Lee Ellis's Blog, page 52
August 8, 2023
2 Inspiring Examples to Build Strong Bonds with Others
Major life experiences shared with someone generally create a strong bond, don���t they?
Recently this idea of bonding has come up in a new best-selling book, Unbroken — Bonds of Battle by Johnny Joey Jones, a horrifically wounded veteran from the Iraq/Afghanistan war.
Joey shares great stories of warriors from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who were blown up by IEDs, and the battles they had to overcome their pain and suffering. Joey lost both legs in an explosion that killed one of his best friends. Can you imagine, not only the physical pain, but also the emotional trauma?
Joey���s great book empathizes the power of bonding and being connected at the heart with your teammates. It parallels what we talked about in our new book Captured by Love, of how the men survived the torture in the camps and how the women survived living without knowing if their husbands and sons were dead or alive.
The Miraculous Bond of Roger and Booncy
In one of our romance stories, fighter pilot Roger Ingvalson lost his best friend Wayne Fullam, who was shot down and Missing in Action (MIA). He escorted Wayne���s wife and three sons back to be near her family in Chattanooga. Then a year later, Roger was shot down and captured and was a POW for five years. Sadly, Roger���s wife died two years before he came home, and his son had to move to New England to be with his grandparents.
At the end of the war, when we were released, Roger came home, but his friend Wayne did not and was declared KIA (Killed in Action). So, Roger went to see his friend Wayne���s widow Booncy, who had also been a friend of his wife.
Guess what? Their losses helped them to bond quickly, and they were engaged within three months and married in six months. They raised her three sons and his son as one happy family. The boys bonded also and are still close.
The Bottom Line
Bonding with others is crucial for good mental health and commitment to a team. Yet, most of us must be intentional to connect with people���s hearts. Bonding comes when we respectfully listen to them and show empathy���that they are important, and we care about them.�� All the research shows that leaders who care about their people and teams that care about each other have greater mission success.
So, be intentional about adapting your behaviors to show others that you care���especially those on your team at work, those who share your profession, and groups in your community ��� and especially with your family. LE
You can read the entire article on this topic – “How to Weave Stronger Bonds in Leadership”
#courage #leadership #accountability #employeeengagement #CapturedbyLove
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August 6, 2023
Historical Highlight for August 6, 2023
Historical Highlight for August 6, 2023 ��� ���Man on the Moon��� – here’s a short historical fact from the history of the Vietnam war and the POW experience shared in the new ‘Captured by Love’ book:
���During the summer of 1969, when Americans were celebrating the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon, the POWs were suffering some of our worst treatment ever. As the torture swept through every camp, two of the five men in my cell were thrown into solitary for several months. But finally, when the torture and punishment stopped that fall, the fellows returned to entertain us with many amazing stories of resisting our enemy���often through cleverness and psychological games.
���Intentionally, the V never gave us good news from home. But in February of 1970, Hanoi Hannah inadvertently gave us a lift during a morning ���Bitch Box��� broadcast in which she made an offhand comment. To paraphrase, ���If Neil Armstrong were to go to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), the [bomb] craters would look very familiar to him!���
���That statement was a subtle clue with an out-of-this-world insight! We knew that Armstrong, a former Navy fighter pilot, was an astronaut, and this could only mean that he had walked on the moon! The USA had beaten the Russians. This unintended disclosure of a history-making event electrified us.
“Later that morning, the five of us from Cat House cell 4 (Son Tay camp) were walking across the compound to the wash house when Capt. Ken Fisher, our SRO, happened to look up and���lo and behold���there was a crescent moon. With a big smile, he pointed to it and said, ���Gentlemen, our flag is on that moon.��� We all came to attention, looked up to face the moon, and saluted. The guards were baffled. We were bursting with pride and celebrating! The news of this accomplishment was a huge boost to POW morale at a time when we really needed a lift.���
Purchase your copy of ���Captured by Love��� at powromance.com.
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August 4, 2023
Two American Heroes at the EAA
Last week, I spent a couple of days at the EAA annual AirVenture in Oshkosh WI. This annual event is beyond anything one could imagine–more that 600,000 expected to attend over the seven-day event, more than 10,000 light aircraft flew in for the event, and they are parked in special rows across many acres of grass at the Wittman Regional Airport where the EAA Museum is located.
The great thing is that people come from all over the world because of their love aviation. I’ve been six times in the last ten years, and people enjoy being with others who have a similar interest and that makes it special. And I’ve met many famous people who speak in the programs there.
