---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never had any question about the…"
description: "\"I never had any question about the direction we were going in at the Girl Scouts. We shared our mission and research with all levels of leaders from th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/frances-hesselbein-8660_circular_i-never-had-any-question-about-the-direc_3114741.png"
---

#  I never had any question about the direction we were going…

![“I never had any question about the direction we were going in at the Girl Scouts. We shared our mission and research with all levels of leaders from the very beginning - a concept I created, using cups and saucers, called 'circular management.' Everyone was on a team; there were no superiors or…” quote by Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/frances-hesselbein-8660_circular_i-never-had-any-question-about-the-direc_3114741.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/frances-hesselbein-8660_circular_i-never-had-any-question-about-the-direc_3114741.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/frances-hesselbein-8660_circular_i-never-had-any-question-about-the-direc_3114741.png)

> “I never had any question about the direction we were going in at the Girl Scouts. We shared our mission and research with all levels of leaders from the very beginning - a concept I created, using cups and saucers, called 'circular management.' Everyone was on a team; there were no superiors or subordinates. There was respect for all people.”

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Circular management removes hierarchy, fostering respect and shared responsibility among all members.

**In simple terms:** Flat structure builds respect and teamwork.

Key Takeaway

Adopt flat team structures.

Themes

leadership teamwork equality respect

Mood

inspirational practical

Type

leadership organizational

When to use this quote

- project teams
- community groups
- nonprofits

Key Concepts

organizational design shared governance

Questions to Reflect On

- How would you implement circular management in a big company?
- What challenges could arise without clear hierarchy?

A Different Perspective

May be hard to scale in large organizations.

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[Circular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circular/) [Circular Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circular-management-5448809/) [Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direction/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Girl scout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl-scout/) [Girl scouts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl-scouts/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Scouts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scouts/) [Scouts Shared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scouts-shared-5448808/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/)

## Related quotes

> [Girl Scouts helps girls make decisions that are right for them and offer support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/girl-scouts-helps-girls-make-decisions-that-are-right-for-them-and/)

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> [The Girl Scouts is where I became acquainted with the idea that a woman can do anything. Learning that early on has a tremendous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/the-girl-scouts-is-where-i-became-acquainted-with-the-idea-that-a/)

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> [“Duty and conscience were, for Theodora, attributes which belonged properly to Girl Scouts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/duty-and-conscience-were-for-theodora-attributes-which-belonged/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [I was not an attractive child. When I didn't use my Girl Scouts uniform as a uniform, I used it as a tent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-was-not-an-attractive-child-when-i-didn-t-use-my-girl-scouts/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [Girl Scouts is a girl-serving organization, so our members are girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-maria-chavez/girl-scouts-is-a-girl-serving-organization-so-our-members-are-girls/)

[Anna Maria Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-maria-chavez/)

> [The thing I received from Girl Scouts more than anything else was a sense of real teamwork and working for the community, helping others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-rigby/the-thing-i-received-from-girl-scouts-more-than-anything-else-was-a/)

[Cathy Rigby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-rigby/)

> [As a little girl in Arizona, none of the women in my family had a cultural connection with Girl Scouts, but the opportunity resonated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-maria-chavez/as-a-little-girl-in-arizona-none-of-the-women-in-my-family-had-a/)

[Anna Maria Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-maria-chavez/)

> [“The Girl Scouts allow homosexuals and atheists to join their ranks, and they have become a pro-abortion feminist training corps. If the Girl Scouts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zeiger/the-girl-scouts-allow-homosexuals-and-atheists-to-join-their-ranks/)

[Hans Zeiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zeiger/)

> [Girl Scouts offered a wonderful group of girls where common concerns and interests could come together. We could learn, be challenged, and support one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-woodruff/girl-scouts-offered-a-wonderful-group-of-girls-where-common-concerns/)

[Judy Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-woodruff/)

> [Girl Scouts is such an iconic organization that it's easy to overlook how daring an idea it was for founder Juliette Gordon Low to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-maria-chavez/girl-scouts-is-such-an-iconic-organization-that-it-s-easy-to-overlook/)

[Anna Maria Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-maria-chavez/)

> [Around 7 years old, we girls took dancing lessons, joined the Brownies, the Girl Scouts, the 4H Club.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-buzzi/around-7-years-old-we-girls-took-dancing-lessons-joined-the-brownies/)

[Ruth Buzzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-buzzi/)

> [This ain't the Girl Scouts. This ain't the Boy Scouts. This is the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-garnett/this-ain-t-the-girl-scouts-this-ain-t-the-boy-scouts-this-is-the-nba/)

[Kevin Garnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-garnett/)

> [I am struck by how many leading women... today started as Girl Scouts. It is an organization that obviously develops strong women leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/i-am-struck-by-how-many-leading-women-today-started-as-girl-scouts-it/)

[Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/)

> [My purpose... to go on with my heart and soul, devoting all my energies to Girl Scouts, and heart and hand with them, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-gordon-low/my-purpose-to-go-on-with-my-heart-and-soul-devoting-all-my-energies/)

[Juliette Gordon Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-gordon-low/)

