I have a film recommendation for you: the beautiful and timely award-winning documentary Defining Moments: The Life and Leadership of Quiet Revolutionary Frances Hesselbein. I attended a screening in New York City in May and it deeply resonated with me. If you are not yet familiar with Frances Hesselbein, I can tell you she was a positive, connection-minded leader and one to emulate.

Leader, advisor, mentor, encourager, and friend to many—from young Girls Scouts in western Pennsylvania, across the US and the world, to cadets and officers in the military and at the United States Military Academy at West Point, to CEOs of major corporations and non-profit organizations, Mrs. Hesselbein lived to the remarkable age of 107, bearing witness to more than a century of history. The documentary thoughtfully portrays her life and leadership philosophy—principles that are precisely what we need in today’s government, businesses, and social sector organizations.

The film opens with Mrs. Hesselbein reflecting: “In our country and in many parts of the world, we have the lowest level of trust and the highest level of cynicism in my whole lifetime. What will sustain the democracy is the big question.”

Trust in leadership stems from our assessment of a leader’s competence, dependability, and familiarity with their life and character. It is also influenced by our perception of whether a leader is driven by a genuine desire to serve others or by self-interest. Is it all about them or about the mission, the organization, and a positive future?

“Leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do,” Frances Hesselbein was known to say. “It is the quality and character of the leader that determines the performance and results.” The guiding principle in her life was articulated in this phrase that she embodied: To serve is to live.

In the film, we are shown several defining moments in Mrs. Hesselbein’s life that invite trust and admiration:

• As a little girl, she was deeply affected when she learned about the respect her grandmother had shown to a Chinese immigrant while other people in the town were indifferent to him or disrespectful. It led her to embrace the value of respect for all people.
• At age 17, following the death of her father, she left college to support her mother and two younger siblings. She continued her education part-time, attending classes in the evenings and on weekends.
• In her mid-30s, she stepped in to be the volunteer leader of a local Girl Scout troop of 30 ten-year-old girls when the previous leader moved away—even though she had no daughters herself, only an elementary-aged son. When told she was their last hope or the troop would need to disband, she agreed to take the post, temporarily, until a permanent leader could be found. Several weeks turned into eight years; she stayed with those girls until they graduated from high school. Her attitude of service began a 40-year relationship of increasing leadership responsibility within the Girl Scouts of the USA.
• When invited to interview for the role of CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, she traveled from her home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to New York City. Though she did not believe they were seriously considering her for the position, her husband urged her to go. During the interview, she spoke candidly about how she would completely transform the organization. To her surprise, they offered her the job. She became the first CEO to be chosen from within the organization and served from 1976-1990.
• Under her leadership, the Girl Scouts replaced a hierarchical leadership style with a more networked circular-leadership model, modernized its programs, expanded its reach to younger girls, and broadened its appeal while staying true to its core values. As one person observed, Mrs. Hesselbein put herself in the center of the organizational chart, not at the top. The comeback from the decline the Girl Scouts had been in was remarkable: the mainly volunteer workforce grew to 780,000 individuals, minority membership tripled, and total membership grew to 2.25 million girls.
• She developed a close and collaborative partnership with Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, who once said she was the greatest leader he had ever met—and that she could lead any organization. Coming from Drucker, who had worked with leaders like General Motors’ Alfred Sloan and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, that was a profound endorsement.
• The year she retired from the Girl Scouts, Drucker invited her to be the founding president of a new endeavor, The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. She established it as a widely-respected source of leadership thought. (The foundation was later renamed the Leader to Leader Institute then became The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum in 2017 and now offers leadership resources and inspiration to leaders working in every sector of industry and around the world.) The foundation’s journal, Leader to Leader, became an award-winning publication under her guidance and continues to be so today.
• She was the first woman, and first civilian, to be appointed to be the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership, a two-year position at West Point.

