Lee Ellis's Blog, page 335

Celebrating Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 17th

Celebrating Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 17th – thanks to all leaders who serve our country in this capacity!

How the Leading with Honor Message Can Impact Your Leadership – Watch the Clip

Leaders with a strong sense of character, courage, and competency can accomplish so much if they’re equipped with the wisdom to do so! In this clip, Lee describes his ultimate vision for the Leading with Honor message and the ramifications that it can have in every segment of society. Please watch and share your comments –

Q&A Interview with Lee Ellis – Leadership Strengths and Struggles, How to Lead the Right Way, and Dealing with Whiners and Complainers

Recently, the Parnassus Group asked Lee a series of questions in a written interview, and he gave deeper insight into his personal strengths and struggles, how to lead the right way, how to squelch whiners and complainers on your team, and more.

Click this link to read the entire interview, and here is one question that Lee answered -

Q: What are some of the hardest parts about leading? As well as the most rewarding?

A: “I think I have a pretty clear picture about a lot of the issues of leadership. I haven’t seen a lot change in the last 20 or 30 years. A leader is always walking a tight rope. A leader should always feel a tension between mission and people, between results and relationships. There is a tension of feeling like you are being pulled to one side by your mission/goals and then by your people on the other side. That is where the rubber meets the road. You have to be able to work both sides of the coin. By nature, very few people are wired to do both. You are wired toward results by personality or toward relationships by personality. You have to get results to stay in business and accomplish the mission. You also have to take care of the people because if you don’t, you won’t have results. They are the ones doing a lot of the work and the ones fighting a lot of the battles. You have to figure out how to support them and keep their morale up, energized and inspired even in difficult times.”

Continue Reading…

Two Prominent Adversarial Leaders Decide to Work Together: A Example of Courageous Leadership

Pictured (left to right): CNN Founder, Ted Turner, and former Southern Company CEO, David Ratcliffe.

Do you have a business competitor or adversary that you’d never consider working with?

As leaders, we must be open to all options to stay competitive—even if that means “sleeping with the enemy”. Here’s an interesting example how two heavy hitters decided to engage as leaders rather dominate or withdraw (one of Lee Ellis’ key leadership points in his speaking and writing). While your scenario may not work out like this example, it take courage to explore all options in life and work.

Click to read about this real life example about Ted Turner and David Ratcliffe, and share your comments.

Have you faced a similar situation? How did it turn out? 

 

 

Four Fundamental Vital Signs for Healthy Organizations

By Lee Ellis

In Patrick Lencioni’s latest book The Advantage, he points out that in today’s competitive world a healthy organization is likely to be the greatest competitive advantage you can have. He’s right, so what exactly does that look like? Well, let’s take a closer look at an unhealthy organization. To outsiders like Pat and me, three strong indicators are –

• A lack of trust leading to poor teamwork and alignment.

• A lack of clarity about mission, vision, and values.

• A fear of conflict. People are not allowed to say what they really think.

With these symptoms, you can predict a lack of accountability on team goals which results in sloppy execution, inadequate results, and ultimately, a poor reputation in your industry. However you, the smart business leader, want the best results and a great place to work (they typically go together), so let’s consider the four fundamentals that can achieve both goals.

1. Build Trust

“Trust is the hallmark of cohesive teams. Without it, people have doubts, fears, and uncertainty making alignment and unity impossible.”

Remember that we’re not talking about baseline trust such as “Do I trust you not to steal my wallet?” Trust in this context means that I understand and accept you because you’re willing to be vulnerable and genuine. There are no hidden agendas, so I know you won’t take advantage of me if I’m not at the meeting with the boss. This kind of trust takes time, and leaders must go first with this virtue.

2. Clarify and Over-Communicate

Leading a business means facing many crucial issues and decisions every day, but a good leader has the ability to synthesize large amounts of information into something simple. Too often leaders assume that their staff see and understand what they do, and this causes many problems with execution. Imagine the quarterback having a complex play in mind, yet he only calls a short version of it in the huddle. Ten teammates must execute precisely to make the next play a success; but if they don’t have the same picture as the quarterback, mistakes will likely result in a setback. It’s the same in business. Leaders have to continually clarify and over-communicate the message all the way to the bottom of the organization to make sure the team understands what plays the leader is calling.

