Lee Ellis's Blog, page 299

Will Automated Technology Replace Human Work? Leadership Soft Skills Will Rise in Importance – Read Inside

So, will automated and robotic technology eventually replace most work done by humans? This article on Fortune.com, “Humans are Underrated”, gives some insight into the future where a leader’s “soft skills” of character, discernment, and strategic decision-making are more important than ever.

What do you think? Please read and share in this forum –

Leadership FAQ – “How many of your leadership lessons learned were due to formal training versus simply watching and observing other leaders?”

Leadership FAQ from Lee Ellis:

“How many of your leadership lessons learned were due to formal training versus simply watching and observing other leaders?”

Answer:

“In my Vietnam POW Camp experience, I’m watching different styles of leadership, as a junior-ranking guy, and watching how different people respond in different ways. They say values are more caught than taught – I was just catching certain mindsets about leadership that were very important.

You couldn’t pretend there, for instance. Whatever was there was real. Whatever you said, you were going to be put to the test.

Seeing that, and seeing the sacrifice, I said as a leader I must be willing to do the very best I can, but I also have to be willing to sacrifice and not be afraid.

I’ve always wanted to be a leader. I’ve always wanted to be in charge. In the POW camp, I wasn’t, so I was always thinking. I learned a lot by watching these guys and how they did it. In the Air Force, I was a leader for most of my career after I got back. I had a chance to put some of this stuff to the test, and I found it worked – not because I was the smartest guy in the room, but because I had good leadership and was surrounded by good people.”

Leading with Honor – The Book

Funny Clip – Extreme Follow the Leader

This funny clip proves that you can be an “unintended leader” at some point or another! What’s the lesson learned? Somebody is always watching and following you whether you think that you’re a leader or not. Would you agree?

Leading with Honor – The Book

Special ‘Leading with Honor’ Offer for Blog Readers

Leaders continue to pick up a copy of the Leading with Honor Freedom Package for personal and professional development.

Get your copy and save 30% off! Click to learn more.

 

On This Day in Leadership History, August 9, 2015

On this day in leadership history in 1790, The Columbia returned to Boston Harbor after a three-year voyage. It was the first ship to carry the American flag around the world. Would any of us have the vision, passion, and perseverance that it takes to accomplish a task like this one? If a leader is naturally gifted and have a genuine passion to accomplish your vision, they’re way more likely to succeed. You can do it!

Columbia, Boston – Wikipedia

This Month’s Video Coaching from Leading with Honor – See Inside

Are you receiving Lee’s monthly video coaching on ‘Leading with Honor’? In this month’s short clip, he shares his practical perspective on “Three Courageous Acts That Most Fear-Filled Leaders Don’t Do”.

It’s only available via email—please click to sign up. Already receiving this coaching? Tell us what you think!

Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, August 7, 2015

“You are valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.” – Max Lucado

 

Building Trust – Insights from Mary Kelly, PhD, CDR, US Navy (Ret)

Building trust is difficult. Learning to trust the people you work with and the people on your team can be challenging. But breaking trust can be a very quick process. Why does it matter if employees trust their managers? What undermines trust?

Motivational business speaker and friend, Mary Kelly, shares her insights on this topic. Please read and share your comments on the topic of trust –

 

How to Conquer Your Latest Leadership Obstacle: 3 Proven Ways to Grow in Courage

(Sign up and watch Lee’s Coaching Video related to this article.)

Climbing Mt Everest. Saving a family from a burning building. An American soldier defending freedom in remote parts of world. These scenarios are clear acts of honor and courage. So for the rest of us, does the concept of courage seem less important? It shouldn’t because every day small acts of courage by honorable leaders make significant impacts in our lives and culture.

Today’s Culture of Honor

If you’re like me, it’s sobering to witness the lack of honor in leaders across every spectrum of life. I’m talking about violations of basic principles of integrity and respect for duty that we see played out on a daily basis in the news.

What makes this so scary is that most human beings will tell you that they have good character and high integrity. Even those individuals and leaders that get outfitted in an orange jumpsuit still rationalize that they have done nothing wrong.

