When Leadership Drifts: From Coldplay Concerts to Corporate Collapse
Picture this: You’re at a sold-out Coldplay concert. The lights dim, the crowd roars, and the energy is electric.
Then suddenly, on the Jumbotron, the CEO of a global company is caught mid-PDA with his Chief People Officer. Within minutes, the video goes viral.
The scandal? They’re both married—just not to each other.
Most people focused on the affair. But the real story wasn’t a single reckless act. It was the culmination of a thousand unchecked choices—small compromises no one dared to challenge.
This is what Magnetic North Leadership looks like.
Magnetic North vs. True North Leadership
At first, everything feels “mostly fine.” But slowly and subtly, you drift. Magnetic North shifts under the weight of profit, pressure, ego, and external rewards.
Leaders navigating by Magnetic North rationalize missteps:
“It works for now.”
“We’ll fix it later.”
“Whatever it takes to get the job done.”
By contrast, True North never shifts. It’s the fixed anchor of values, identity, and shared purpose. When leaders align with True North, decisions flow from integrity, not convenience.
Even “Good” Leaders Can Go Bad
Theranos began with the mission to revolutionize healthcare.
WeWork promised to reinvent the workplace.
Enron and Bernie Madoff built reputations on trust.
At first, these leaders believed they were doing good. But when intentions justified unethical behavior, drift began—and disaster followed.
In fact, a behavioral study highlighted in HBO’s The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley revealed that participants lied more frequently when their deception benefitted a “good cause”—and often passed lie detector tests.
This is how Magnetic North drift becomes catastrophic.
The CEO Trap: “We Have a Great Culture”
Many leaders point to crafted values statements or inspiring mission decks. But when asked if their personal values align with company values, silence follows.
Executives often admit:
“We want to live the culture, but we’re putting out fires—deadlines, metrics, compliance. There’s no time to live the values.”
Intent doesn’t build culture. Alignment does. And alignment doesn’t happen by accident—it’s designed.
The True North Radical Resilience Framework (TNRR)
At True North, we help organizations move from reactive to resilient through five essential principles:
🔭 True North vs. Magnetic North
Clarify your organization’s unchanging identity—and ensure every leader has a personal connection to it.🔗 Bidirectional Alignment
Align leaders’ personal values with the company mission. They don’t just work for your business—they believe in it.🛡 Psychological Safety
Create environments where candor, accountability, and feedback drive improvement. (Google’s Project Aristotle found this to be the #1 factor in high-performing teams.)🔥 Intrinsic Motivation
Align roles with autonomy, mastery, and purpose. This transforms burnout into flow and attracts Gen Z and Millennial talent.🔁 Radical Resilience
Mistakes happen. Radical Resilience equips teams to learn, adapt, and prevent small cracks from becoming scandals.
The ROI of Alignment
Higher trust
Stronger engagement
Faster innovation
Lower turnover
Better decision-making
And fewer headline-making scandals
When leaders anchor to True North, scandals don’t stand a chance.
Don’t Let Drift Define Your Legacy
Whether leading a startup, scaling fast, or guiding a legacy brand, your greatest risk—and greatest opportunity—is alignment.
👉 Book a True North Discovery Call to assess alignment, uncover blind spots, and build a culture of sustainable success.
Because the best leaders don’t wait for crisis. They build cultures that prevent it.
—
Dr. Andy Garrett
Founder | True North Radical Resilience