3. Create a Safe Environment and Encourage Debate

“In healthy organizations there’s an absence of fear, and courage is rewarded.”

Do your people have to walk on eggshells, or do they feel safe with you? Can they disagree with you and have a fair hearing, or do your reactions equate disagreement with disloyalty? Healthy leaders invite creative conflict prior to making key decisions to get team buy in and to make sure that other reasonable ideas are evaluated. They’re more interested in being effective than being “right.” One of the greatest desires of all people is to be understood, so show courage by listening and learning from your people. Your courage, vulnerability, and authenticity will be seen as strengths.

4. Be Courageous

Leading isn’t easy. Every day you face tough issues, and your people are watching to see if you will walk the talk of your stated values. It will take all the courage you have and the support of your team and confidants to consistently lead with honor. Lean into the pain of your fears to do what you know is right, and you will send a message of healthy courage throughout your organization. Remember that positive emotions are contagious and powerful, and leaders go first.

So, what fundamentals need more work in your organization and/or leadership? Which ones are you doing well, and how did you implement some or all of these fundamentals in your culture? Please share your thoughts and comments in this forum.

LE

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About the Author:

As president of Leadership Freedom® LLC, a leadership and team development consulting company, Lee Ellis consults with Fortune 500 senior executives in the areas of hiring, teambuilding, leadership and human performance development, and succession planning. His latest book about his Vietnam POW experience is entitled Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton. Learn more at www.leadingwithhonor.com.

It’s National Honesty Day – What Does That Mean for Leaders?

Did you know that today is National Honesty Day? It was created as a campaign for prevention against the most deceitful lies in history such as the 1972 Richard Nixon Watergate Scandal, France’s Dreyfus Affair, and Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme. It is to urge politicians to stay away from lies and tell the truth. Every April 30th, honesty awards are given out to companies, organizations, groups, and individuals that have remained truthful to their people.

One of greatest elements of honorable leadership is being respectfully honest. What is your method for being honest with others? Let us help you celebrate this day with the free Leading with Honor Courage Challenge – Click Here to Join. 

Courageous POW Spouse/Leader, Phyllis Galanti, Passes Away – Read How She Led with Honor

Pictured: Paul and Phyllis Galanti

In today’s post, we remember and pay tribute to a critical leader in the release of Lee Ellis and his fellow Vietnam POWs. Phyllis Galanti, wife of fellow Vietnam POW, Paul Galanti USN (Ret), passed away on April 23, 2014 following a complications related to her battle with leukemia.

This is a life worthy of review and attention, and we are honored to share her story with you. Below are a couple of excerpts from Lee’s latest book, Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, describing one courageous experience of her husband and Vietnam POW, Lt Paul Galanti, and Phyllis’ response here at home in the U.S. –

“When the V tried to exploit Navy LT Paul Galanti by photographing him in a spacious, airy room specially prepared for propaganda purposes, he “flipped them the finger”—literally. As the photo was taken, Paul subtly rested both hands on the end of the bed with his middle fingers pointing down. At the time, the V did not realize that Paul had outwitted them, and some socialist country journalists unknowingly used the photo as it was. Others caught it and completely airbrushed out his fingers. Fortunately, an original copy made it back to the U.S., where Paul’s intended message came through loud and clear: ‘This is a big propaganda lie.’” (Leading with Honor – Pages 37-38)

“Sybil Stockdale (wife of CDR Stockdale), Ann Purcell (wife of Lt Col Ben Purcell), Doris Day (wife of Maj Bud Day), and Elaine Grubb (wife of MIA Capt Wilmer Grubb) banded together with other family members to launch the National League of POW/MIA Families. They lobbied hard in meetings with the brass, including Secretary of State Kissinger and President Nixon. They made their points, and aided by MIA wife Carol Hanson Hickerson’s boldness in speaking about our plight, brought a change to Department of Defense’s “keep quiet” policy on POW/MIA issues.

