Lee Ellis's Blog, page 185
February 19, 2019
How Leadership Behavior Can Affect Team Boundaries
A few years ago, I began noticing a line of clothing marketed mainly to young people that proudly displayed its label of “NO BOUNDARIES.” I knew it was a marketing ploy to the young and restless, but instinctively it felt dangerous.
Unfortunately, some people took the label seriously. In today’s culture, far too many people seem to lack respect for many of the boundaries that establish order and hold us together as a civilized society. Perhaps you have noticed the same situation. Let’s pause to reflect on boundaries and the role they play in daily life and how our naturally-wired behaviors also play a part.
Sports Boundaries
Watching a basketball game recently reminded me again of the importance of boundaries. There was an official timeout for a video replay/review following an out-of-bounds call. I thought the call would be reversed since it appeared that the player remained inside the line. But while the player remained inbounds, the ball had touched the line and so the call was confirmed.
As I watched the slow-motion replay, the whole idea of boundaries hit me. I realized that almost all sports—football, tennis, baseball, track, soccer, etc. have boundaries—out-of-bounds lines that define the playing field. And without exception, there is an immediate consequence when those boundaries are violated. There are many areas in life that can be this way—the extreme could be a loss of life because a drunk or distracted driver crossed the center line or ran a stop sign. Other line-crossings may not be so tragic, but there is almost always a negative consequence.
Living in the Balance of Paradox
There are many implications in this example for leaders trying to promote healthy values of individual responsibility and personal accountability in a culture that has drifted toward a “no-boundaries” mentality.
Like so many other areas of leadership, it requires more than an either/or mentality. Leaders must live in the tension of dichotomy or paradox. Often, it’s both.
“Leaders should get out front in questioning rules and traditions that no longer serve a purpose, while at the same time rejecting the overreach of a ‘no-boundaries’ attitude” [Tweet This]
This is clearly not an easy task and leaders must set the example. Clarify your own boundaries and then battle to live within them.
Also consider your naturally-wired behaviors that create your unique leadership style. Are you more pioneering or content? Are you more take-charge or cooperative? These traits will affect how you view boundaries in life and leadership. We use an online assessment like Leadership Behavior DNA to help leaders pinpoint their unique leadership style so that they can understand their strengths and struggles as they lead.
With the commitment to lead with honor as your foundation, though, here are four steps from our Courageous Accountability Model
that can guide you forward.
Clarify.
Make sure everyone understands expectations, the boundaries and their purpose and why they exist. Consequences must also be understood when boundaries are violated. Every sport has a rulebook to clarify the rules and penalties. You need to make sure your expectations and consequences are clear also.
and 3. Connect and Collaborate effectively.
Consider the unique people and groups and how their expectations about boundaries and consequences may be different. For example, sales people will make more mistakes with details than ops people. Always have and always will. You must connect with them differently.
Discuss boundaries with others. Seek wisdom and be willing to flex when the need arises. Look for areas where you may be setting a boundary that is inappropriate for the current situation. A new hire may need a boundary that may be unnecessary and undermining for an experienced person.
Keep an open and ongoing dialogue about boundaries and help others see the value in them for themselves and the team.
Confront or Celebrate.
Celebrate those who meet expectations and confront those who don’t with appropriate consequences. Be wise, don’t react, follow up with a balanced and firm response.
Embracing Past Wisdom
“The wisdom of the ages reveals that boundaries must exist as guardrails in every area and context of life for many reasons.” [Tweet This]
They faithfully protect us and others from the consequences that come when we transgress into dangerous territory.
LE
Assess the Natural Boundaries of Your Team
[image error]The unique, psycho-metrically validated Leadership Behavior DNA® (LBDNA) assessment process can pinpoint your exact leadership style including how you perceive boundaries in work and team dynamics. Thousands of people every year rely on LBDNA to help them and their teams grow both personally and professionally.
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Special Thanks – American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
Special thank you to Chad Worz, Pharm.D., BCGP, Chief Executive Officer, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, for his kind words about Lee’s recent Leading with Honor message at their event –
“Colonel Ellis and his team were wonderful to work with in all facets of the keynote presentation. He exudes strength, class, integrity and honor and his approach as a speaker on stage matched his demeanor off stage. His message of Leading with Honor easily translated to the hard work of pharmacists working to help older adults.”
Learn more about Leading with Honor keynote presentations.
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February 17, 2019
On This Day in Leadership History, February 17th
On this day in leadership history in 1924, swimmer Johnny Weissmuller set a world record in the 100-yard freestyle. He did it with a time of 57-2/5 seconds in Miami, FL.
What’s the leadership lesson? How do you think that Johnny was able to achieve this goal? What fears and doubts did he have to mentally overcome? How much steady, persistent training did he have to do to get there? If you’re an honorable leader who wants to be a world-changer, then stick with it, continue the course, and believe.
Johnny Weissmuller – Wikipedia
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February 15, 2019
Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, February 15, 2019
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb
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February 13, 2019
How to Press In and Press Through as Leaders
Free Infographic! We all have those moments where we have to “press in and press through” a situation and emerge on the other side with honor — smarter, stronger, and more grateful. We’ve created the free “Resilience Checklist” infographic to help pinpoint some of the 12 areas that you can strengthen in your personal development.
Please check it out on our blog, and share your comments below – thank you
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February 12, 2019
CEO Shares How Transparency Helps Address Global ‘Crisis of Trust’
Leader transparency can be a frightening proposition for any organization, a reality that isn’t lost on S.C. Johnson and his company. But at a time when stakeholders increasingly expect more candor from the world’s top companies, the upfront discomfort may well be worth it.
