Commandant's Column

By Commandant of Cadets Maj. Gen. Randal D. Fullhart, U.S. Air Force (retired)

As Commandant of the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College in 2004, I frequently invited noted leaders to address students and faculty. There were an infinite number of great people to choose from and that continues today through the Cutchins Leadership Lecture Series.

Always on the lookout for the next "great read" on leadership, I came across a small book titled “Hesselbein on Leadership.” I had never heard of Frances Hesselbein but was interested when I discovered that Peter Drucker, whom many called the father of modern management, called her “the best CEO in America.”

So what company was she the CEO of?

Turns out it had been the Girl Scouts of America. Her work with young people resonated with me. Credited with breathing new life into the scouts, she came to be known as one of the great thought leaders of our time. She was the first woman and the first non-military person to hold the leadership chair at West Point. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor our country bestows on a civilian.

She would go on to become the leader of the Drucker Institute, which later took her name. Her global circle of friends included people like Alan Mullaly, the CEO of the Ford Motor Company, and many general officers in our military, including General Lloyd Austin, now the Secretary of Defense.

That day in 2004, she was my first call to speak to our officers. I expected to be handed off to any number of people in her office, but I called anyway. I spoke to her receptionist and explained why I was calling. After a brief pause, there was a click and a lilting voice came on with just two words, “Frances Hesselbein!"

Talk about shock. We jumped into a conversation about the school, the students, how they would go on to be leaders in our U.S. Air Force and elsewhere, and would she be willing to come and share a message of leadership with them?

Her response was immediate. “I’d be delighted! When can I come?”

“OMG” wasn’t a thing back then, but it described how I felt at that moment.

That was my introduction to Frances Hesselbein. She did come to the command and staff college and brought Marshall Goldsmith, considered the top mentor to CEOs around the world and an author in his own right. It was magic. She and Marshall captivated the audience. She stayed with us and spent an extra day, and that was the beginning of a long friendship.

Some years later she called me to share that she was establishing the Hesselbein Global Academy for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement for the University of Pittsburgh and wanted me to be one of the mentors for four days of intentional leadership development. My answer was an immediate “Yes!”

That began over a decade of gatherings which always included a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Frances came to Virginia Tech and spoke to our cadets. She again stayed at our home, and we hosted cadets to dine with her. Again…magic. Her words about leadership and character during that visit are still a part of my presentations to new cadets and their families.

This fall we received a call that prompted us to send her pictures taken over the years to bring back fond memories. All of this took place shortly before her 107th birthday.

In the end, it is the friends you make that are the greatest treasures. Knowing Frances is one of the greatest gifts we have ever had. As Frances says, “To serve is to live.” That’s what Ut Prosim is all about.