In this picture, President Nixon meets with the newly formed National League of POW/MIA Families at the White House. Phyllis is pictured in this meeting on the right side of the room.

The League quickly mobilized public opinion across the United States by organizing local chapters to engage POW/MIA families and their friends within their communities. Special programs were held at churches, schools, and college and professional sporting events to remember and support the POW/MIA cause. Patriots across the nation began wearing POW/MIA name bracelets, which linked each wearer in a tangible and emotional way with a specific serviceman who was captured or missing. The League used this momentum to launch a letter-writing campaign aimed at communist diplomats at the stalled Paris peace talks. [Phyllis Galanti, wife of LCDR Paul Galanti and later Chairwoman of the National League of POW/MIA families, spurred more than a million letters from the state of VA as part of the effort.] The total public relations effort had the important effect of slamming the communists for our treatment.

Phyllis Galanti, wife of Vietnam POW Paul Galanti, is reunited years later with Ross Perot Sr. to be honored for her sacrificial service to her husband and country.

The dedicated support of business icon and national patriot H. Ross Perot helped their cause, and in doing so helped ours. Perot used his influence and wealth to support the League’s PR campaign, and he provided air transportation and traveling expenses for its leaders. As part of a strategy put together by Dallas TV personality Murphy Martin, Perot sponsored trips by delegations of wives and family members to the Paris peace talks, where POW wife Phyllis Galanti and others confronted the communist delegation about the treatment of POWs. Perot also chartered airplanes to fly Christmas presents to POWs in Hanoi, but when they got to Thailand, the communists denied them entry. This made the V look bad and raised the plight of the POWs in the eyes of world citizens. It was vital support we needed.”  (Leading with Honor – Pages 79-80)

An archive photo of Phyllis Galanti with her husband and former Vietnam POW, Paul Galanti, after his return home.

An archive photo of Phyllis Galanti with her husband and former Vietnam POW, Paul Galanti, after his return home on the cover of Newsweek.

Related Links:

- Phyllis E. Galanti, Crusader for POWs Release, Passes Away (Times Dispatch)

- A POW/MIA Crusader, Phyllis Galanti, Passes Away (WTVR TV)

The Latest Recommendation from Lee’s Bookshelf – “Executive Toughness” by Dr. Jason Selk

Here is the latest recommendation from Lee’s bookshelf – have you read it?

Executive Toughness by Dr. Jason Selk

Here’s a brief description – “People with inborn talent may be good at what they do–but only the mentally tough reach the highest plateaus in their field. And here’s the best news of all: mental toughness is something anyone can learn. Director of mental training for the St. Louis Cardinals and a top-tier executive coach, Dr. Jason Selk knows everything there is to know about developing the mental toughness required for achieving any goal you set for yourself. In fact, the techniques he outlines in this book are the same ones he used to help the Cardinals defeat the heavily favored Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series. He outlines the three fundamentals for attaining high-level success.”

Click here for additional information.

Related Articles:

A Recent Recommendation from Lee’s Bookshelf – “The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for a Quantum Age” by Phil Eastman

A Recent Recommendation from Lee’s Bookshelf – “Exceeding Expectations: Reflections on Leadership”

Infographic: How Companies Make and Measure the Effectiveness of Business Decisions

In Lee Ellis’ speaking and writing, he often shares the importance of accountability in daily leadership and decision-making. Here’s more evidence that good planning, accountability, and the ability to quickly adapt are good ingredients for success in leadership.

Check out this infographic from Hexigo and McKinsey & Company, and share your thoughts – click the image below for the entire graphic.

Join Lee for a Special Webcast on Thursday, April 24th

In this exclusive online Executive Leadership event, Lee will share his unique stories and leadership lessons learned from the Vietnam POW camps. In addition, he’ll also explore how these lessons apply to current work and leadership challenges facing all industry sectors today.

Consider this event a personal consulting session with Lee!

Please click the link below to learn more and register for your complimentary Guest Pass:

Christian Leadership Alliance Webcast

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

12:00pm ET | 11:00am CT | 9:00am PT

Click Here to Learn More and Register

Warm Regards,

The FreedomStar Media Team

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www.LeadingWithHonor.com