Lee Ellis's Blog, page 134
September 15, 2020
Wow Endorsement from Kennesaw State University
Wow! Thank you Kathy Schwaig, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Kennesaw State University, for your kind words about the new book, Leadership Behavior DNA –
“In Leadership Behavior DNA, Lee [and Hugh] give us the tools to understand others so that we can intentionally and empathetically impact both culture and performance. Putting them into practice has made me a better leader and better human being.”
Read more and get your copy
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September 14, 2020
Breaking the Behavioral Paradox in Leadership: 3 Tactics
The temptation is there for all us, but it’s easier to notice in the behaviors and decisions of others – “Why do they lead this organization the same old way? And why do they only see life from their myopic view?” The ability to break free from old mindsets and gain new ones is a valuable attribute—especially for leaders who find themselves thrown into paradox. And how does our natural behavior play a part?
My Breaking Free Moment
Occasionally, I’ve been a co-facilitator for an event, and I almost always learn a lot from the experience. One of my fellow consultants, Robin Gerald, opened up my world with a simple graphic—showing how our mindsets drive our attitudes, choices, actions, and behaviors—sometimes for the better and sometimes for negative outcomes:
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Robin’s simple explanation was a gift for a lifetime to help me break free from unproductive mindsets or expand an old worldview to see things differently. Recently I’ve used it to explain the importance of paradoxical thinking on leadership.
Leaders must operate in Paradox
Consider the challenge when you encounter paradox and have to acknowledge and operate on two seemingly opposite principles from the list below –
This and This
Visionary Practical
Chaos Order
Results Relationships
Competitive Supportive
Detached Sensitive
Bold Cautious
Quick Patient
Strong Vulnerable
Leader Servant
Tough Compassionate
Generalist Specialist
Convincing Good listener
Can you really be both tough and compassionate? Can you effectively operate with a clear vision of your strategy while working in the day-to-day fog of complexity to achieve your goals?
Living in the Tension of Change and Growth
Leaders must be flexible and open to new mindsets. Challenge your mindsets. Often a change in perspective is the only way to employ the wide array of behaviors and skills needed to lead effectively.
We all operate with hard-wired natural behaviors that must also be challenged to see things like your team members who have opposite behaviors. We use the Leadership Behavior DNA assessment everyday with teams for this purpose.
Be willing to live in the tension—holding two seemingly opposite concepts at once. Our tendency is to want simplicity. We like to reduce things to right or wrong, good or bad, strong or weak. The reality of life says it’s just not that way. We are at once good and bad, strong and weak. In fact, even the best leaders readily admit that they have major insecurities.
How can you learn to live in the tension and embrace paradox? Three tips –
Try a Picture-in-Picture Approach.
My friend, Laurie Beth Jones, has a good analogy called the “picture-in-picture” approach. We must learn to keep more than one channel on the screen and be able switch between them. For example, a leader needs to be able to expand the “vision” onto the full screen in order to develop strategy while at the same time keeping the practical details of reality in the smaller background screen, knowing she’ll need to swap pictures again to deal with the here and now.
Develop flexibility in yourself and others.
Push yourself to identify old mindsets that really aren’t working. When notice that your actions don’t seem to bring good results, consider taking a new perspective. As you get older, flexibility gets harder but it’s worth the effort. Share your growth and mentor others to do the same.
Remember the Stockdale Paradox.
Leaders need resilience in tough times. Our POW leader, CDR James Bond Stockdale, the senior Naval officer in the camps knew a lot about resilience—spending more than four years in solitary confinement, two years in the infamous Alcatraz camp with many rounds of torture.
In his classic Good to Great, Jim Collins talked about his relationship and conversations with Stockdale. From those insights and the quote below Collins coined the term “Stockdale Paradox” that highlights this dynamic tension and Stockdale’s perspective on resilience:
“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” [Tweet This]
Stockdale’s life demonstrated that resilience starts with a mindset of both. Operating with faith and optimism yet digging into the nasty, painful realities of life—even stinky rotten fish if that’s what it takes to survive. Trust me, I know it works.
Next Steps
Are you willing to open up your mindset and embrace paradox? You may hate the process, but be glad you did. Now that’s kind of a paradox in itself, isn’t it? Please share your wisdom and experiences in this forum.
LE
How can you manage the paradox on your team?
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Every human is unique — and the best leaders know why this might be an advantage. Learn how embracing different talents and abilities, both our own and those of others, can lead to more effective leadership and success.
