Lee Ellis's Blog, page 161

The Latest Leadership Recommendation from Lee’s Bookshelf – “Exceeding Expectations”

The Latest Leadership Recommendation from Lee’s Bookshelf – “Exceeding Expectations: Reflections on Leadership”. In this special book, General Looney reflects upon his most formidable experiences during a 40-year career and articulates his leadership philosophy, which is built around a very simple notion — the greatest leaders are those who not only “exceed expectations,” but also inspire others to do the same.

Please learn more about Exceeding Expectations on the GoodReads website. And if you’ve read this book, please post your comments – thank you

 

 

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The Art and Behavior of Intuition in Leadership

Several years ago my strategic partner and good friend Hugh Massie, Founder and CEO of DNA Behavior® International, mentioned that he was learning to trust his gut instincts more. That caught my attention since he is a CPA by training and a very results-oriented, rational person.

Then as I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink, I learned about this idea of the “second mind,” as he called it. Gladwell raised the visibility of the power of intuition, but I suspect that it was only for a short time for most people.

Albert Einstein didn’t read Blink, but evidently he discovered this related theory early on, saying,

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” [Tweet This]

I’m seeing a pattern from these different points on the topic of intuition, so let’s explore it a bit deeper.

So what is the gift?

Intuition is about listening to your subconscious mind (gut instincts) to pull forward information and feelings that you’ve accumulated over a lifetime. Warriors have to rely on instinct, using every possible sense from outside and every stirring from inside to stay alive. Having a good visual memory for shapes and landforms is crucial for a military pilot. Being able to store and recall patterns of logic and information is important for an entrepreneur or business person.

Emotional memory is probably the strongest memory that we have, and it’s also the one most quickly accessed. Emotional memory is the one we feel in our gut, and it helps us access the gigabytes of memory stored in our subconscious faster than any processor yet made. So, intuition is this stream of awareness that flows from our subconscious to our conscious, but it requires our tuning in to hear the signal.

Can It Be Learned?

The short answer is yes, but the issue is whether you will develop your awareness and then allow intuition to move from your gut to your mind. It’s not a problem when data is tagged with emotions; it’s ready for quick retrieval and usually easy to access. At other times, it’s as simple as stopping to ask yourself, “What is my gut telling me about this—what is my intuition?”

Sometimes data needed for intuition needs help in getting to our awareness, and this situation is where we have to be more intentional about accessing it. It usually means taking time to shut down our rational thinking and reflect usually in a quiet setting away from distractions.  Sounds a lot like meditation and prayer, doesn’t it?

I believe it’s very similar and can be the same. Reflecting, waiting, and listening with our feelings for insight is a practice used by wise people throughout the history of civilization, and in our increasingly fast-paced society it’s a lost art.

“If we ignore or fail to cultivate the intuitive half of our decision-making abilities, we become less than our best as leaders and merely rely on the facts at hand.” [Tweet This]

Awareness of yourself and others’ natural behavior is also a strong element to developing intuition. Assessments like Leadership Behavior DNA summarize these behaviors, and your mind can access these results after you’ve reviewed and used them.

What about you? What has been your experience? How often do you integrate your intuition in your decision-making? Why do you believe that some leaders ignore or don’t develop their intuitive abilities when it would produce better results and greater success? Please share your thoughts and comments.

LE

Pre-Order Your Copy of the New Primer on Natural Talents 

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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.

Preorder Your Copy on Amazon

“…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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Lee Ellis on Connecting in Leadership

People love this special “connecting” message from Lee. Recorded during one of his keynote presentations, he describes the strong desire that it takes to connect with other people and the astounding results! Please watch and post your comments too – thank you

 

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Retention Tools for Honorable Leadership

Whether part of a team gift or training session, leaders are using reminder cards, wristbands, and more to help them apply honorable leadership lessons in their daily work. Very affordable and available in bulk packages, use them as part of your team’s professional development.

Please check them out in the Leading with Honor Store!

 

 

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On This Day in Leadership History, November 17th

On this day in leadership history in 1973, U.S. President Nixon told an Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, FL, “people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

What’s the leadership lesson? Article 1 of Leading with Honor’s “Honor Code” says this, “1. Tell the truth even when it’s difficult. Avoid duplicity and deceitful behavior.” Honorable leaders tell the truth regardless of how difficult it is.

Watergate Scandal – Wikipedia

 

 

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, November 15, 2019

“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word—excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” – Pearl Buck

 

 

 

 

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Fill-in-the-Blank – “The best, honorable public leader that I’ve noticed…”

Fill-in-the-Blank – “The best, honorable public leader that I’ve noticed lately is ______________________.”  (could be a celebrity, public servant, military, parent, teacher, etc.).

Please post your answer below – thanks for sharing

 

 

 

 

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2 Areas of Leadership Struggle and How to Conquer Them

Think it’s only good to focus on your strengths as a leader? Think again. Managing struggles is just as important. When identifying and determining personal struggles, we categorize them into two main groups –

 

Lack of Talent. For example, accounting requires accuracy and detail, while outside sales requires a talent for being a spontaneous generalist. Therefore, most accountants will not be successful in sales and vice versa. They would struggle in those opposite roles because they lack the natural strengths. Who wants to swim upstream all day every day?

 

Struggles from Strengths Overdone. If you look at great leaders throughout history, you can see this type of struggle is true. Winston Churchill, the amazing leader of Britain in World War II, always comes to mind. In his biography of Churchill, Piers Brendon said –

 

“Churchill rose to this challenge with incomparable vigor and self-confidence. These characteristics were precisely the ones to which he owed both his failures and his successes as First Lord. For as Admiral Bacon said, ‘Churchill’s vices were simply his virtues in exaggerated form. Dash became rashness. Assurance became cocksureness. Churchill’s overflowing energy was difficult to harness. His overwhelming faith in himself closed his mind to the opinions of others.’”

Are you guilty of getting in your own way? When we hear the expression saying someone “gets in his own way,” it’s usually about a person overdoing one of their strengths. We know from years of experience and data, we know that people who are verbally gifted can be great at explaining things or making a presentation, but they get in their own way when they talk too long or speak up too often. Similarly those who are naturally decisive have a great strength, but when they want to make all the decisions, they are control freaks.

Awareness of your struggles is critical because it’s the only way you can manage them. And if you manage them, others will not see them as a weakness. You see, there is great leverage in a learned behavior that helps you manage a struggle. A little goes a long way and will keep you from getting in your own way.

Please post your comments and wisdom below–we’d love to hear from you.

Also read the entire article and video coaching on this topic – “Two Leadership Struggles that Make you More Confident”

 

 

 

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How Did Natural Behavior Affect POW Life? See Inside

Grateful for strategic partners like DNA Behavior below. Together, we’re helping leaders around the world know themselves and their teams better… #HumanBehavior #LeadershipBehaviorDNA

Please read my guest article on the DNA Behavior website, and please post your personal comments below. 

 

 

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Endorsement and Praise from NAVAIR

So thankful for comments like this from James Ward, Program Manager and Facilitator, NAVAIR Leadership Development Programs Office, on a recent leadership training session led by Lee –

“After having Col. Ellis join us for the Naval Air Systems Command Leadership Development Program’s keystone event, we were able to see his power as a speaker. He has a natural talent to connect to his audience and leaves them wanting more. One participant stated that ‘I have read a lot of leadership books and most are theory based. Col. Ellis brings his powerful leadership experience from one of the harshest conditions one could experience and shares those experiences with us; that resonated far more with me than any other leadership book I have read.’”

Leading with Honor – Speaking

 

 

 

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