General Eric K. Shinseki (U.S. Army, Ret.) to be Honored as The Leader of the Future

October 15, 2009: NEW YORK-- The Leader to Leader Institute (founded as the Peter F.Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management in 1990) announced today that on November 2, 2009, the Institute will present The Leader of the Future Award to The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, the former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

According to Frances Hesselbein, the Institute’s Chairman and Founding President, “General Shinseki embodies Peter Drucker’s definitionof a leader and leadership.” The Leader of the Future Award honors values-based leaders of character who have “the vision to see and the courage to shape the future.”

General Shinseki is the first Army four-star General of Japanese-American ancestry and a recipient of two Purple Hearts for life-threatening wounds in the Vietnam War. He served as the 34th United States Army Chief of Staff from 1999 to 2003. During his tenure as Army Chief of Staff, Shinseki initiated an innovative plan to make the Army more strategically deployable and mobile in urban terrain by forming Stryker Interim-Force Brigade Combat Teams. He also conceived a long term strategic plan for the Army, Objective Force, which included a program he designed, Future Combat Systems.

Prior to becoming the Army’s Chief of Staff, General Shinseki served as the Vice Chief of Staff from 1998 to 1999. He previously served simultaneously as Commanding General, United States Army, Europe and Seventh Army; Commanding General, NATO Land Forces, Central Europe, both headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany; and Commander of the NATO-led Stabilization Force, Bosnia-Herzegovina, headquartered in Sarajevo.

According to the Army Leadership field manual, “an enduring expression for Army leadership has been BE-KNOW-DO. Army Leadership begins with what the leader must BE — the values and attributes that shape character.” General Shinseki is a leader who has proven that he places values and ethics first before all else. In collaboration with Frances Hesselbein, General Shinseki presented Be * Know * Do: Leadership the Army Way, adapted from the Official Army Leadership Manual. Be * Know * Do provides leaders in all sectors—business, government, and nonprofit—with the guidelines they need to create an organization where leadership thrives.

Shinseki attended the United States Military Academy andgraduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He earned his Masters degree in English Literature from Duke University. He also attended the National War College, the USA Command and General Staff College, and the Armor Officer Advanced Course. General Eric Shinseki and his wife Patricia have two children, Lori and Ken.

The inaugural Leader of the Future Award was first presented to Alan Mulally, President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company in 2006. Andrea Jung, Chairman and Chief Executive Office of Avon Products, Inc. was the 2007 honoree, followed by A.G. Lafley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Procter and Gamble Company in 2008. The annual Leader of the Future celebration, held on the 35th floor of the Mutual of America Life Insurance Company on Park Avenue, attracts leaders from all sectors — business, government, and the social sector — to honor and celebrate outstanding, inspiring ethical leaders of our times who confirm that "leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do."

The Leader of the Future Dinner will be hosted by Mutual of America Life Insurance Company on the 35th floor of Mutual of America’s headquarters in New York. Patron sponsors include Manfred Altstadt; Dave Cote, Honeywell International Inc.; Marshall Goldsmith; Thomas J. Moran; Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company; Larry Olson, John Wiley & Sons; and Mark and Bonita Thompson. Benefactor Sponsors include Fidelity Investments; First Hawaiian Bank; Hogan & Hartson LLP; Jones Lang LaSalle; Thomas D. Christopoul; and UBS Investment Bank.

About the Leader to Leader Institute

The Leader to Leader Institute’s mission is to strengthen the leadership of the social sector. Established in 1990 as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for NonprofitManagement, the Institute furthers its mission by providing social sectorleaders with the essential leadership wisdom, inspiration and resources to leadfor mission, innovation and diversity and to build vibrant effective socialsector organizations. For additional information visit www.leadertoleader.org.

Be A Change Agent