By Frances Hesselbein

Leader to Leader Chairman and Founding President  

May I please share with you one of the most inspiring experiences of my life?

Last Friday morning, I had an appointment to meet with Colonel Tom Kolditz and his team from the faculty of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the U.S. Military Academy regarding my two-year tenure serving in the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership, at West Point.

The plan was to drive early Friday morning to West Point, then I had a call, “Major Katie Matthew will be coming by train from West Point, Friday morning to ride up with you, so that the two of you can get acquainted before the meeting.”  She was to arrive at 8:30 am; so I was ready at 8:10 am, remembering the Army’s, “If you are on time you are late.”  Of course, she arrived at 8:10 am and I had a marvelous hour getting to know our officer who is a graduate of West Point, served in Iraq, married to another faculty member.  She is assigned as staff to me for the two years.  


You can imagine my trying to prepare for this planning session for two years of leadership study and engagement with cadets and faculty.  After much thought, I decided that I would not arrive with a plan.  I would meet, listen and the plan would evolve.  So, I went with some ideas and an empty journal.  Colonel Kolditz, the Department head, was waiting to welcome the Major and me with three faculty members and officers.  Warm welcome, hot tea, and it all began.  They had prepared a slide presentation on the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department, its mission, values, objectives, then each department course outlined.  At the end, a print-out of the presentation was in my hands.  This was background.  

I had not brought a plan; they did not have a plan for the future for the same reason.  We all came to listen.  Our team of six dived in and very quickly we developed a mission statement for the Chair, (it fits on a t-shirt) values, objectives and all of us with total freedom to describe the future, the exciting possibilities that could lie ahead.


As you would know, I could not see myself giving lectures to cadets for the next two years.  I suggested a series of Leadership Dialogues, where someone like Jim Collins would join the cadets and me in such a dialogue periodically.  The team was very enthusiastic about the idea and expanded it.  And when I threw out the idea of bringing cadets into the city to spend the day in the heart of an organization making a difference, the team took it far beyond my one-day idea.  As we parted someone suggested we call our team of six, “Team Service.”  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  All things are possible. 


This honor isn’t about me.  It’s about all the work we’ve done together at the Leader to Leader Institute for the past 20 years, and its part of our journey together.  
 

Thank you for letting me share “the West Point Story” with you.  Last month, Forbes named the United States Military Academy at West Point as the best, the #1 college in the United States, and now we have the privilege of serving this great American institution.


It is one of the greatest honors of my lifetime.


Frances