the trauma associated with the fall of Enron and dozens of companies whose executives got them into trouble, I found a new calling in helping others become more authentic... increase my selfawareness, sensitivity to others, and self-acceptance In the early years, they helped me recognize I was trying so hard to get ahead that I was behaving very differently in my work and community than at home and in my personal life That led me to “decompartmentalize” my life by attempting to be the same person at home, at work, and in the community — with less facade and more authenticity... that your experiences with your groups will be as meaningful and rewarding as ours have been Bill George and Doug Baker Minneapolis, Minnesota April 2011 INTRODUCTION Finding Depth and Intimacy in Your Life we yearn to share the stories of our lives and to have honest conversations with people we trust Have you ever felt alone in a crowd? Were you eager to abandon the superficial conversations and share... perhaps you want to enable your current group to have deeper and more meaningful discussions about the vital questions of life It offers you a deeper understanding of the vital role a True North Group can play in your life and how you can form one It shows how to create sound norms that enable the group to navigate successfully through the inevitable storms that all groups encounter and to emerge as a. .. families, our careers, and our health They have provided a forum for addressing life’s most difficult questions about our beliefs, our values, and the meaning and purpose of our lives Over the years we have frequently been asked by friends and acquaintances, “How can I form such a group?” Originally, we set out to write a book to answer that question, a “how to manual for creating True North Groups, as both... on a beautiful fall day when I looked at myself in the mirror and realized I was deeply unhappy In that instant flash in the mirror, I recognized that I was losing sight of my True North I was striving so hard to get to the top that I was moving away from being an inspirational, growth-oriented leader When I told Penny what I was feeling, she said, “Bill, I have been trying to tell you that for the past . Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development Bill George and Doug Baker True North Groups Copyright © 2 011 by Bill George and Doug Baker All rights reserved. No part of this publication may. these groups and that they are part of a broader societal shift toward forming small groups. Thus, we expanded our focus to looking at the essential role True North Groups can play in human growth. engaged with leaders and with leading. In my early years, I was never asked to lead anything, as I was too eager to get ahead. In high school and college, I was devastated as I lost seven