Former founder and CEO of the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, founded as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and renamed in 2012 to honor Hesselbein’s legacy and ongoing contributions. Frances passed away in 2022.
Hesselbein served as the organization’s founding president and chief executive officer from 1990 to 2000 and most recently served as chair of the board from 2000-2010. She held these positions following a distinguished tenure as CEO of the Girls Scouts of the United States of America from 1976 to 1990. As a “pioneer for women, diversity and inclusion,”
Hesselbein was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. A distinguished author and board member for several nonprofit and corporate boards, she serves as editor-in-chief of the award-winning journal Leader to Leader and is the coeditor of twenty-seven books in twenty-nine languages.
She has written numerous articles and books on effective leadership, including the best seller, The Leader of the Future, Hesselbein on Leadership, and her most recent publication More Hesselbein on Leadership.
Frances Hesselbein Key Talent | Respect for all people.
Principles I Live By | Leaders of the future manage for the mission, manage for diversity, and manage for innovation, or they are part of the past.
Critical Skills I Develop | Listening. It’s called appreciation, it’s called anticipation — and it’s called leadership. Focusing on task (the work we do), not gender. Moving beyond the old assumptions, practices, and language that can be barriers to equal access. One barrier is placing women in a special category of gender – “women leaders.”
The Best Advice I’ve Received | Respect for all people.
Lessons I Have Learnt | This could be anything from very simple small lessons, too much larger bigger lessons.
Always be on time. I grew up in the mountains of western Pennsylvania, where 5:30 means 5:30. The first time I met Peter Drucker, it was because we both showed up on time. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | Peter Drucker’s collection of leadership wisdom; the many contemporary books and films on management and leadership sent to me by today’s leadership practitioners; and the Millennial generation — young people ages 18 to 29, the greatest generation since the 1930’s and 40s.
On Inspiring Others | Engage great leaders, thinkers, from all three sectors in all aspects of our organization’s leadership and management challenges and opportunities. Practice “Ask, don’t tell.”
I Am Inspired By | My grandmother. When I was 8 years old, she taught me, “Respect for all people.” She remains my role model to this day. Abraham Lincoln. In a time when our country was torn apart he found the message and the language to bring the country back together. General Lloyd J. Austin III. General Austin, with whom I have worked since 2007 when he invited me to speak to the officers of 18th Airborne. He is now Commander, U.S. Central Command.
His quiet and respectful demeanor, combined with his love and devotion for our country, his deep respect for all people makes him one of the best communicators I have ever met. 9. What Legacy would you like to leave? “To serve is to live,” is my message, my legacy for leaders of the future. Part of that legacy is a passionate respect for all people and a total commitment to sustaining the democracy.
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and click here to find more Motivational Speakers
Ben started in TV more than 14 years ago where he was involved in both live and pre-recorded programs at Namibia’s one and only national broadcaster: NBC. Fast-forward several years, he found himself in the fantastical world of TV Commercials hoping this industry to be full of excitement, glitz and glamour. Needless to say, this […]
Fola Dokunmu is based in South Africa and has over 24 years experience in the soccer industry first as a player, then in coaching, talent identification, sports management and branding for athletes, also in sports organizations and corporate looking to invest in sports and sponsorships. My Definition Of Success | Success to me, is when at […]
Every month I select someone out there who is still a bit too young to be concerned about building and leaving a legacy, but who is nevertheless absolutely ‘crushing’ it and Banele Christopher is my pick for this month’s RISING STAR. With a background in strategic communications, he is a Jozi-based entrepreneur and social media […]
Penny Heyns TLP is, without doubt, the world’s greatest female breaststroke swimmer of the 20th Century. She is the only woman in Olympic history to win both the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke events in Atlanta 1996 and broke 14 individual world records during her career. Her achievements brought her personal audiences with Nelson Mandela […]
Valarie Kaur is a national interfaith leader, documentary filmmaker, and lawyer who centers her work around the power of storytelling. She is the founder of Groundswell at Auburn Seminary, a non-profit initiative with 100,000 members that equips people of faith in social movements. Working with students and communities, she has made award-winning films and led […]
Tony Horton is an American fitness trainer best known for the boot camp style P90X home fitness program. Tony has been featured in numerous national publications like Men’s Fitness, Fitness, SELF, Women’s Health, People, LA HEALTH, ESPN, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Politico, LA Times, Roll Call, Military Times and has made multiple appearances on National […]
Mike Laws is an expert in mobile communications and is currently the CEO of Imaginatrix, a company providing mobile marketing and advertising consulting services. He has worked with some of South Africa’s biggest brand names and was instrumental in the commercialisation of Vodacom’s “please call me” service. He strongly believes that mobile communications have the […]
H.E. Dr. Ambassador Tal Edgars is one of the most sought after business strategists of our time. He is the founder of the GBSH Consult Group and companies such as GGKAfrica, Edgars International, Tal Edgars Media Franchise. He is also the author of “Good karma in Business”. He sits on the board of several companies […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