Her broad impact was formally recognized in 1998 as President Clinton bestowed upon her the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian honor in the United States. After commending her work with the Girl Scouts, the citation stated: “She has worked to imbue other nonprofit groups with the hallmarks of true leadership: openness to innovation, willingness to share responsibility, and respect for diversity. With skill and sensitivity, Frances Hesselbein has shown us how to summon the best from ourselves and our fellow citizens.” Fortune magazine named her to its 2015 list of the world’s 50 greatest leaders. The obituary written by The New York Times in 2022 described her as a transformative and innovative leader.

I had the privilege of knowing Mrs. Hesselbein personally, and of contributing several articles to Leader to Leader over the years. She encouraged me to share my work on the importance of human connection in organizational cultures and I have previously written about her and ways that she fostered a culture of connection at the Girls Scouts of the USA.

Frances Hesselbein exemplified mission-driven, values-based leadership grounded in the character strengths of humility, love, and service. Defining Moments, in presenting the attitudes, words, and actions of this quiet revolutionary, captures her warmth, intelligence, and leadership wisdom, and emphasizes that a leader’s character is central to their effectiveness. This message feels particularly urgent today, as we begin to reckon with the consequences of overlooking character in those entrusted with power.

In the eulogy that he delivered at her memorial service several years ago, then U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, a retired U.S. Army four-star general, spoke of his mentor:

Frances was one of the best leaders and managers in America, even without formal training. She was a mentor who drew out the very best in people. She was a trailblazer. She was a cheerleader for those working for progress. And she was a fighter —someone fiercely devoted to our democracy and determined to make our country better. …

Frances was a national treasure. But she never wanted to be put up on a pedestal. She wanted to help. She wanted to work. And everything she did reinforced a greater purpose. She showed us how to be the leaders we needed to be for those we serve.

With the prevalence of low trust and low employee engagement in a period of much change in the U.S. and abroad, I firmly believe we need more leaders like Frances Hesselbein. The film’s message is just what we need to hear at this inflection point in history. It is already beginning to receive recognition, winning a Telly Award for excellence in video and television, and being nominated for a Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Short Documentary from the British Columbia Film and Television Industry, and I’m sure more awards will follow.

If you know of an organization that would benefit from a screening of Defining Moments, I encourage you to reach out to me at mstallard@epluribuspartners.com. I’ll be happy to connect you with the film’s executive producer, Sarah McArthur.

The film closes with this observation from Ms. McArthur, Editor-in-Chief of Leader to Leader and a close friend and collaborator of Frances’: “She showed us the principles to live by: humility, love, service, inclusion, respect for all people, listen first, speak last. She showed us how to go towards a bright future.”

Watch the trailer for Defining Moments on YouTube.

Photo Credit: Girl Scouts of the USA

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Ever since learning that a movie was being made about J. Robert Oppenheimer and The Manhattan Project, I have been waiting for it to come to movie theaters, curious to see how the man and his work would be portrayed. In my first book, Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity, and Productivity, I had written about a particular angle of The Manhattan Project in reference to an element that teams need in order to function well. 

Opening weekend came, my wife and I bought tickets, and we settled into the comfy chairs (with foot rests!). Three hours later, the closing credits began to roll. Debriefing as we drove home, after “that was intense” and “it was really well done,” we ventured into interesting conversations on a host of topics that the movie raised. 

Given the popularity of “Oppenheimer,” I thought you might enjoy the inspiring story below, excerpted from Fired Up or Burned Out, as, to my surprise, a piece of it was not included in the movie. Regardless of your personal feelings about the development and use of the atomic bomb, this bit of history is one clear example of the power in helping people find meaning in their work.

Inspire with Identity

In Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman’s insightful book Organizing Genius, they tell the story of America’s race to make an atomic bomb before the Nazis during World War II. The Manhattan Project, as it was called, represented one of the most challenging and significant scientific accomplishments in history.

