Lee Ellis's Blog, page 4

Leadership History Lesson for August 10th

On this day in leadership history in 2003, Ekaterina Dmitriev and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko were married. Malenchenko was about 240 miles above the earth in the international space station. It was the first-ever marriage from space.

What���s the leadership lesson? Whether in life or work, honorable leaders know that love is the most powerful, influential force in the universe. Find your unique way to express love to others.

Want to read about more romance stories? Read over 1,000 years of combined relationship advice in Captured by Love. Purchase your copy at POWRomance.com.����

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, August 8, 2025

“Leaders do more than set a positive example���they actively and intentionally mentor and discuss what honor really looks like in real life.” ��� Lee Ellis

 

LeadingWithHonor.com #LeadershipMatters #AuthenticLeadership #LeadershipCoach #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipTips #EmotionalIntelligence

 

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Leading with Honor FAQ on Children’s Accountability

Leading with Honor FAQ ���

���How can I get my children to be more responsible and accountable?���

Lee���s Answer ���

���Give them responsibilities and challenges and allow them the opportunity to succeed or fail. Help them learn resilience by being independent and bouncing back from failures. I don���t think you can go wrong by following the Courageous Accountability Model, outlined in Engage with Honor. You may have to scale it down a bit, but the same principles apply.���

Check out the model that Lee mentions at EngageWithHonor.com.

 

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Coaching Blog – Four Bold Ways to Model and Discuss Honor at Work

When you hear the word honor, what comes to mind?

For many, it feels like a distant concept���perhaps reserved for the military, ceremonial speeches, or ancient traditions. But as leaders, we know better. Honor isn���t a relic of the past���it���s a foundational virtue that shapes everything from our character to our culture. And in today���s complex, noisy, and fast-paced world, it���s more essential than ever.

 

My Own Journey with Honor

For me, the meaning of honor was forged in the most difficult of places: a prisoner of war camp during the Vietnam War. In that crucible experience, where survival was uncertain and isolation was the norm, our rallying cry was simple but powerful: ���Return with Honor.��� It wasn���t just about making it home���it was about how we returned. That motto shaped every decision we made and gave us strength when everything else was stripped away. Honor wasn’t just a value���it was a lifeline.

That experience is why I���ve written about honor in books like Leading with Honor and Engage with Honor. But more than anything, I want to help leaders like you carry that banner forward���because the next generation needs it more than ever.

 

Please watch the following coaching clip and then continue reading below.

 

Leadership Without Honor is Just Ambition

Let���s be honest: Living with honor isn���t easy. It never has been. Throughout history���from ancient texts such as the Bible to modern headlines���we���ve seen the tension between doing what���s right and doing what���s easy. Honor often demands sacrifice. It requires courage. And sometimes, it means standing alone.

In the POW camps, I saw firsthand how our leaders paid the highest price for honor. They endured torture and years of isolation, not because they had to���but because they chose to live by a higher standard. Their commitment showed the rest of us, especially the younger ones, that honor is the foundation of real leadership. And if we want to build cultures of freedom, trust, and accountability in our homes, teams, and organizations���we must fight for honor too.

 

The Cultural Crossroads We���re Facing

Let���s fast forward to today. We live in a world overflowing with information���but not always with wisdom. Technology, media, and AI offer incredible tools, but they also create endless distractions and temptations toward dishonorable shortcuts. The pressure to perform, compromise, or conform is immense���especially for younger generations. So, what���s the solution? You are. Discussions about honor as just as important as setting a daily example.

 

“Leaders do more than set a positive example���they actively and intentionally mentor and discuss what honor really looks like in real life.” [Tweet This]

 

Four Ways to Pass on the Gift of Honor

If we want to build strong future leaders, we must do more than model honor���we must talk about it, teach it, and celebrate it. Here are four ways to start that conversation:

 

Talk About What Honor Means

 

Honor is built on honesty, integrity, and ethical conviction. But it���s also held up by three pillars: Character, Courage, and Commitment. (You can explore these further in the Engage with Honor model.)

