Press Contact: Cynthia Shannon, cshannon@bkpub.com, 415-743-6469

True North Groups

A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development

By Bill George and Doug Baker

The Vital Link to Leadership Development

San Francisco, CA – There are all kinds of groups focused on specific activities or affinities – recovery groups, reading groups, parenting groups help people who share a common interest. True North Groups are different, as they are exclusively dedicated to the purpose of personal growth and leadership development. True North groups are a small, diverse collection of individuals who meet on a regular basis to explore their lives and develop their self-awareness, self-compassion, authenticity, and emotional intelligence.

Since 1975, Bill George and Doug Baker have been actively involved in such groups, and their experiences serve as an inspiration and basis for True North Groups (Berrett-Koehler; September 2011). As the authors recognized the significant impact these groups have made on their personal and professional lives, their aim with this book is to help other people form and manage their own small groups.

Unlike a typical affinity group such as a book club or prayer group, the purpose of True North groups is to help its members succeed in their work and in their lives by providing a consistent environment in which personal development is not just possible, but the aim.

With True North Groups, the authors have created the first practical guide — including detailed instructions, rules, and resources — for anyone to start and managing such a group on their own. The books provides a wealth of practical resources, including advice on selecting members, suggested topics for the first twelve meetings, techniques to evaluate group satisfaction, and much more.

For the millions of people who are searching for greater meaning and intimacy in their lives, this book will help them to grow as leaders and as human beings—and to stay on course to their True North.

About the Authors

Bill George is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and is the former chairman and CEO, Medtronic Inc. He is a board member of ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, Carnegie Endowment, World Economic Forum USA, and Tyrone Guthrie Theater. He is the author of four bestselling books, including Authentic Leadership (Jossey-Bass, 2003), True North (Jossey-Bass, 2007), Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide (Jossey-Bass, 2008), and 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis (Jossey-Bass, 2009).

Doug Baker is founder and co-principal of Conversations of Consequence, an organization that creates small growth groups directed toward leaders in their communities. He is the retired senior vice president of human resources, American Express Financial Advisors. He has taught at the University of St. Thomas and at Gustavus Adolphus University.  

Foreword author Richard Leider is ranked by Forbes as one of the top 5 most respected executive coaches and by Linkage as one of the Top 50 executive coaches in America. He is the author of the bestsellers The Power of Purpose (Berrett-Koehler, 1997).