Grounded in statistical research and supported by data from millions of clients and more than 45 years of workplace experience, Lee Ellis and Hugh Massie reveal their personal stories and experience on how they’ve successfully helped organizations achieve their goals by applying practical insights on human design.
Get Your Copy
Additional discount available for bulk orders.
“…There are few that have made significant strides on making ‘knowing yourself’ operational and real as Lee and Hugh have in this marvelous book. Reading this book is a compelling adventure. If you follow the path, you will change for the better!” – Richard Boyatzis, Co-author of the international best seller, Primal Leadership and the new Helping People Change
“This is the book that I have longed for during my decades in managing talent. Having seen the positive impact of DNA Behavior on my teams, this is a must-read for leaders who desire to build strong teams by accelerating natural talents in an authentic and lasting way.” – Belva White, CPA, MBA, Vice President for Finance & Treasury, Emory University
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September 13, 2020
On This Day in Leadership History, September 13th
On this day in leadership history in 2001, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell named Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in the terror attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Limited commercial flights resumed in the U.S. for the first time in two days.
What’s the leadership lesson? Honorable leaders know that it’s important to have team members that can naturally perform well in a crisis. Diversify your team accordingly.
September 11th Attacks – Wikipedia
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September 11, 2020
Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, September 11, 2020
“The status quo in work and leadership is fleeting. By law, situations will naturally get worse if we don’t change (grow) to get better.” – Lee Ellis
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September 10, 2020
Fill-in-the-Blank – “One of the best things that I’ve…”
Fill-in-the-Blank – “One of the best things that I’ve done to grow as a leader is to __________________________.”
Please post your answer below – thank you
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September 9, 2020
7 Practical Ways to Grow as a Leader
Everywhere I (Lee) turn, I hear people talking about the need to increase performance via new processes and/or raising employee engagement. Great ideas, but change and growth must start with leaders first, and that’s a nasty proposition for many leaders who have done the same thing for most of their careers.
I was coaching a CEO who was a fine man and great at getting results, but he had been with the company for a year and hardly knew his team. He told me, “Being relational is just not me. I don’t do that well.” So, we adapted his strengths to create a spreadsheet to help manage his struggles. We listed all his people across the top and then in column one, listed seven specific things he could do to build a relationship and encourage each one.
His job was to get those boxes checked off, and he became more relational by adapting his strengths to manage his struggles.
Here are 7 practical ways that all of us can immediately begin to grow –
Believe in yourself. Courageously set aside your doubts and fears and any underlying pride.
Assess to gain self-awareness. Gain insights—use assessments, and objective feedback, so you know what needs work.
Plan. Develop a simple plan on how you will adapt. For example, pick two areas of struggle.
Be humble—go public. Let others know that you are working on these two areas of growth.
Practice. List specific situations in which you will adapt (maybe use a spreadsheet).
Be accountable. Ask for feedback on successes and missed opportunities.
Courageously commit to the long haul. Coach yourself; it will probably never become completely natural.
Please add your advice and wisdom to this conversation by posting below.
Also read and watch this month’s full blog on this topic – “How Innovative Leaders are Breaking Newton’s Laws”
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September 8, 2020
About the Veterans Empowerment Organization (VEO)
The Veterans Empowerment Organization’s (VEO) mission is to enhance the quality of life for homeless veterans on their road to self-sustainability. They provide a caring, supportive environment that allows veterans to rebuild their lives by returning the dignity lost to the circumstances that left them homeless.
Please learn more about them on their website – thank you!
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September 7, 2020
Happy Labor Day from Leading with Honor
Happy Labor Day from Lee Ellis and the Leading with Honor Team! We’re grateful for those honorable leaders that work every day to support and improve our communities.
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September 6, 2020
On This Day in Leadership History, September 6th
On this day in leadership history in 1620, the Pilgrims left on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England to settle in the New World. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, the Mayflower, with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reached America, dropping anchor near the tip of Cape Cod on November 11, 1620.
What’s the leadership lesson? As an honorable leader, what are you willing to risk and endure to pursue your passion and purpose? Find the courage on a daily basis to fulfill your role as a leader.
The Mayflower – Wikipedia
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September 4, 2020
Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, September 4, 2020
“Leadership involves a delicate balance between impatience and patience. Go too fast and people resist. Go too slow and they become complacent.” – Jonathan Sacks
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