by Frances Hesselbein
When was the last time you flew over giant snow-covered mountain peaks and then landed near palm trees and a beautiful beach? I had this experience recently, traveling from New York through San Francisco to Auckland, and finally to Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island.
A long list of friends and colleagues had wanted to come along with me to New Zealand “to carry my bags.” It isn’t just because Lord of the Rings was filmed there. Somehow, here at home there is enormous interest in a small country with “4 million people and 64 million sheep” that protects its environment. “You can drink from the aquifer,” as everyone told me—and the air is pure, the environment is everyone’s responsibility, and the respect and inclusion of their native people is an inspiring model. The magnificence of the island was exceeded only by the welcome of the people of New Zealand and the significance of the meetings, the gatherings—ten days never to be forgotten.
I was in New Zealand to be honored as the first woman and the 15th American leader to receive the Fulbright New Zealand John F. Kennedy Fellowship. When President Kennedy was assassinated, New Zealand established the John F. Kennedy Fellowship in his honor. It is administered by Fulbright-New Zealand, and presented at the American Embassy. Every few years, an American leader is chosen as the John F. Kennedy Fellow, brought to New Zealand to speak on leadership and voluntarism to a number of groups across the country.
In my first major speech, “Leaders of the Future—Leadership Imperatives,” I addressed the Royal Plunket Society’s 100th anniversary celebration in Dunedin, with 1,500 people in the audience. Maori leaders opened the session in a very moving way. In fact, Maori leaders were at every gathering, opening every meeting, an integral part of each event—an inspiring example of what can happen in a country when all cultures, all people, are recognized, respected, and involved. New Zealand and the Maori have become a positive case study for our daily efforts in building bridges, in involving all of our people, in building that “healthy, diverse, inclusive society that cares about all of its people.”
In this speech as well as in others around the country (for I spoke several times a day), I always found a place to share President John F. Kennedy’s message from his Inaugural Address: “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” We often forget the second part of this message, “And my fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
At the Royal Plunket Society, I stressed, as I always do, the building of the richly diverse, inclusive, cohesive organization, with rich representation at every level, if we are to be viable and relevant—or even present—five or ten years from now. Something in my message, and I am passionate about this leadership imperative, touched five Maori women who were present as the Maori Caucus of the Plunket Board.The respect and inclusion of their native people is an inspiring model.
The big audience was wonderfully responsive, and as the applause ended and people started filing out, I walked down from the stage where one of my wonderful escorts was waiting. Lynn said, “The Maori women would like to meet with you.” I walked over to where five Maori women were standing in a half circle. Now, nothing in my culture prepared me for the ceremony that followed, but instinctively I knew what to do. The first woman took my hands in hers, pressed her nose to mine and we looked into each other’s eyes and held that position until the spirit within had connected (this is my interpretation). Then I moved to the next Maori leader, clasped her hands, pressed noses together and the eyes communicated. This continued until all five women had greeted me, made me part of the circle. Then the six of us clasped hands and in a circle, they sang a beloved Maori song, “Love, Faith, Peace.” Te Aroha, Te Whakapono, Me te Rangimarie, Tatou tatoue. The corporation has the responsibility for the whole community.
Some of the audience who saw what was happening came back, stood quietly behind us, and when the Maori sang the first verse of “Love,” they all joined in the chorus. During the song, they hung a cord around my neck with a sacred jade stone that has deep meaning, not just for me, but for all those who observed this rare and beautiful moment bringing us all together. I will always remember it.
The presentation of the John F. Kennedy Fellowship at the American Embassy in Wellington was an equally moving ceremony presented by the Chairman of the Fulbright New Zealand and the wife of our American Ambassador, Mrs. William McCormick. The framed award, “in recognition of excellence in the fields of volunteerism and leadership,” now has a place of honor on the walls of my office in New York.
It was only as I was flying home, ten days later, that I realized the significance of my three trips abroad in 2007 (my self-imposed annual limit), all in the Asia Pacific region. I had been in Taiwan in March, New Zealand in May, and would be traveling to Australia in September—and each country was chosen because of the significance of its work in building the leaders of the future, the organizations of the future, the society of the future.
In 1889, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay wrote:
The Mediterranean is the ocean of the past,
The Atlantic, the ocean of the present,
And the Pacific, the ocean of the future.