The story began in 1939 when Albert Einstein learned from three Hungarian physicists who had defected to America that the Nazis were trying to build an atomic bomb. Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt warning him that he believed the Nazis might find a way to do it. Within days of receiving Einstein’s letter, FDR established an advisory committee to investigate using atomic energy for national defense.

During 1941 and 1942, research was conducted at four universities: Columbia, Princeton, University of California at Berkeley, and Chicago. By mid-1942, the project had become the number-one defense priority with a $2 billion budget. In the fall, soon-to-be Brigadier General Leslie Groves was appointed to head the project following his stint building the Pentagon. Groves, a 250- to 300-pound crusty veteran career officer, began to pull together the people and the resources to make it happen.

On December 2, 1942, a team led by Enrico Fermi, a brilliant physicist, successfully created a self-sustaining nuclear reaction in an unused squash court under the University of Chicago’s football stadium. It was a pivotal moment that meant the project could shift to producing an atomic bomb since the concept had been proven.

General Groves identified a tall, gangly thirty-eight-year-old quantum physicist at Cal Tech, J. Robert Oppenheimer, to be the technical leader of the scientists and engineers. Although military intelligence officials objected to Oppenheimer because of his Communist Party connections, General Groves insisted that he was the best person for the job. Refusing to back down, the persistent Groves got Oppenheimer approved.

One scientist on the project was a young genius from Princeton named Richard Feynman who was to supervise technicians supporting the project. For security reasons, the army did not want the technicians to know the purpose of the project. As a result, it was difficult for them to put their hearts into their work. Their productivity was lackluster, and the quality of their work was disappointing. Feynman asked Oppenheimer to let him inform the technicians about the project’s purpose. His request approved, Feynman explained to the technicians what they were working on, its importance to the war effort, and the value of their contribution to the overall project.

After the technicians understood the meaning of their work, Feynman said he witnessed:

Complete transformation! They began to invent ways of doing it better. They improved the scheme. They worked at night. They didn’t need supervising in the night; they didn’t need anything. They understood everything; they invented several of the programs that we used . . . my boys really came through, and all that had to be done was to tell them what it was, that’s all. As a result, although it took them nine months to do three problems before, we did nine problems in three months, which is nearly ten times as fast.

The technicians’ improved productivity and innovation helped the Allies beat Hitler in the race to make an atomic bomb. On the morning of July 16, 1945, the Manhattan Project team watched as the first atomic bomb was exploded in the New Mexico desert. Their efforts gave the Allies a decisive edge in the war. 

Photo of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Ernest Lawrence (courtesy the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) via the U.S. Department of Energy – Office of History and Heritage Resources

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Day of Discovery Documentary – John Wooden: They Called Him Coach

I’ve written a lot about legendary Coach John Wooden on this blog, and for good reason. His life, leadership, and legacy are an inspiration to us all.

I highly recommend taking the time to watch the documentary John Wooden: They Called Him Coach, available online. You’ll learn more about Wooden’s perspective on success, love, and faith and see interviews with his family and former players. It will definitely motivate you to be a better leader, family member, and friend.

What’s your favorite Coach Wooden story? Feel free to share in the comments.

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Recently I was speaking at a university about the importance of connection and Connection Cultures to help students, faculty and staff thrive in institutions of higher education. After I spoke, the president of the divinity school came up to me and said I needed to see a great new comedy entitled Warm Bodies.  He informed me that the movie is about mummies who are brought back to life by human connection.  How great is that!  Check out the trailer above.  I plan the watch the movie on iTunes this weekend.

It’s been said that artists have their finger on the pulse of the culture.  Warm Bodies is a case in point, even if its protagonist had no pulse to speak of.

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While looking for a video to watch a friend recommended Departures, a film by Yojiro Takita that won an Oscar for best foreign language film. I highly recommend it. The movie touches on issues of employee engagement, connection, identity and human value that I raise in my changethis.com Connection Culture Manifesto. There were moments that this film reminded me of the beautiful book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer.

