Lee Ellis's Blog, page 308
April 30, 2015
As Leaders, What Methods Do You Use to Stay Organized?
Question ���
As a leader, what system or method do you use to stay organized?
Please help others by sharing your experience and ideas in this forum!
April 29, 2015
Fill in the Blank ��� ���The last time that I had to Choose������
Fill in the Blank ��� ���The last time that I had to ���Choose to Serve��� someone instead of ���Choose to Dominate��� them was __________________.�����
Please share your answers and comments in this forum – thank you
April 28, 2015
The Latest Recommendation from Lee���s Bookshelf ��� ���Defiant��� by Alvin Townley
The Latest Leadership Recommendation from Lee���s Bookshelf ��� ���Defiant��� by Alvin Townley.
Filled with gripping and powerful stories of the POWs in the Hanoi Hilton, Townley���s book offers another perspective on this important piece of history. It will inspire anyone wondering how courage, faith, and brotherhood can endure even in the darkest of situations.
Learn More at GoodReads.
And if you���ve already read this book, please share your comments!
April 27, 2015
Tonight on the Smithsonian Channel ��� ���The Spy in the Hanoi Hilton���
Tonight on the Smithsonian Channel���watch the full episode online!
In 1973, 591 American POWs returned home from the Vietnam War, bringing with them harrowing tales of survival. But there was an even more remarkable — and secret — story to tell: a feat of incredible spycraft that remained classified for decades…until now. This is the unbelievable story of James Stockdale and his fellow prisoners at the notorious “Hanoi Hilton.”
Click to check viewing schedule, watch, and share your comments in this forum –
April 26, 2015
On This Day in Leadership History, April 26, 2015
On this day in leadership history in 1514, Copernicus made his first observations of the planet Saturn. A trailblazer in many ways, Copernicus had a natural passion for studying the stars. He pushed the technology of his time to explore new ways of seeing the world and the space that we inhabit.
As leaders, remember to take time to look up and ahead to the future during your day-to-day work!
Source: Wikipedia
April 24, 2015
Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, April 24, 2015
���It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.��� ��� Seneca
April 23, 2015
Capt. Sully: 5 Tips for Making Decisions Under Fire
Great advice from Capt. Sully Sullenberger on ���How to Make Decisions Under Fire.��� When both engines failed on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, as the result of a bird strike, he and his crew had just 208 seconds to do something we had never trained for, and to get it right the first time: an emergency landing of a commercial airliner on water.
Please read the 5 tips in his article, and share your thoughts in this forum –
April 22, 2015
How to Strengthen ROI Through Leadership Balance Training: Mission and People
By Lee Ellis
Abraham Lincoln has been repeatedly voted as our most popular president, probably because he achieved great results in the face of incredibly difficult circumstances. But did you ever stop to think, how did he do it? What was his secret and what are the keys to success of the ���greatest leaders?��� In a survey where I posed these questions to hundreds of managers and supervisors when facilitating leadership development at several large corporations, overall attributes fell into four areas of leadership ��� Trust, Relationships, Results, and Emotional Intelligence.
The best leaders exhibit qualities from all of these areas; however, Results and Relationships behaviors were mentioned more often than all the others. In fact, more than 85% of the population tilts toward one and struggles with the other.
What���s wrong with being out of balance?
The idea of balancing results and relationships is nothing new; but if we assume that character is the foundation of leadership, then there should be an inner motivation to balance accomplishing the mission (get results) and take care of the people (build relationships). If you don���t get results, you can���t be truly successful and if you don���t take care of your people, some will quit and leave and some will quit and stay. Neither one is viable.
Identify your natural bent. How can you know and what can you do about it? Begin by examining the two columns below and deciding which list of behaviors best describes your ���natural��� talents.
Results Oriented����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Take charge, decisive
Introverted, focused
High standards, task oriented
Challenging, speaks directly
Logical, organized
Skeptical
Relationship Oriented
Encouraging, supportive
Trusting
Good listener
Gives positive feedback
Concerned and caring
Develops others
How do you gain a better balance?
First, accept the fact that most of your strengths are natural���we are born with them and naturally out of balance. To get better, we have to change by learning some new skills (behaviors). You don���t need to give up who you are, but augment your strengths by adapting new behaviors that will make you more effective and bring you more in balance.
Results-oriented leaders need to soften up. If this is your style, just the idea of softening seems anathema; but developing good interpersonal skills is what���s needed to make you a better leader. You know it���you just don���t want to go there. For example, learning to patiently listen, really understand, and then affirm the ideas of others can feel very uncomfortable. For some, the needed skill might be learning to give specific, positive feedback. It takes intentional courage for a thick-skinned, results-oriented person to be a good leader and do these ���people��� things that are so important.
Relationship-oriented leaders need to toughen up. For this leadership style, learning to be more decisive and more direct in giving guidance and setting standards is the goal. Conducting difficult conversations is essential to keep the organization and individual team members moving ahead toward successful execution. It may be intimidating, so plan out what you are going to say and then courageously deliver your message.
Small changes pay big returns.
No matter which side of the balance scales you���re on, adapting new behaviors on your weak side even at small levels will lead to significant improvements. The key to growth is changing your behaviors under the daily pressures of life and work; there is no other way. Achieving a better balance is worth the effort. To see how to get personalized results on your results vs relationships balance of you and your team, download a free Leadership Behavior DNA��� sample report at www.LeadershipBehaviorDNA.com.
LE
April 21, 2015
Need a Bold, Aggressive Team Member Who Gets Results? Hire an Initiator to Fill This Role.
Know any bold, aggressive people who get results at all costs? And is that a bad thing?? Of the 12 leadership style groups, Lee calls this individual an Initiator. Watch and see if you fit this description, and watch as Lee describes the inherent struggles with this individual.
Learn more about Leadership Behavior DNA at http://www.LeadershipBehaviorDNA.com.
