Lee Ellis's Blog, page 274

Fill in the Blank – “The best leadership advice for high school and college graduates is to _____________________________.”

Fill in the Blank – “The best leadership advice for high school and college graduates is to _____________________________.”   

Please share your answers and comments in this post – thank you!

Need a Quick, Strong Set of Core Values for Your Team or Family? Free Offer Inside

Do you have the “challenging privilege” of creating a set of strong core values for your home, team, organization, community volunteer group, youth event, etc.?

Please download a free copy of “The Honor Code – 7 Core Behaviors for Honorable Leadership” and use it with your group.

These are time-tested, proven life and leadership principles from Leading with Honor. Which one is your favorite? Please share!

Three Parental Acts That Hinder Students From Becoming Leaders

We want to hear from you on this article entitled “Three Parental Acts That Hinder Students From Becoming Leaders”. Do you agree? Anything else to add? In a nutshell, here are the three acts –

Resilience – If I never let them fail, they won’t develop resilience.
Problem Solving – If I do things for them, they won’t build problem-solving skills.
Soft Skills – If I don’t balance their screen time, they won’t cultivate soft skills.

Read the entire article from the Growing Leaders Blog with Tim Elmore, and please share your comments on training the next generation as leaders – thank you

 

On This Day in Leadership History for May 8, 2016

On this day in leadership history in 1999, the first female cadet graduated from The Citadel military college. Nancy Ruth Mace made history at the Citadel, but her accomplishment has had a much broader positive impact around the world. Don’t underestimate your broad influence even when achieving personal and leadership goals!

Nancy Ruth Mace becomes the first female graduate of The Citadel, Saturday, May 8, 1999, in Charleston, S.C., as cadet Petra Lovetinska looks at her engagement ring after Mace announced she became engaged Friday night. Mace did not identify her fiance, except to say he was a senior who also graduated Saturday. Mace and Lovetinska were the first two female cadets to complete their freshmen or “knob” year. Mace graduated in three years by transferring credits from a community college. Lovetinska is expected to become The Citadel’s first four-year graduate next year. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Nancy Ruth Mace – Wikipedia

Autographed Copies of Leading with Honor for Graduation – See Inside

Nothing can prepare the next generation better than wise advice on living and leading with honor, character, and resilience!

Autographed copies of Leading with Honor are available now as graduation gifts.

Please message us here for order details – thank you

Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, May 6, 2016

“…failures of management and engineering are tactical shortcomings that can be fixed, but failures of leadership’s nerve and character are terminal, catastrophic.” – ADMR James B. Stockdale (1923-2005)

CMDR Rorke Denver: Constantly Improve Your Position as a Leader

In this 3-minute clip, SEAL CMDR Rorke Denver shares some tried and true tactical tips for leading teams such as “Get creative to improve your position” and more…check it out below and share your comments.

CMDR Rorke Denver: Constantly Improve Your Position

 

 

Six Leadership Obstacles to Team Success

By Lee Ellis

The plane had drifted off course by 200 miles, but the pilot didn’t know how it got there! He started out with the proper heading and course, and began the journey confident that he was ready to fly. Now he’s thinking, “If only I had a co-pilot or voice guidance system alerting me along the way, I would’ve saved a lot of time and fuel (money).”

For many leaders, this scenario makes perfect sense, yet the need for an accountability culture at work is not always accepted. We want the positive elements of success—achievement, notoriety, money, and excellence for clients and customers. But we’re unwilling to do the right things to get there. <<Tweet This>>

Fearing the Accountability Solution

Our society seems to be somewhat schizophrenic about accountability. We hear passionate complaints about the lack of accountability across the spectrum—from the government, politics, education, and business to finance, religion, and the media. At the same time, when it comes to being on the receiving end, accountability seems to have earned a bad image. It seems so negative and often equated with frustration and injustice, even punishment.

