For any leader at any level in any organization, clarity of purpose is a critical ingredient of success. In other words, you must know where you’re headed and why you’re headed there.

A compass provides the ideal metaphor. Just as a compass points toward a magnetic field, your personal “true north” directs your path and pulls you forward.

That’s the thesis of Discover Your True North by Bill George.

George is so much more than a mere theorist. He’s been in the trenches and understands the nuances of leadership practices. He started his career in the U.S. Department of Defense, then served in senior executive positions at Honeywell and Litton Industries. George was later president and chairman at Medtronic, one of the world’s largest medical equipment and development companies. He’s served on boards at ExxonMobile, Novartis, Target, and the Mayo Clinic. Today he teaches leadership at the Harvard Business School.

Rodger Dean Duncan: You write about “authentic” leadership. What is it in our society that seems to cause people to equate “celebrity” with authenticity?

Bill George: The media. The media play up celebrity in so many ways. Many of the media people themselves are turned into celebrities. Politicians attempt to be celebrities. The problem is that they’re more concerned about the external impressions they make than who they are inside. This is a very serious problem for leaders. In the 1990s the media got caught up with business celebrities and tried to turn a lot of business leaders into celebrities and—judging by all the financial crises we had—many of them did not do well. It’s more important to look at the person within and assess their leadership qualities based on who they are as individuals as they move into leadership roles.

Duncan: What are some of the more common things that influence people to lose their way—to lose sight of their True North?

George: It’s when they get caught up with extrinsic motivations. The three great seducers are money, fame, and power.

We saw this in the case of Rajat Gupta. He was an exceptional leader but made some big mistakes and went to jail for two years for insider trading. He got caught up in trying to go from being worth $120 million to a billion. He’s a good person. But this happens. And people get caught up in their status. Power-based leadership is almost like a drug and people can get addicted to it. Power is not the role of a leader. The leader’s true role is to empower others.

Duncan: You say the dimensions of an authentic leader include Purpose, Values, Relationships, Self-Discipline, and Heart. Relationships certainly evolve over time, and a person’s self-discipline is like to improve with maturity. What about Purpose, Values, and Heart? How do those dimensions evolve?

George: I think your purpose evolves from life experience. I think it’s very hard as a young person to go out and test yourself against the challenges of the real world and to know what your purpose is. I used to think that was first, but then I realized people really need to do a lot of inner work and understand their True North before they can ascertain their purpose. They must understand their life stories and the crucibles they’ve had. Clarity of purpose often emanates from those experiences.

Duncan: It seems to me that some pretty solid values must be in place before an individual can even try to clarify his True North.

George: That’s for sure. Your True North is based in the bedrock of your values. There’s no question about that. You must be grounded in the values that come out of your life story, your upbringing, what you believe, and how you relate to other people. Your values must be established early.

Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan is the award-winning, bestselling author of CHANGE-friendly LEADERSHIP: How to Transform Good Intentions into Great Performance. For a FREE copy of his book, click here.