Please read their article on the Triple Pundit website and see how they’re actively making themselves more transparent to their customers, and post your comments – thank you
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February 11, 2019
Love Your Leaders – Special Offer Inside
Send some love to your leaders or team this month with the 2-Book Leading with Honor book package. Save 30% instantly when you buy both Lee Ellis leadership books together –
Check out the link in the Leading with Honor Store, or order from your favorite book retailer such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
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February 10, 2019
On This Day in Leadership History, February 10th
On this day in leadership history in 1920, major league baseball representatives outlawed pitches that involve tampering with the ball.
Do you want to be an honorable leader? Be fair and lead the right way so that your long-term legacy is secured. The basis for cheating is in self-doubt and lack of confidence.
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February 8, 2019
Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, February 8, 2019
“Remember, strategy is nothing more than intent. Strategy is monetized only when the right people do the right things at the right time. That’s called execution. Most businesses struggle with execution because they don’t have the right people doing the right things at the right time.” – Dan King
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February 6, 2019
Securing Your True Leadership Self
Last Fall I did a couple of blogs on core identity. This month, let’s focus on the core of our identity, which is more than your vocation or hobbies represented in the outer circles below—it’s the inner self that truly defines who you are:
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Outward Confidence is Not Inner Confidence
As a 24-year old kid, I thought my identity was very clear. In the outer layers above, I was a combat fighter pilot, quite proficient in that environment and outwardly overflowing with confidence (Think Top Gun and you get the picture). But shortly after shoot-down and capture, the dark and scary path of a Vietnam POW exposed my core fears, doubts and insecurities.
There were times I felt unworthy to wear the mantle of a warrior. The spotlight of terror exposed my insecurities. It was going to be a battle, not just for survival, but for my core self and the honor of my profession that I cherished.
The problem of the unhealthy self
For more than twenty years after my military career ended, my life has focused on leader development. The most common issue that undermines leaders is the doubts and insecurities of the core self. It’s a universal issue we all face. Only perfect love will cast out all fear and we don’t get that in this life.
Reflecting on the reality of this barrier to healthy performance, our team has begun working on a new model that shows a continuum with fear on one side and inner confidence on the other. For now, we are calling these two extremes insecure self and secure self. Let’s unpack some of what is likely happening and what the antidotes might be.
Take a look and see if this sheds some light on how doubt and fear undermine healthy behaviors and what the solutions might be –
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Your insights on it would be most helpful, so please feel free to analyze, criticize and share your thoughts. With your help, I believe we can come up with something meaningful in the field of leadership and for each of us individually.
This type of insecure self is internal rather than external. There isn’t an obvious, direct outside threat; instead these powerful feelings are grounded in self-doubt and self-protection (issues from our early years) that hold us back in two very important ways.
This month we’ll focus on self-doubt and next month on its companion, self-protection, that includes behaviors like image management and manipulation.
Recognize the shackles of self-doubt
Self-doubt holds us back from growing as individuals and leaders. Generally, I see that people are more than they perceive they are.
In the same way that physical shackles limit a prisoner, self-doubt is keeping leaders from stepping out into their full potential. [Tweet This]
When they don’t come through it impacts not only them, but everyone around them.
If you’ve ever done any writing or speaking, you know this feeling. The familiar fears and accompanying lies come rolling out to confront your core self –
Am I worthy?
How will others see it?
Can I come through?
You can’t do it; you don’t have what it takes; you’ll look stupid, etc.
Though I’ve coached other authors and speakers on this very thing, ironically these doubts hit me again recently while working on a new book about leadership behavior! The battle was on again. But as an experienced soldier in this conflict, I knew how to break free.
Break Free
Find the courage to confront the lies of self-doubt that are keeping you in bondage. Reflect on your past successes, the affirmation of others, and the power of your passion and dreams—see the real truth and believe in yourself. Then courageously and confidently move forward and do the work—keeping your commitments and duty to yourself and others.
When I began work on the 2012 book, Leading with Honor, I called my POW teammate Capt. Ken Fisher (the senior officer in my POW prison cell and now retired colonel), and asked him, “What was the real Lee Ellis like?” His reply was short, but it said a lot – “When you were captured, you were not yet comfortable in your own skin. When you came home, you were.” Of course, being comfortable with yourself does not mean that you are fully free.
The model above is a continuum, one that works like a sliding scale. It’s easy for even the most secure to discover a nick in their armor and slide back to insecurity. The battle against our self-doubts never goes away completely.
Become an encouraging leader
As you become more secure in your core identity, you’re in a healthier position to help others grow, which is part of the stewardship responsibility of leaders. [Tweet This]
How can you help others grow in their feelings of self-worth and confidence?
Capt. Fisher did that for me. More than once, he reminded me of who I was and expressed his confidence that I would come through and succeed. He told me of his own fears and then showed me how he confronted them by believing in himself and courageously battling to keep his commitments to his self and his country.
In that crucible of leadership in the POW camps, we learned that sometimes the suffering we fear most, becomes the agent of our healing. If we have the courage to lean into the pain of our doubts and fears to do what we believe we can and should do, then we move the needle—the self grows more secure and more capable to do the hard things that come our way.
Next month we’ll explore this subject further. In the meantime, please let us hear your thoughts on the model and your insights on the role of doubts and fears in sabotaging the healthy self.
LE
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Conquering Self-Doubt in a Crisis
[image error]In the Vietnam POW camps, Lee and his comrades had to battle tremendous fear and self-doubt to emerge and return home with honor. What were the leadership lessons that kept them focused on the end goal? Leading with Honor – Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton reveals the principles that guided them. Bulk savings packages available for your team.
Purchase Your Copy in the Online Store
Purchase Your Copy on Amazon or Barnes and Noble
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