For  women of her generation, she was  MORE than a Jack Welch or Peter  Drucker. Women leader icon Frances Hesselbein started with far fewer resources and worked  into her 100s, modeling, teaching and writing about leadership. 

Count saving the Girl Scouts as one of her many accomplishments, which I shared with my MN State Mankato Honors leadership students in 2014 and  2016. As an author, lecturer, mentor and consultant, Hesselbein’s language and messages were accessible and relatable. Early on she framed them from a woman’s perspective as caregiver, mother and nurturer. 

She was more than a leadership icon (which has more to do with self-promotion than a prolific life), she was a leader’s leader, Hesselbein and her many wise words will also stick with me. 

Leadership is not a basket of tricks or strategies or skills that you pull out. Leadership begins with the quality of the person.

Carry a big basket. In other words, be open to new ideas, different partners and new practices, and have a willingness to dump out the old and irrelevant to make room for new approaches.

RIP, good woman! 

Learn more about her here: https://chiefexecutive.net/frances-hesselbein-renowned-longtime-leader-of-girl-scouts-dead-at-107-her-final-advice-to-ceos-focus-on-how-to-be/