I wanted to highlight two famous Tuskegee Airmen a few years ago there, then Col Charles McGee and Lt. Col. George Hardy. Shortly after he turned 100, Col. McGee was promoted to General. I heard these two great leaders speak at EAA when Charles McGee was 98 and George Hardy was 93. They were amazing–you would have thought they were 70 at most.
Brig Gen McGee passed away in 2022 at age 102, but George is 98 and still speaking clear as a bell and it was great to see him again. Grateful for these men and their sacrifices for Americans.
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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, August 4, 2023
“When you listen to someone, they feel important. They believe you care about them and respect them.” ��� Lee Ellis
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August 1, 2023
Open Your Eyes ��� See Your Workplace Culture
Is your workplace culture a culture by design, meaning that you created it to provide a specific experience for your people. Or is your workplace culture a culture by default?
Great reminders and advice from friend and colleague, Sam Silverstein ��� please read on his website.
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Captured by Love Wisdom for Today, August 11, 2023
���Shared core values can help couples overcome nearly anything that life can throw at you. Though we had different backgrounds, our values provided a strong foundation enabling us to embrace each other for who we are.��� ��� Everett and Tammy Alvarez
VietnamWar50th, WelcomeHome2023, CapturedbyLove
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July 31, 2023
Coaching Blog – How to Weave Stronger Bonds in Leadership
Major life experiences shared with someone generally create a strong bond, don���t they? From hardship and challenges to victories and celebrations, people are irrevocably woven together by pivotal moments in personal history.��
Recently the Vietnam POW organization celebrated the 50th reunion of our release in the first quarter of 1973, and the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots association* (aka RiverRats) will also celebrate its 50th anniversary reunion this October. It was our common mission and combat experience many years ago that bonded us together, and the consistent re-connection during the last five decades has helped us grow healthier.
Bonding is a term that I���ve seen recently that describes how wounded warriors have overcome incredible tragedies. It���s also a great term to describe what the POWs did in the Hanoi POW camps as well as the POW/MIA wives were doing back home to overcome trauma and suffering.
My brief coaching clip this month goes deeper on this topic. Please watch, and then continue reading the blog below ���
Building Bonds in the Workplace
Bonding is also very powerful in any workplace. Let me explain. In leadership workshops over the past 25 years, I���ve often done the ���My Greatest Leader��� exercise. I ask each person in the class to think of the person who was their greatest leader and share the one attribute that made them special. The most frequent response has consistently been: They listened to me.
“When you listen to someone, they feel important. They believe you care about them and respect them.” [Tweet This]
Furthermore, the vast majority of the responses in that exercise were relationship-oriented, making it clear that when you show empathy for someone���s challenges and emotions, it creates a bond of respect and caring.
Another Dramatic Bonding Example
Recently this idea of bonding has come up in a new best-selling book, Unbroken — Bonds of Battle by Johnny Joey Jones, a horrifically wounded veteran from the Iraq/Afghanistan war.
Joey shares great stories of warriors from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who were blown up by IEDs, and the battles they had to overcome their pain and suffering. Joey lost both legs in an explosion that killed one of his best friends. Can you imagine, not only the physical pain, but also the emotional trauma?
Joey���s great book empathizes the power of bonding and being connected at the heart with your teammates. It parallels what we talked about in our new book Captured by Love, of how the men survived the torture in the camps and how the women survived living without knowing if their husbands and sons were dead or alive.
The Miraculous Bond of Roger and Booncy
In one of our romance stories, fighter pilot Roger Ingvalson lost his best friend Wayne Fullam, who was shot down and Missing in Action (MIA). He escorted Wayne���s wife and three sons back to be near her family in Chattanooga. Then a year later, Roger was shot down and captured and was a POW for five years. Sadly, Roger���s wife died two years before he came home, and his son had to move to New England to be with his grandparents.
At the end of the war, when we were released, Roger came home, but his friend Wayne did not and was declared KIA (Killed in Action). So, Roger went to see his friend Wayne���s widow Booncy, who had also been a friend of his wife.
(Pictured: Roger & Booncy Ingvalson)
Guess what? Their losses helped them to bond quickly, and they were engaged within three months and married in six months. They raised her three sons and his son as one happy family. The boys bonded also and are still close.
The Bottom Line
Bonding with others is crucial for good mental health and commitment to a team. Yet, most of us must be intentional to connect with people���s hearts. Bonding comes when we respectfully listen to them and show empathy���that they are important, and we care about them.�� All the research shows that leaders who care about their people and teams that care about each other have greater mission success.