When you watch the film you’ll see a myriad of situations that relate to connection, including the protagonist Diago’s connection to his father, his wife, his employer, his former occupation and his new one, his clients, and his friends and acquaintances in the community.

Connection and the character values that support it resonate deeply with the Japanese, a topic that I will elaborate on in an upcoming blog post.

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When Nelson Mandela entered Robben Island Prison he was known for aggressively confronting his enemies. Released 27 years later, Mandela stunned South Africans with his magnanimous behavior toward former adversaries.

During his years in prison Mandela was transformed. He came to know several of his warders and learned that Afrikaners could change. He read the biographies of men and women who exhibited great character. Forgiveness, he concluded, was the only path to unite the nation. His courage to forgive made all the difference.

When Mandela emerged from prison, he told black South Africans they must be the first to reach out their hands in forgiveness to white South Africans then he proceeded to reach out to those who persecuted him as if they were old friends.

Many white South Africans were moved by Mandela’s example. On one Sunday while visiting a Dutch Reformed Afrikaner Church, Mandela recounted that “The men all wanted to touch me. The women all wanted to kiss me. The children all wanted to hang on my leg.” A few years earlier, he reflected, he would have needed security guards to protect him from being assaulted but “this time they were there to protect me from being killed out of love.”

When an American military leader asked a wealthy South African rancher how the country was able to make such remarkable progress to heal the wounds of apartheid, the rancher told him that Mandela deserved the credit: “He taught black South Africans to forgive white South Africans and he taught white South Africans to forgive themselves.”

Forgiveness is oftentimes necessary to unite organizations too. Indifference, silo behavior, incivility, a rude comment here or passive aggressive behavior there can create a chasm that only forgiveness will close. Anthony Sampson, in his extraordinary biography entitled Mandela, wrote that Nelson Mandela saw forgiveness as “an act of courage, not of weakness.” Those words and Mandela’s example have challenged me to be slow to become angry and quick to forgive.

The movie “Invictus” doesn’t tell the whole story of Nelson Mandela but it captures this remarkable man’s character and spirit. Don’t miss it. You’ll learn how Mandela used rugby as a means to connect with white South African’s and build a bridge between whites and blacks. Shared passions such as love of sport and a team unite people. Mandela learned this while in Robben Island. He connected with the guards and warden by talking with them about rugby, and learning to share their enthusiasm for the sport. As they got to know him, and he them, the bonds of connection and understanding were deepened.

The day Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa’s first truly, democratically elected president, sitting near him in a place of honor was one of Mandela’s closest friends, James Gregory, the former warden at Robben Island. (Read this account of the swearing in ceremony as reported in The New York Times.)

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While growing up did you have role models in your life who had a profoundly positive effect on you? Perhaps it was a teacher who believed in you and pushed you to strive, a parent of one of your friends who consistently provided encouragement or a coach who modeled great leadership, teaching you to work hard and play fair. I’m fortunate to have had positive role models and mentors in my life who brought out the best in me and I’ve tried to play that role for younger people in my community.

I was reminded about positive role models recently while watching a remarkable television program called Friday Night Lights. I really want to encourage you to check out this award-winning and critically-acclaimed drama. This show is gritty and real.  I don’t want to give away the story but suffice it to say the writing, acting and production of this show are extraordinary, a far cry from many of the vacuous programs on today.  You can rent the first three seasons at your local video store and the fourth season will be broadcast soon on NBC (if you have DirecTV, you can watch the fourth season now on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM Eastern).

While I’m not an avid football fan (and you don’t have to be to enjoy this show), I love this drama for its inspiration, entertainment and the values it promotes. The primary examples of great role models on display are in the characters of coach Eric Taylor and his wife Tami. Eric is the high school football coach in a football-crazy West Texas town that, incidentally, is based on Odessa, Texas, where I worked for Texas instruments in my first job after college.  Tami is a guidance counselor who becomes the high school’s principal in later episodes.   Eric and Tami are both leaders who inspire the kids to achieve excellence in their academic and athletic endeavors, and in their relationships and personal character. The show’s adult and teenage characters face the types of heart-wrenching trials and temptations that we all face in life, whether it’s the sickness or death of a loved one, a friend who needs us during a busy and demanding time in our life, or the lure of doing something we know is wrong for the sake of status or financial gain.

