Hesselbein on Leadership (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) [Hardcover]

Frances Hesselbein (Author), Jim Collins (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation | Publication Date: August 30, 2002

The woman BusinessWeek called the "grande dame of American management" shares her vision of leadership

Frances Hesselbein rose from a volunteer troop leader to become CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. During her tenure Hesselbein transformed the Girl Scouts and created one of the most vibrant and recognized organizations in the world. In the course of her brilliant career, she was recognized by Fortune magazine as the "Best Nonprofit Manager in America" and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Now, for the first time, Frances Hesselbein has collected her most incisive and stirring writings on the topic of leadership in one compelling book. The book affirms Hesselbein's specific leadership principles that will give readers the inspiration to go forth and become exemplary leaders. It is also filled with the practical knowledge readers need so they can make a difference every day. These gems of leadership wisdom include Hesselbein's thoughts on innovation, change, diversity, and what it means to be a woman leader. At the heart of the book is Hesselbein's belief that leadership is about character-a question of how to be, not how to do it. Hailed by Warren Bennis, Peter Senge, Jim Collins, Peter Drucker, and others as one of the most innovative and inspired leaders today, Frances Hesselbein gives readers a star to steer by. Hesselbein on Leadership will engage, energize, and motivate readers to do their best and be their best.

Frances Hesselbein (New York, NY) is the Chairman of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and Editor in Chief of Leader to Leader, the premier leadership journal. She is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the coeditor of numerous books on leadership including The Leader of the Future (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5204-4) and The Organization of the Future, The Community of the Future (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5203-6).

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Frances Hesselbein's views on leadership have attracted fans since the one-time Johnstown, Pennsylvania, troop leader became CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA in 1976 and turned that venerable but struggling organization around. Now in Hesselbein on Leadership the current chairman and founding president of the Drucker Foundation has compiled 19 essays that lay out the philosophy she honed during those experiences and in years since--a philosophy that today draws more admirers than ever, such as Jim Collins, who wrote the book's foreword. In a disarmingly simple manner, Hesselbein offers her underlying definition of the topic at hand ("leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do it") and spells out nuances and specifics that those atop any private, public or nonprofit organization would do well to absorb. Throughout the book she shows how character determines performance, how a willingness to innovate and a desire to make a difference regularly bring results, and how the best leaders actually turn a vision into the spark needed to ignite their enterprise. There is plenty of pragmatic advice here amidst the theoretical, and in light of Hesselbein's wealth of provocative yet practical insights, the only complaint may be that this collection is a little on the slim side. --Howard Rothman

From Publishers Weekly

Frances Hesselbein was once a volunteer troop leader, made her way up to CEO of the Girl Scouts of America and is now the chairman of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. She obviously knows the intricacies of leadership, and in Hesselbein on Leadership, she shares specific leadership principles and her thoughts on innovation, change, diversity and being a female leader. The slim volume dishes out valuable tidbits of advice, such as "regularly acknowledge the contributions of those within and outside the organization" and "create organizations in which people know that it's their job... to care about the results."
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (August 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787963925
• ISBN-13: 978-0787963927
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Managing in a world that is round . . ., November 25, 2002

By 

Dave Kinnear "Executive Leader Coach" (Lake Forest, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hesselbein on Leadership (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) (Hardcover)

This book was first mentioned to me at a Leadership presentation at one of the not-for profit organizations I serve, and then again a short while later at a UCI Graduate School of Management presentation by a local executive. This is a delightful small book filled with some good advice, pithy sayings and leadership insights. Hesselbein lives up to her reputation in this compendium of essays on Leadership. I rather like books of essays because often each chapter, or essay, stands on its own and can be read or re-read as the need arises.

Hesselbein writes in a clear and conversational manner that makes it easy to understand her point. But one should not be lulled into complacency while enjoying her most readable style for the insights to be shared are important and many. She points out with great understatement that "Leadership is a matter of how to be rather than how to do it." She offers as whole new way of organizing our enterprises as she explains "Managing in a World That Is Round." This book will find its best use for those managers looking for a metaphor or simple explanation to share with others in the organization such complex topics as organizational change, behavior, and interaction with the environment. It will be on my reference shelf for a long time to come.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Class shows, September 5, 2002

By 

Marshall Goldsmith (Rancho Santa Fe, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hesselbein on Leadership (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) (Hardcover)

Frances Hesslebein is one of the world's greatest leaders. In fact, Peter Drucker (no "easy grader") said that she was the most effective executive that he had ever met.
_Hesselbein on Leadership_ is a compilation of her wonderful essays (largely from the journal "Leader to Leader").
In a world where many leaders have gone for the "quick buck", it is gratifying to hear from someone who is interested in "doing what is right".
Her writing, like her leadership, is direct, honest and to the point. Unlike some leaders who specialize in slogans, she is someone who only writes about what she believes in and is willing to live.
Her work has the unique quality of being both timeless and refreshing.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, Practical, and Human, August 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Hesselbein on Leadership (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) (Hardcover)

Frances Hesselbein is a role model for me and thousands like me. Her example, and her clear, effective writing, provide us with insight and inspiration. This book will become one of those titles you consult every few years when your batteries need recharging and you want to relearn some timeless lessons. Like Max De Pree's "Leadership is an Art," Hesselbein's book makes us see that the leader's role is to serve others, helping them to make the most of their contributions to further the organization's mission. This book is a small jewel box, easy to carry and open, filled with remarkable gems. Read it yourself, then share a copy with your daughter, your son, your friends and colleagues.