In March the trip to Taiwan was all about corporate social responsibility—the recognition of that country’s great corporate leaders who do demonstrate in their community projects that “the corporation has the responsibility for the whole community,” as Peter Drucker reminded us.
Then May brought the privilege of joining people of New Zealand to celebrate a great 100-year-old social sector organization, the Royal Plunket Society—“Together, the best start for every child” (Ma te mahi ngatahi, e puawai ai a tatou tamariki), and the John F. Kennedy Fellowship Award, and all the other organizations involved in this country-wide experience.
By the time you read this, I will have spent a week in Australia celebrating Peter Drucker—his life, his philosophy, his work. Doris Drucker will be there to receive the gratitude and admiration of those attending the Australia Institute of Management Convention—“Aim High! The Effective Manager in Action”—and the continuing significance of Peter Drucker’s work for leaders in all three sectors around the world.
One proud moment during that week in Australia will be the presentation of our third edition of the just published Self-Assessment Tool—Peter Drucker’s Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Nonprofit Organization. As you may remember, in 1990, Leader to Leader Institute was founded as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management.
The messages of President Kennedy and Peter Drucker shine a light in the darkness of our times. It is a privilege to share them, just as it is a privilege to be with you in each issue of Leader to Leader.
* * *
And a happy postscript. Remember the young soldier I encountered in an airport, introduced in “Faces in the Crowd?” (See Leader to Leader Number 43, Winter 2007.) Thanks to Charlie O’Connell, a great Leader to Leader friend, we’ve found Jared. He’s back from Iraq, and is now a corporal in sniper school. In his last e-mail note, telling me where he is and what he is doing, he ends with, “Be sure to let me know if you ever would like my help for anything.” Every day, every encounter with Jared’s generation, those in the military, those on campuses, underscores the spirit of this new generation—“to serve is to live.”
Thomas Friedman wrote about this cohort in a recent Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, calling them “The Quiet Americans.” And in his article he observes, “And that can-do-will-do spirit is a good thing, because we will need it to preserve our democracy from those who want to steal the openness and optimism that make democracy work.”
When was the last time you flew over giant snow-covered mountain peaks and then landed near palm trees and a beautiful beach? I had this experience recently, traveling from New York through San Francisco to Auckland, and finally to Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island.
A long list of friends and colleagues had wanted to come along with me to New Zealand “to carry my bags.” It isn’t just because Lord of the Rings was filmed there. Somehow, here at home there is enormous interest in a small country with “4 million people and 64 million sheep” that protects its environment. “You can drink from the aquifer,” as everyone told me—and the air is pure, the environment is everyone’s responsibility, and the respect and inclusion of their native people is an inspiring model. The magnificence of the island was exceeded only by the welcome of the people of New Zealand and the significance of the meetings, the gatherings—ten days never to be forgotten.
I was in New Zealand to be honored as the first woman and the 15th American leader to receive the Fulbright New Zealand John F. Kennedy Fellowship. When President Kennedy was assassinated, New Zealand established the John F. Kennedy Fellowship in his honor. It is administered by Fulbright-New Zealand, and presented at the American Embassy. Every few years, an American leader is chosen as the John F. Kennedy Fellow, brought to New Zealand to speak on leadership and voluntarism to a number of groups across the country.
In my first major speech, “Leaders of the Future—Leadership Imperatives,” I addressed the Royal Plunket Society’s 100th anniversary celebration in Dunedin, with 1,500 people in the audience. Maori leaders opened the session in a very moving way. In fact, Maori leaders were at every gathering, opening every meeting, an integral part of each event—an inspiring example of what can happen in a country when all cultures, all people, are recognized, respected, and involved. New Zealand and the Maori have become a positive case study for our daily efforts in building bridges, in involving all of our people, in building that “healthy, diverse, inclusive society that cares about all of its people.”
In this speech as well as in others around the country (for I spoke several times a day), I always found a place to share President John F. Kennedy’s message from his Inaugural Address: “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” We often forget the second part of this message, “And my fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
At the Royal Plunket Society, I stressed, as I always do, the building of the richly diverse, inclusive, cohesive organization, with rich representation at every level, if we are to be viable and relevant—or even present—five or ten years from now. Something in my message, and I am passionate about this leadership imperative, touched five Maori women who were present as the Maori Caucus of the Plunket Board.The respect and inclusion of their native people is an inspiring model.