The above video clip includes images from Friday Night Lights set to Coldplay’s song “Fix You.”   The images coupled with the song’s music and lyrics capture the spirit of Friday Night Lights. I hope you’ll check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

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The 1951 movie “A Christmas Carol” is based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel.  It’s the fictional story of  Ebenezer Scrooge, a business owner who idolizes wealth and mocks charity.  Scrooge’s values, and the behavior emanating from them, isolate him from family and friends and make him miserable. Scrooge gets a wakeup call in the form of a nightmarish visit from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.

“A Christmas Carol” highlights how certain character vices lead to relational isolation which results in dysfunction and death.  This is in contrast to virtuous character that leads to human connection, thriving and life. Charles Dickens understood just how powerful human connection is and that it comes from the character strengths of compassion, empathy, generosity, kindness and magnanimity. These are character strengths and virtues we celebrate during the holiday season (and hopefully live year round).

The same themes of connection and character are explored in the 1946 holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  The movie starred Jimmy Stewart and was directed by Frank Capra. Stewart’s character, George Bailey, is contrasted to that of Henry F. Potter, the selfish owner of the primary bank in town. At one point a frustrated George tells his sweetheart “I want to do what I want to do,” which is to travel the world. He never does, however, and comes to regret it when the Savings and Loan he leads nearly goes bust during the Depression. This triggers a crisis of confidence in George’s life. He wonders if Potter’s selfish character is wise and his own selflessness is foolish.

As in “A Christmas Carol,” the story’s protagonist receives a visit from the other side. When, in desperation, George wonders whether it would be better if he were not alive , an angel named Clarence appears.  Clarence takes George to visit the future so he can see the misery Potter’s values afflict on the whole town were George not there to stand up to him and provide an alternative for people. In the end (spoiler alert), George’s family and friends rally around him to save the S&L — and the day.  The experience gives George the conviction of character he needs to be an even greater leader of his S&L and in his community.

Scrooge and George’s stories convey great wisdom. During the inevitable difficult seasons in life, the human connections we have with family and friends help us get through. When we experience the support of family and friends and reflect on its meaning, it gives us a conviction about what character values are right and wrong. I wrote about my own similar journey in an essay entitled “Alone No Longer.”

The themes in these movies are very relevant today.  With families separated by geography and divorce, distracted by information and media overload, and fewer people participating in spiritual communities and civic organizations, human connection and community have declined.  This decline has corresponded to a decline in joy and rising anxiety and depression.  Today, more people in America live alone than at any time in our history (28 percent of American households) and Americans consume half the world’s supply of medication for anxiety and depression although we comprise a mere 4.5 percent of the world’s population.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.  This holiday season, take time to reflect on the message in these holiday movie classics.  My hope is that you and those you love will be blessed by the productivity, prosperity and joy that come from having an abundance of connections in your lives.

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The issue of human connection at work and in life takes center stage in the hit movie “Up In the Air.” The plot follows a business executive played by George Clooney who is continuously traveling to fire people. He views meaningful relationships as excess baggage and his primary aspiration is to become a 10 million mile traveler on American Airlines. A new, hot shot, young, female co-worker proposes virtual firing rather than in-person. Ironically, this same woman confronts Clooney’s character for his vacuous life style that lacks meaningful relationships. It’s a must see movie that is hilarious and tragic. It criticizes the values of today that idolize task excellence but give short shrift to the human need for relationships (or to achieve “relationship excellence” in organizations as I written in the past).

