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).

Foreword xi
Jim Collins

Note to the Reader xx

Part I Leadership—A Matter of How to Be, Not How to Do It

1 The "How to Be" Leader 7

2 A Reason to Believe 13

3 Carry a Big Basket 19

4 Focus on the Task 25

5 The Power of Civility 31

6 Barriers to Leadership 37

7 The Challenge of Leadership Transition 41

Part II Leading the Organization of the Future

8 Managing in a World That Is Round 51

9 A Traveler Along the Road 59

10 Journey to Transformation 65

11 Putting One’s House in Order 71

12 The One Big Question 77

13 When the Roll Is Called in 2010 85

Part III Leading in a New Century, a New World

14 A World of Ideas 97

15 Speaking a Common Language 105

16 Seeing Your Contribution Life Size 111

17 When They Look at Us, Can They Find Themselves? 117

18 A Call to Leaders 125

19 The Dream That Lies Before Us 131

The Author 139

Index 143