The big audience was wonderfully responsive, and as the applause ended and people started filing out, I walked down from the stage where one of my wonderful escorts was waiting. Lynn said, “The Maori women would like to meet with you.” I walked over to where five Maori women were standing in a half circle. Now, nothing in my culture prepared me for the ceremony that followed, but instinctively I knew what to do. The first woman took my hands in hers, pressed her nose to mine and we looked into each other’s eyes and held that position until the spirit within had connected (this is my interpretation). Then I moved to the next Maori leader, clasped her hands, pressed noses together and the eyes communicated. This continued until all five women had greeted me, made me part of the circle. Then the six of us clasped hands and in a circle, they sang a beloved Maori song, “Love, Faith, Peace.” Te Aroha, Te Whakapono, Me te Rangimarie, Tatou tatoue. The corporation has the responsibility for the whole community.
Some of the audience who saw what was happening came back, stood quietly behind us, and when the Maori sang the first verse of “Love,” they all joined in the chorus. During the song, they hung a cord around my neck with a sacred jade stone that has deep meaning, not just for me, but for all those who observed this rare and beautiful moment bringing us all together. I will always remember it.
The presentation of the John F. Kennedy Fellowship at the American Embassy in Wellington was an equally moving ceremony presented by the Chairman of the Fulbright New Zealand and the wife of our American Ambassador, Mrs. William McCormick. The framed award, “in recognition of excellence in the fields of volunteerism and leadership,” now has a place of honor on the walls of my office in New York.
It was only as I was flying home, ten days later, that I realized the significance of my three trips abroad in 2007 (my self-imposed annual limit), all in the Asia Pacific region. I had been in Taiwan in March, New Zealand in May, and would be traveling to Australia in September—and each country was chosen because of the significance of its work in building the leaders of the future, the organizations of the future, the society of the future.
In 1889, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay wrote:
The Mediterranean is the ocean of the past,
The Atlantic, the ocean of the present,
And the Pacific, the ocean of the future.
In March the trip to Taiwan was all about corporate social responsibility—the recognition of that country’s great corporate leaders who do demonstrate in their community projects that “the corporation has the responsibility for the whole community,” as Peter Drucker reminded us.
Then May brought the privilege of joining people of New Zealand to celebrate a great 100-year-old social sector organization, the Royal Plunket Society—“Together, the best start for every child” (Ma te mahi ngatahi, e puawai ai a tatou tamariki), and the John F. Kennedy Fellowship Award, and all the other organizations involved in this country-wide experience.
By the time you read this, I will have spent a week in Australia celebrating Peter Drucker—his life, his philosophy, his work. Doris Drucker will be there to receive the gratitude and admiration of those attending the Australia Institute of Management Convention—“Aim High! The Effective Manager in Action”—and the continuing significance of Peter Drucker’s work for leaders in all three sectors around the world.
One proud moment during that week in Australia will be the presentation of our third edition of the just published Self-Assessment Tool—Peter Drucker’s Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Nonprofit Organization. As you may remember, in 1990, Leader to Leader Institute was founded as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management.
The messages of President Kennedy and Peter Drucker shine a light in the darkness of our times. It is a privilege to share them, just as it is a privilege to be with you in each issue of Leader to Leader.
* * *
And a happy postscript. Remember the young soldier I encountered in an airport, introduced in “Faces in the Crowd?” (See Leader to Leader Number 43, Winter 2007.) Thanks to Charlie O’Connell, a great Leader to Leader friend, we’ve found Jared. He’s back from Iraq, and is now a corporal in sniper school. In his last e-mail note, telling me where he is and what he is doing, he ends with, “Be sure to let me know if you ever would like my help for anything.” Every day, every encounter with Jared’s generation, those in the military, those on campuses, underscores the spirit of this new generation—“to serve is to live.”
Thomas Friedman wrote about this cohort in a recent Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, calling them “The Quiet Americans.” And in his article he observes, “And that can-do-will-do spirit is a good thing, because we will need it to preserve our democracy from those who want to steal the openness and optimism that make democracy work.”
1 comments:
Well said.
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