So if we all steadfastly assume we have great character, what’s the missing link? I like to think of honor as a three legged stool that is supported by –

Character
Courage
Commitment

These attributes also form the overarching framework for the seven articles of the Honor Code that we introduced last fall. This month we focus on Article 6 –

“Be Courageous. Lean into the pain of your doubts and fears to do what you know is right, even when it feels unnatural or uncomfortable.”

The Key to Courage

If you examine examples of dishonorable behavior, courage is likely what is lacking. It’s not that people don’t know what to do—it’s that they don’t have the courage that it takes to make the honorable choice and act on it.

I’m not alone in this perspective. Consider these words of famous thought leaders of the past –

“Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities…because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” Winston Churchill

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. ”   C.S. Lewis

Growing in courage is at the core of any personal or leadership development plan. Otherwise, fear will take us out of the battle and lead us to abandon our good intentions. This concept isn’t about attaining perfection—it’s about adopting courage and honor as the guiding force for our daily decision-making.

The Power of Role Models

Courageous role models can strengthen our commitment and increase our courage. In the POW camps of Vietnam, my senior ranking officer (SRO), Captain Ken Fisher, was kept awake for 23 days and nights, bound to a small stool in leg irons, handcuffed and often blindfolded, and only unbound to eat a meager meal twice a day.

He made courageous, honorable choices and was willing to suffer for them. His example as well as other leaders in the camp inspired the rest of us to greater courage. We learned to lean into the pain of our fears to do what was right even when it meant pain and suffering in the short run.

Choosing Courage Instead of Fear

Though the issues of dishonor that we see in our culture aren’t about torture, pain or physical suffering, they are founded in fear. Three common leadership behaviors that fear-based leaders avoid are –

Confronting poor attitudes and behavior.
Giving positive, encouraging feedback.
Standing up for what’s right when others are laying low.

For many leaders—even experienced leaders—these are painful ventures to be avoided at all cost. Cowardly leadership responses undermine the organization and lead to many other problems of accountability, execution, and morale.

We all have our fear points and times of weakness, so here are three things we can do to be more courageous –

Become more aware of your doubts and fears. Stop and reflect on the areas where you’re putting off making a decision or taking action. More than likely you need courage to move ahead.
Sort it out and make a plan. If you don’t have clarity, check in with a teammate or someone you trust to get their perspective of the situation. They don’t have the same emotional investment or concerns you have, and they may be able to encourage you in your next steps.
Lean into the pain of your doubts and fears to do what you know is right. You can’t go wrong doing right. Just start moving ahead with your plan. The Leading with Honor Courage Challenge card can be very helpful for coaching yourself in this area. Download or purchase a copy.

In hindsight, it’s amazing how often lies about ourselves and the situation are the source of our doubts and fears. Courage helps us disarm lies, discover truth, and ultimately deliver us more freedom.

Remember to be courageous. And as one of my POW buddies wisely adds, “Courage is contagious.”

LE

 

Download your free copy of The Honor Code – 7 Core Behaviors for Honorable Leadership. Use for personal leadership development, and share with your team!

 

 

 

 

In Lee’s monthly coaching video, he mentions the Courage Challenge Card–an excellent practical tool to help you engage in conversations rather than withdraw or dominate. Learn more and download your copy.

 

 

Related Articles:

– Honor Code Article 1 – Four Lies that All Leaders Are Tempted to Use, and How to Tell the Truth

– Honor Code Article 2 – Treating Others with Dignity and Respect Even When It’s Difficult: Four Leadership Traps to Avoid

– Honor Code Article 3 – 7 Leadership Steps That You Need to Know on Keeping Your Promises

– Honor Code Article 4 – Feel the Temptation to Stretch the Truth? 3 Ethical Guardrails to Keep You in the Right Lane

– Honor Code Article 5 – 3 Long-Term Ways to Successfully Fulfill Your Duty as an Honorable Leader

 

Leading with Honor is a Global Desire for Leaders!

Did you know that Leading with Honor is being used in many countries worldwide for personal and team development? The stories and leadership lessons learned in the POW camps of Vietnam transcend cultures and focus on the character, courage, and commitment that it takes lead with honor.

Are you traveling somewhere soon for business or pleasure? Take the principles in Leading with Honor with you!