Artists always have their finger on the pulse of culture change. The favorable response to this movie is yet another sign to me that people feel the pain from diminished human connection in the workplace and in life. The evidence is overwhelming that connection = thriving and life, disconnection = dysfunction and death, for individuals, families, organizations and nations. It’s why I believe Connection Cultures are the next step in the evolution of organizations and civil societies. Do you agree? If so, why? If not, why? Do you have meaningful relationships in your life? If not, reach out to others this holiday season and begin the new year by developing more and deeper relationships in your life.
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Michael Lee Stallard speaks, teaches and writes about leadership, employee engagement, productivity and innovation at leading organizations including Google, GE, NASA, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. Most recently, Michael and his colleague Jason Pankau filmed a 90-minute program for Linkage’s Thought Leaders Series that will be released in January of 2010. Michael wrote the guest editorial for Talent Management magazine’s January 2010 edition and last month his article on how the force of connection boosts productivity and innovation was featured as the lead article in the UK’s Developing HR Strategy Journal. Click on these links to learn more about Michael and Jason in the media and their speaking engagements.

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I highly recommend seeing The Blind Side, a movie about Baltimore Ravens’ offensive tackle, Michael Oher.  It’s worth the price of the ticket alone to see Sandra Bullock’s tour-de-force performance as Michael’s adoptive mom, Leanne Tuohy.  What I especially like about the movie is that it shows how the right social environment helps people thrive in life.

I don’t want to give away the story so let me just say in a nutshell that it was Leanne Tuohy who reached out to Michael.  It would have been easy for her to ignore him, but she didn’t. Instead, Leanne felt compassion for a young man who was wearing shorts in the winter and hanging around a high school gym just to stay warm.  She took the time to get to know him and his life’s story.  While others saw him as “Big Mike,” a quiet, giant, African-American young man from the Memphis ghetto, Leanne Tuohy saw him as a thoughtful boy with a big heart and protective instincts to match.  She called him “Michael,” a name he much preferred to “Big Mike.” Leanne’s insights helped Michael discover who he really was deep down inside and who he could become. These insights helped Michael see himself as a protector who “has the back” of his family and those he loves. It should come as no surprise then to learn that Michael Oher thrived in football as an offensive tackle responsible for protecting his teammates from the defense.

The Blind Side shows how the social environment we live in shapes us for good or ill. Research in social psychology and neuroscience have proven this.  To learn more, check out this article from the Atlantic magazine entitled “The Science of Success.”  For those who want to dig even deeper into the effects of social environment on people (and especially on the young), I highly recommend watching the video presentation and purchasing the Hardwired to Connect research report based on a research study by Dartmouth Medical School, the YMCA and the Institute for American Values. In addition, I recently did a free webcast for ASTD on neuroscience and its implications for leadership that you can download by clicking here.

The social environment we live in at work affects us too.  Is your work environment helping you thrive or killing you? I wrote the book Fired Up or Burned Out to help people understand how important the social environment at work is to employer brand, employee engagement, productivity, innovation and ultimately the performance of individuals and organizations.  If your social environment at work is toxic or even indifferent to people, you can do something about it.  A good first step is to read the manifesto I worte for ChangeThis.com. You can find it and download it free along with other articles, podcasts and webcasts, by clicking here: The Connection Culture: A New Source of Competitive Advantage.  To go even deeper, read Fired Up or Burned Out and share it with your colleagues, family and friends. If you are in a country where it is impossible to purchase the book because the values it promotes are threatening to those in power, email me at mstallard@epluribuspartners.com and I’ll email you a free pdf version of the book. Recently, I’ve received requests from individuals in nations with oppressive governments and I’m delighted to share the book with people who are trying to improve the social, political and economic environments of their home countries.

When leaders create a healthy social environment, it helps protect them from their blind side which is often the morale of the people they lead and what’s really happening in the organization (or nation). Absent a healthy social environment, nations and organizations inevitably fail when the vast majority of people who feel disconnected lose hope in their leaders and the future. A healthy social environment, what I call a “Connection Culture,” keeps everyone feeling connected and like they are part of the group so that all thrive.

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