So, be intentional about adapting your behaviors to show others that you care���especially those on your team at work, those who share your profession, and groups in your community ��� and especially with your family.
LE [Tweet this Article]
Amazon Bestseller! 20 Top Gun Romance Stories
Captured by Love��shares the real love stories of 20 Vietnam War POWs. Some had wives who started a movement that changed American foreign policy. Others came home and had to start over, while five single men met the loves of their lives.
Former POW Lee Ellis and love expert Greg Godek take you on a dramatic journey of faithfulness, passion, excitement, resilience, and practical love lessons from these couples.
New Amazon Bestseller in the Military Families and Survival Biographies & Memoirs
Order Your Copy on Amazon.comRead some sample stories
*Source: The first RiverRat Reunion was after the POWs came home in Las Vegas (August 1973) and this years will be in October at the new RiverRat Museum in Bowling Green KY. https://www.aviationheritagepark.com/news/river-rats-find-a-home/
The post Coaching Blog – How to Weave Stronger Bonds in Leadership appeared first on Leading With Honor��.
Coaching Clip – The Best Ways to Bond with Important People in Your Life
Bonding is a stronger term than mere companionship and teamwork���it takes personal and professional relationships to a deeper level. What are the best ways to do it well?
In this month���s coaching clip, watch Lee���s coaching that gives multiple examples of how others have done it and the exemplary outcomes from their experiences.
Read the entire blog on this topic – “How to Weave Stronger Bonds in Leadership”
Amazon Bestseller! 20 Top Gun Romance Stories
Captured by Love��shares the real love stories of 20 Vietnam War POWs. Some had wives who started a movement that changed American foreign policy. Others came home and had to start over, while five single men met the loves of their lives.
Former POW Lee Ellis and love expert Greg Godek take you on a dramatic journey of faithfulness, passion, excitement, resilience, and practical love lessons from these couples.
New Amazon Bestseller in the Military Families and Survival Biographies & Memoirs
Order Your Copy on Amazon.comRead some sample stories
The post Coaching Clip – The Best Ways to Bond with Important People in Your Life appeared first on Leading With Honor��.
July 30, 2023
Historical Highlight for July 30, 2023
Historical Highlight for July 30, 2023 ��� ���Propaganda���The Bitch Box��� – here’s a short historical fact from the history of the Vietnam war and the POW experience shared in the new Captured by Love book:
���Shortly after our capture, we saw how the communist party dominated life with non-stop propaganda. Every village and even the rice paddies had speakers blasting out the latest party line ���news��� several times a day and playing patriotic music to energize the workers. The POW camps were exposed to their English language propaganda outreach to US soldiers.
���Following in the footsteps of Tokyo Rose, the infamous World War II radio host, Hanoi Hannah reported twice a day over what we dubbed the ���Bitch Box.���
���Early morning. Hanoi Hanna gave an update on the war. She seemed to end every sentence about US bombing attacks with ���bombing hospitals, dykes, and schools���killing old folks, women and children.��� (Of course, our Rules of Engagement prohibited that.) Her focus was to convince American soldiers to desert and abandon their country, their commitments, and their fellow POWs.
���Bedtime. Hanoi Hanna again gave the latest twisted news about the V���s victories. She always closed out with ���GIs, why should you die 10,000 miles from home? Lay down your arms now and come over to the people���s side.��� After a few months, we learned to flip the switch in our brain to shut it out.
���In addition to Hanoi Hannah, most days after lunch there was a tape of some American anti-war activist. The first day Ken Fisher and I were in Hanoi, we heard Tom Hayden, then president of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS, a communist-oriented front group at the University of Michigan). He later became a congressman in California and married Jane Fonda.
���During those years in Hanoi, we POWs saw firsthand that communist governments rely on propaganda, lies, and force to stay in power. They cannot survive policies based on truth; therefore, they seek to control every aspect of the culture. If you talk with those who have grown up under communist regimes, you will learn that the control of the media is foundational to their remaining in power.���
Purchase your copy of ���Captured by Love��� at powromance.com.
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July 28, 2023
Captured by Love Wisdom for Today, July 28, 2023
������To everything there is a season������ (Ecclesiastes 3:1). There is certainly a season for joining others for a cause. But there is also a season for going solo and following your own heart and your own path. Support each during these seasons.��� – Bob & Lorraine Shumaker
#VietnamWar50th #WelcomeHome2023 #CapturedbyLove powromance.com
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