DEFINING LEADERSHIP: FRANCES HESSELBEIN’S GIFT TO US

Abstract

AbstractThe author, a writer and editor and pioneer in the field known as knowledge services, writes about his friendship with Frances Hesselbein. “She liked,” the author writes, “that my career was in knowledge services – as a consultant, author, and teacher – and she liked connecting that with her work in leadership.” The author is a longtime educator, and “Frances had strong expectations about how young people move into their roles as our future leaders. As a result, she had a passionate interest in working with young people simply because it was how she thought.” She suggested, in 2016, that she and the author would do a conference, “Leadership Imperatives for Millennials,” about leadership and knowledge for the students, held at Frances’ New York office. She was the keynote speaker, and the students’ “reactions were nothing short of phenomenal (in fact, the word ‘mesmerizing’ came up many times as they described the conference).”