Lee Ellis's Blog, page 149
March 31, 2020
4 Courageous Leadership Principles for Difficult Times
It is ironic that the “Corona Virus” brings to mind the wisdom of an old expression about a phrase related to a crown, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” But it’s never been truer than now because leaders must lead. Consistently leading with honor is a challenge in good times but requires much more in difficult times.
Leadership in the Crucible
Two of my last three books have been based around leadership lessons learned during my early years as a Vietnam POW. In that crucible, our leaders proved their mettle.
Senior POW leaders like Risner, Stockdale, and Denton were there more than seven years. They arrived early and suffered the most, yet their decisions and actions set a high standard. Their example inspired us to go above and beyond to achieve our mission, vision, and values to “Return with Honor.”
To encourage and inspire you as you lead during this time, let’s review the four crucial lessons learned from their sacrifice under the most harsh and difficult times imaginable. One common denominator was not only critical there, but it’s essential for all successful leadership, and that’s courage.
“Courage is the critical “binding agent” to good leadership because you’ll need to make critical decisions in situations where there is perilous risk and no guarantees on the outcome.” [Tweet This]
In this month’s Leading with Honor Coaching, I explain this is in more detail. Please watch –
Applying the following four courage lessons helps mitigate the latent feelings of fear and insecurity that we all get when we’re out of our comfort zone –
Courageously guard your character. When times are tough and there are hard decisions to make, followers look to their leaders to see if they will come through and walk the talk. These are the times when leaders are exposed—are they willing to stand for their values? Is their character anchored in virtue, or do they fall into self-preservation out of fear to protect their image, position, power, or personal security?
Courageously seek wise counsel. When Commander Stockdale was devising a new policy to guide POW behavior in responding to our enemy’s manipulative efforts to use us for propaganda, he was so isolated that he could not consult with his peers. So, he consulted with his only cellmate — 25-year-old Lt. JG, Dan Glenn. Fortunately, Dan proved to be a great source of wisdom and Stockdale listened.
“Genuine, secure leaders are willing to vet their ideas and listen to feedback from others before stepping out in a new direction.” [Tweet This]
Courageously clarify. As young military officers, we learned to “Fight for Clarity.” Knowing that communications get twisted as they are passed along, clarify your message so that it communicates what is expected, any guidelines that are included, and who is accountable for carrying out the actions. And don’t forget to include the “commander’s intent.” What do you want it to look like when all is said and done?
Courageously stay connected. Leadership is very much about influencing attitudes and emotions, so you must stay connected to your people. This was difficult in the POW camps because we had to take enormous physical risks. Likewise, it’s difficult in today’s crisis for a variety of reasons. We must fight to overcome these barriers. Intentional connection is essential for coordinated action to achieve the mission and for the emotional team support. In remote or stress-filled work environments, it’s especially important to over-communicate, making sure you are connecting to their hearts.
You Are Being Watched
Not to incite paranoia, but it’s important to know that you’re being watched. Regardless of your role, they’re watching you to see how you respond to this crisis. Following these four steps gives them confidence that “we can do this together,” and we can emerge victorious in this battle.
There has never been a better time to reflect on the Stockdale Paradox, coined by leadership author Jim Collins, friend and cohort of Admiral Stockdale on the Stanford faculty after the war.
“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.”
Go and lead with courage, and your team will respond as you infuse confidence into their lives. LE [Tweet this Article]
Here are some helpful links that Lee mentioned:
Article Link – “Surviving an Upside-Down World – How the POWs Led Through Change (Lee’s 47th Anniversary of his POW Release)
Page Link – Leadership Help Through the COVID-19 Coronavirus Outbreak
Life and Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton
Two of Lee’s award-winning books share more in-depth stories and leadership lessons learned during his over five-year experience as a Vietnam POW. These are principles that we can apply today with our families, teammates, and fellow colleagues.
[image error]Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton
– Learn how to lead yourself and others through the 14 principles that enabled the POWs to return with honor.
Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability
– Apply the Courageous Accountability Model as a means to clarify, connect, and collaborate and celebrate with your team.
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Free Assessment Report Offer
What are your natural go-to talents? Self-awareness is the foundational first step in personal and professional growth, and it’s the basis for all training and consulting that Leading with Honor does.
As a free offer to our friends and colleagues, take the online ‘Leading with Honor Report’ to get a snapshot of your leadership strengths and struggles –
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March 30, 2020
Pick Your Favorites on Amazon
Have you ever visited Lee Ellis’ Amazon Author Page? All of his published books are listed, watch video clips, and purchase your favorites from Amazon.
check it out on Amazon
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March 29, 2020
On This Day in Leadership History, March 29th
On this day in leadership history 1848, Niagara Falls stopped flowing for one day due to an ice jam.
What’s the leadership lesson? If you or your team is frozen on some level and having trouble moving forward, then there’s a reason that must be addressed with solved. Lean into your courage as an honorable leader and get things moving again! You can do it.
Niagara Falls – Wikipedia
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Today is National Vietnam War Veterans Day
National Vietnam War Veterans Day is observed every year on March 29 and is a way to thank and honor our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.
Who does Vietnam War Commemoration Honor?
U.S. Armed Forces personnel with active duty service between November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location of service which includes:
Nine million Americans serving during that time
6.4 million Americans living today
2.7 million U.S. service members who served in Vietnam
58,000 whose names are memorialized on a black granite wall in our Nation’s capital
304,000 who were wounded
1,253 Missing in Action (MIA) heroes who have not yet returned to American soil
2,500 Prisoners of War (POWs)
You can learn more on this page, and thank you for all who served our nation!
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March 27, 2020
Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, March 27, 2020
“Leadership is not about being the best. Leadership is about making everyone else better.”
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March 26, 2020
Why Your Team Should Be Inextricably Linked And Fiercely Independent
Great leadership points in today’s remote work environment but also true everyday! Connection is important, otherwise trust your team members to do their job.
Please read this article on the Forbes.com website and post your advice too – thank you
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March 25, 2020
Recommendation from Lee’s Bookshelf – “Courage”
The Latest Recommendation from Lee’s Bookshelf – “Courage: The Backbone of Leadership” by Gus Lee. This book is so good that we wanted to feature it again!
In Courage, Gus Lee captures the essential component of leadership in measurable behaviors. Using actual stories from Whirlpool, Kaiser Permanente, IntegWare, WorldCom and other organizations, Lee shows how highly successful executives face and overcome their fears to develop moral intelligence.
Read More about it on the GoodReads website, and please post your comments below if you’ve read it and recommend it.
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March 24, 2020
New Webinar Event – Watch the Free Replay
Lee Ellis and Hugh Massie just hosted and recorded the latest Webinar Interactive Series, and we invite you and your team to watch for personal and professional growth.
They answered our questions on how natural behavior is used to predict and manage team dynamics. When a team understands one another and chooses to embrace differences, it is one of the most revolutionary solutions for team performance and unity.
Please watch this free recording with our compliments.
Topic: “How Behavior Predicts Team Dynamics” – An Interactive Webinar with Lee Ellis and Hugh Massie
Watch the Recording
Two Resources were mentioned during this webinar:
The Team Performance Report – use this report to dynamically train your team on how to work better together and increase team performance. Request more information on this report and training.
The Fun Team Performance Report Analysis – this free download allows you to review and analyze an actual team scenario to better understand to power of behavioral team dynamics. Download your free copy.
Finally, get a copy of Lee and Hugh’s new book, Leadership Behavior DNA, to learn more in-depth about behavioral team dynamics.
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Fill-in-the-Blank – “As an honorable leader, the best thing that…”
Fill-in-the-Blank – “As an honorable leader, the best thing that I can do for my people/team right now is _________________________.”
Please post your answer below – thank you
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