## More by Frances Hesselbein

> [Not long after I was married, World War II began. My husband John volunteered for the Navy and was sent to Pensacola for training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/not-long-after-i-was-married-world-war-ii-began-my-husband-john/)

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> [... I try ... to use my own voice in a way that shows caring, respect, appreciation, and patience. Your voice, your language, help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/i-try-to-use-my-own-voice-in-a-way-that-shows-caring-respect/)

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> [The leader builds dispersed and diverse leadership - distributing leadership to the outermost edges of the circle to unleash the power of shared responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/the-leader-builds-dispersed-and-diverse-leadership-distributing/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [Leadership is not a basket of tricks or strategies or skills that you pull out. Leadership begins with the quality of the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/leadership-is-not-a-basket-of-tricks-or-strategies-or-skills-that-you/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [If we are to remain mission focused, as we must be if we are to be relevant in an uncertain age, the abandoning those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/if-we-are-to-remain-mission-focused-as-we-must-be-if-we-are-to-be/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [It takes courage for a leader to identify and confront self-imposed barriers, to put in place the personal strategies required to unleash the energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/it-takes-courage-for-a-leader-to-identify-and-confront-self-imposed/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [... I never look at my watch if I'm talking with someone. I think that's such an insulting gesture! It suggests you're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/i-never-look-at-my-watch-if-i-m-talking-with-someone-i-think-that-s/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [There is just one reason that we are placed on this Earth. That reason is to love and be loved - in that order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/there-is-just-one-reason-that-we-are-placed-on-this-earth-that-reason/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [Communication is not saying something; communication is being heard,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/communication-is-not-saying-something-communication-is-being-heard/)

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> [The Millennial mindset is one on the pulse of changing technology. They multi-task and enjoy a challenge. They need projects that utilize their knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/the-millennial-mindset-is-one-on-the-pulse-of-changing-technology/)

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[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [I feel passionately about how I express myself. Language is the greatest motivating force. You can phrase something positively and inspire people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/i-feel-passionately-about-how-i-express-myself-language-is-the/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

> [The leader beyond the millennium will not be the leader who has learned the lessons of how to do it, with ledgers of 'hows'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hesselbein/the-leader-beyond-the-millennium-will-not-be-the-leader-who-has/)

[Frances Hesselbein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

[Explore all 79 Frances Hesselbein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hesselbein/)

## More Circular quotes

> [“At some point in youth an old person will tell you a harsh truth you will not believe, in middle age you will realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-a-a-savastano/at-some-point-in-youth-an-old-person-will-tell-you-a-harsh-truth-you/)

[C.A.A. Savastano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-a-a-savastano/)

> [I play the didgeridoo using circular breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-spencer/i-play-the-didgeridoo-using-circular-breathing/)

[Jesse Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-spencer/)

> [“Appendix, Number 23. The Rutter circular.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/appendix-number-23-the-rutter-circular/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The swing of art is circular, from form to formalism, from formalism to formlessness, from formlessness to form again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/the-swing-of-art-is-circular-from-form-to-formalism-from-formalism-to/)

[Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/)

> [“And now try to follow me, because I'm gonna be moving in a kind of circular motion, so if you pay attention, there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-huang/and-now-try-to-follow-me-because-i-m-gonna-be-moving-in-a-kind-of/)

[George Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-huang/)

> [“A man is deficient in understanding until he perceives that there is a whole cycle of evolution possible within himself: repeating endlessly, offering opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/a-man-is-deficient-in-understanding-until-he-perceives-that-there-is/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [Mistakes are circular starting points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-conway/mistakes-are-circular-starting-points/)

[Alvin Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-conway/)

> [“A circular plot structure, often seen in adventure novels and quest fantasies, is a narrative devise involving setting, character, and theme. Typically a protagonist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-m-tomlinson/a-circular-plot-structure-often-seen-in-adventure-novels-and-quest/)

[Carl M. Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-m-tomlinson/)

> [“But Tik Tok believes everything's circular, including men and women. He says nature seems to go around and around, and that we all have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/but-tik-tok-believes-everything-s-circular-including-men-and-women-he/)

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> [Grief is a circular staircase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-pastan/grief-is-a-circular-staircase/)

[Linda Pastan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-pastan/)

> [The past is there, but life is circular. I have a strong sense of the circularity of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-past-is-there-but-life-is-circular-i-have-a-strong-sense-of-the/)

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[Ron Eglash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-eglash/)

> [“The circular style of the universe is a lesson what you do in it will have the same reaction or it will be similar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaran-ihsan-salih/the-circular-style-of-the-universe-is-a-lesson-what-you-do-in-it-will/)

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> [From the outside, Rick Rubin's house above Zuma Beach is a generic millionaire beach home. There's a rarely used tennis court and a circular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rodrick/from-the-outside-rick-rubin-s-house-above-zuma-beach-is-a-generic/)

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> [“Pizza is circular. So is an hour. I’ll take two slices—to go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/pizza-is-circular-so-is-an-hour-i-ll-take-two-slices-to-go/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

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