Today the Wall Street Journal had a wonderful article about the life of Frances Hesselbein. Frances recently passed away at the age of 107. She was one of the country's great nonprofit leaders and a role model for all who aspire to success as leaders and managers. She was the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA where she brought the organization into the 20th century with new programs and initiatives that would aid girls in becoming successful business leaders not just homemakers. Management guru Peter Drucker was her role model. She invited Drucker to consult at the Girl Scouts which he did. Frances eventually left the Girl Scouts and became the founding head of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. Her good work resulted in the group changing its name to the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum.
We had the privilege of meeting Frances on several occasions. Her enthusiasm was infectious as was her thoughtfulness and kindness. She took pride in helping younger people with their careers. Her business prowess helped hundreds of nonprofits become financially stable. Her impact was the incalculable success helping those organizations achieve their missions of helping others. What a legacy! What a role model!
Having a role model is important at any age. It really comes in handy when you approach or are already in retirement. Ask yourself, who are the people you aspire to be like? Whose retirement activities represent what you would like to be doing? Perhaps it is someone who has ventured into a new retirement career, taken a part time job, taken on a volunteer role, or are completely devoted to the exploration of an interest or a hobby. Having a retirement role model is a great way to start you on a journey to a healthier, more active retirement. Staying active and committed to something in later years ends up extending those years and making them much more satisfying and fulfilling. In so doing you may become someone else's role model.
We may not have the long life opportunity that Frances enjoyed, but we can learn from her commitment to continuing to make a difference in the lives of others and in so doing made a difference in her own life. Her famous quote was, "The purpose of life to is love and be loved. In that order." Loving what you do is a step on that journey especially in later life. Now ask yourself, "Who's my role model?"