Start asking:

What does honor look like in our workplace?How do we define it in our family or team?When have we seen someone make the honorable choice, even when it cost them something?

 

Make Character Real and Relatable

 

Use stories and examples. Invite others to share moments when someone���s strong character made a difference���whether it was a leader who spoke the truth, a friend who stood up for what was right, or a time when they made a hard but honorable choice.

 

Don���t Walk Alone

 

Here���s the truth: We all fall short sometimes. We get tired, angry, afraid, or even ashamed���and that���s when we���re most vulnerable to dishonor.

That���s why community matters. Surround yourself with people who will speak truth, challenge you, and help you stay on the path of honor. And be that person for someone else.

 

Practice ���Correcting Back���

 

We all veer off course from time to time. What matters is how quickly we correct back. Share your own stories of ethical course correction���how you recognized a wrong turn and made it right. Then invite others to do the same. That���s how we normalize honor as an everyday leadership practice.

 

Stay Coachable���And Keep Coaching Others

Living and leading with honor will always be a challenge. Every one of us is in a daily battle between the easy path and the honorable one. But here���s the good news: Honor is contagious. When you live it out and speak about it openly, you give others permission to rise higher too.

So, stay coachable. Keep checking your compass. And most of all, keep pouring into the leaders around you���especially the next generation���so they can carry the torch of honor into the future. Let���s not just hope for honorable leaders���let���s build them.

Want a tool to start the conversation? Download the free Engage with Honor Model and Honor Code graphic to guide your next team meeting, mentoring session, or leadership retreat.

 

 

 

 

Download the Engage with Honor Model

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Download the Honor Code

 

LE [Tweet This Article]

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, August 1, 2025

“In our daily interactions with others, we have a choice to be a giver or a taker; it���s much healthier to give than to be needy taker.” ��� Lee Ellis

 

#courage #leadership #accountability #employeeengagement #resilience #teamdevelopment #buildingculture #keynotespeaker

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Follow the 4Cs as a Leader

Follow the 4Cs to build a positive accountability culture as a leader. Go deeper on this topic at EngageWithHonor.com

 

#courage #character #collaboration #leadership #clarity #leadingwithhonor

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The Latest Leadership Book from My Bookshelf ��� ���Leadership and Self-Deception”

The Latest Leadership Book from Lee���s Bookshelf ��� ���Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box��� by The Arbinger Institute. People who are in self-deception live and work as if trapped in a box. They can’t see the reality around them–they’re blind to the self-serving motivations that are sabotaging them on the job and at home. But there is a way out.

It includes new research about the self-deception gap in organizations and the keys to closing this gap so that people take responsibility for their own problems and for organizational problems.

Learn more about this book on the Goodreads website. And if you���ve read this book, please post your review below.

 

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, July 25, 2025

“Leadership must profess the desired values and demonstrate them on a daily basis. They must become masters at strategic communication and consistently walk the talk.” ��� Lee Ellis

 

#courage #leadership #accountability #employeeengagement #resilience #teamdevelopment #buildingculture #keynotespeaker

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A Tool for Challenging Conversations

Free Download – Have you seen examples where people have had trouble communicating with each other lately? How do you gain courage for those challenging conversations without withdrawing or dominating? The key is to stay engaged and communicate with respect, love, confidence, yet humility. Leading with Honor has the perfect tool to help you called the Courage Challenge Card.

Download your free copy or purchase copies for your entire team ��� check it out below with our compliments.�� ����

 

#courage #leadership #accountability #employeeengagement #leadershipbehavior #teamdevelopment #buildingculture

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The Power of Micro Habits

I really like the latest blog from friend and colleague, Dr Mary Kelly, as it���s so achievable for all of us as leaders. Micro habits can create lasting improvements in focus, efficiency, and overall well-being.

Research shows that implementing tiny, repeatable behaviors can significantly enhance workplace productivity and personal fulfillment.

Check it out in her blog, and post your comments below.��

 

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