So in one way we want accountability, generally. But in another way we fear and reject it, personally.

The Positive Accountability Strategy

So even though almost everyone would agree that accountability is not only a good thing—but an obvious necessity in most areas of life—it’s also seen as difficult and dreaded. Before looking at the many positive benefits of courageous accountability, let’s examine this paradox a bit further. I think we can reconcile the underlying psychology and philosophies that bring these strong opposing feelings about this powerful word—accountability.

6 Obstacles to Courageous Accountability

Reflect on these 6 obstacles to accountability, and see if you can identify your weak spots –

Pride – This is the kind of unhealthy pride, also known as “hubris” that allows us to inappropriately elevate ourselves above others. Because of an inflated ego, we may think that we’re “special” and the rules don’t apply to us.
Fear – There are a multitude of doubts and fears that can cause “normal” people to want to avoid accountability. Fear of failure—I may not be able to come through. Fear of making a mistake, fear of not measuring up, fear it will be too hard, or too risky. There is also fear of losing control.
Laziness – We all have to overcome our natural tendency toward laziness. Scientists now know that our brains are wired to choose the easy way out—it’s called habit. The downside to habits and mindsets is that wisdom is not always included.
Lack of Experience, Knowledge, and Planning – Some people just don’t know how to step out and follow through and are hesitant to be accountable or hold others accountable. Perhaps they’ve not seen a good role model for accountability.
Busyness – Related to laziness and inertia, busyness usually consumes us when we’re not living by priorities. We have busy schedules and it’s easy to procrastinate.
Negativity – If this is your challenge, you are paying a high cost. Emotions are highly contagious and negative ones zap energy and undermine teamwork. Begin by reflecting on your attitude to discern the energy that is driving your negativity.

<<<<<<Want to watch this month’s Leading with Honor Coaching on this topic? Sign up to receive it immediately in your inbox>>>>>>

The Truth Cannot Be Ignored

A wise person once said that people will continue to follow their old ways until they decide there’s a greater payoff by changing to a different behavior. Certainly there is a lot of truth in that statement. <<Tweet This>>

Just like the pilot who unintentionally got off-course, honorable leaders realize that courageously embracing accountability is the best long-term strategy for getting results and developing healthy relationships that can serve as the watchdogs in your life. I like this quote from, The Oz Principle, a great book by Connors, Smith, and Hickman. In their third principle of accountability, they tell it straight. Listen to what these experts say –

“When the people you count on fail to follow through and deliver on expectations, there’s only one thing to do—apply the third and final principle, the Accountability Truth. True accountability begins by looking at yourself, by holding yourself accountable. The truth is, when things go wrong, there is usually something wrong with what “I” am doing. When you embrace this principle, you harness future outcomes and strengthen your ability to hold others accountable.”

I have one task for you in this article: choose to embrace accountability as part of your path to success. What are your positive accountability experiences and comments? Please share them here.

LE

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Coming in September 2016 – Lee’s Latest Book

Coming Soon! The Latest Release from Lee Ellis

Keep tabs on all of the release information and special offers with the release of Lee’s latest book, Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability.

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The Oz Principle, Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman

 

 

Leadership Freedom Checklist – 28 Items That Reveal Your Strengths and Struggles

One of our most popular infographics is this 28-point list showing what it means to be an honorable person and leader.

Check it out and realistically evaluate your strengths and struggles. Or more importantly, ask someone for feedback that knows you really well!

Please click to view on Slideshare, and share your comments – thank you

Thank You, Steve H, for Your Leading with Honor Comments

We’re so grateful for testimonies like this one about the ‘Leading with Honor’ message from Steve H. –

“I’ve led turnarounds for venture and Private Equity firms for the last 20 years. While reading your book, I constantly thought back on these difficult assignments to see how your principles would have applied; I’m glad to report they applied beautifully. I just wish you’d written the book 20 years ago. Well done!”

Read more comments, and thanks for your support!