Lee Ellis's Blog, page 78
August 14, 2022
Leadership History Lesson for August 14th
On this day in leadership history in 1953, the wiffle ball was invented by David N. Mullany. The story goes that in the early 1950s, he was an out of work semi-pro baseball pitcher, so he set about to make a ball that kids could throw curveballs with. And then he started selling the balls at a local diner.
What���s the leadership lesson? Honorable leaders look for ways to re-invent a traditional idea to help others in life and business. Make it a goal to be others-focused on your daily work.
Wiffle Ball – Wikipedia
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August 11, 2022
Giving Back – Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
As you���re considering where to donate your time, talent, and resources, please consider the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF).
They’re a nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to build a national memorial dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War and lead ongoing awareness of those who served out country in this regard.
Leading with Honor supports this worthwhile organization ��� please learn more
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August 10, 2022
4 Tactics to Conquer Fears and Doubts
Beyond the obvious, fear is often at the root of emotions like anger, shame, guilt, and pride (false pride or hubris). It termites our self-confidence and torpedoes our personal and professional relationships, further undermining our success and goals.
These tactics might be just what is needed to help take your fearful thoughts and actions captive and reach new milestones ���
Fear is normal. Learn to proactively manage it.We can train and equip ourselves to make logical choices that manage our fears (instead of our fears managing us). ��More recently, in the last twenty-plus years my fear of failure was one of several motivators that helped me author six published books. Oppositely, fear of failure not managed can cause all sorts of problems as mentioned above.
When fear hits, stick with your values and principles.
Once a leader clarifies what is really important, he or she can make courageous choices to achieve goals even when faced with doubts and fears. The lesson I learned (and can see it operating in all successful people) is that we must be willing to suffer to be who we are called to be and to achieve our most important goals. Need a set of values? Download the Honor Code.
Be willing to suffer for the right causes.
Great achievements are generally the culmination of a lot of delayed gratification, making hard choices and doing hard things���and yes, suffering. So when you look ahead at your goals, consider your passion for them. Is your passion and commitment strong enough that you���re willing to suffer to achieve them? To get results and achieve our goals, we must also balance and value the importance of strong relationships. This point leads to the last tactic.
Don���t fight fear alone.
The worst situation as a POW was being alone. The same is true for every human being. We need connection to others who can support us with wisdom and encouragement. Mutual support is the critical need of every warrior and every person who is fighting the battles of life. Engage with your key support team to help you courageously lean into the pain of your doubts and fears. As a leader, you also have the power to create this culture of support.
Fears and doubts are part of life and especially a big part of leadership. ��Thankfully, we have ways to manage them. Lean into the pain of your fear and do the right thing���believe in yourself���I believe in you. ��
Read the entire article on this topic – “Managing Leadership Fears and Doubts”
The post 4 Tactics to Conquer Fears and Doubts appeared first on Leading With Honor��.
August 9, 2022
Biography on Patrick Henry: Founding Father
One of our founding fathers, Patrick Henry, was recently featured on a Biography episode. What makes him most interesting is that he represented the mass of new Americans, not the privileged few. When you have time, learn more about his life and leadership in this full biography.
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August 7, 2022
Leadership History Lesson for August 7th
On this day in leadership history in 1960, the Cuban Catholic Church condemned the rise of communism in Cuba. Fidel Castro then banned all religious TV and radio broadcasts.
What���s the leadership lesson? Honorable leaders know that leading by dictatorship and fear doesn���t work. Leading with confident humility and collaboration is the way to long-term success.
Fidel Castro – Wikipedia
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August 5, 2022
Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, August 5, 2022
“Fear termites our self-confidence and torpedoes our personal and professional relationships, further undermining our success and goals.” ��� Lee Ellis
The post Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, August 5, 2022 appeared first on Leading With Honor��.
August 4, 2022
Coaching Clip – How to Manage Doubts and Fears in a Volatile Season
Rather than being swayed back and forth by your emotions and reacting to situations, how can honorable leaders develop techniques to manage doubts and fears when they come? In this month���s brief coaching clip, Lee shares his experience and expertise to develop wisdom and courage.
Also, read the companion coaching article on this topic – “Managing Leadership Fears and Doubts”
Use This Model for Developing Successful Teams and Meetings
Thousands of leaders and teams are already using Courageous Accountability Model to manage team communication and decisions:
Begin using it immediately in your day-to-day decision-making and witness the results of better team performance and results. We offer three options–choose the one that best fits your objectives and goals:
Personal Study
Read the award-winning book, Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability, to learn and apply this model.
Purchase in the Online Store
Purchase on Amazon
Group Self-Study Program
The Engage with Honor Training Guide provides 10 self-guided lessons that you and your team can study together.
Purchase in the Online Store
Purchase the book and training together and save 30%
Group Online Study Course
Many leaders don���t feel qualified to conduct training, and it���s expensive. The Courageous Accountability Development Course, is an online platform using the latest, real-time collaborative learning technology to ensure the best learning environment possible.
Learn More and watch a sample interview
Request a complimentary course demo
The post Coaching Clip – How to Manage Doubts and Fears in a Volatile Season appeared first on Leading With Honor��.
August 3, 2022
Coaching Blog – Managing Leadership Fears and Doubts
(A Note from Lee: The internal landscape of the workplace continues to shift and change, as teams are doing more with fewer people, which also threatens work/life balance and/or burnout, new leaders being placed in leadership positions early without the necessary training and mentorship to succeed, and organizations are working to retain their people talent during the ���Great Resignation���.
This four-blog series, ���Honorable Leadership in a Season of Volatility���, specifically focuses on helping leaders successfully navigate through these challenging times where additional, external pressures in financial, political, and business sectors are also affecting internal team and organizational effectiveness.)
~~~
You���re in the midst of a situation or challenge that instills fear. What do you do? In the animal kingdom, fear produces a ���fight or flight��� response, and it���s true with people, too. But honorable leaders see fear coming and know how to handle it, right? Let���s explore this idea.
In my coaching work, I normally use two terms together���doubts and fears���because people can���t acknowledge their fears, but they will admit to having doubts. For most situations, I treat them equally because they���re often the same and both can undermine success.
Fear Roots and Causes
Beyond the obvious, fear is often at the root of emotions like anger, shame, guilt, and pride (false pride or hubris).
“Fear termites our self-confidence and torpedoes our personal and professional relationships, further undermining our success and goals.” [Tweet This]
Doubts and fears can also cause procrastination and resistance to reasonable and needed risk-taking, and stymie initiative to overcome obstacles and achieve success. How have other people managed fear in the past? I witnessed it firsthand.
Fear in the POW Camps
As you might expect, fear in the POW camps of Vietnam was never more than one thought away. During my first three years when torture was an ongoing tactic, all it took were the sounds of rattling jailer keys at odd hours to create an avalanche of fear.
Even in the best times, isolation, loneliness, and poor health without medical care could raise doubts that could blossom into full-blown fear. In time, together we learned some tactics to combat doubts and fear that have universal application.
If you���re a leader in the midst of a challenge or battle, if your goals are being threatened, or if you���re not sure whether your new ideas will be accepted, be encouraged and take heart from the wisdom of the POW camps.
Watch my brief coaching clip, and hear more insight on this important topic. Then, continue reading the article below to get 4 tactics to help you as a leader –
���
4 Tactics to Conquer Fears and Doubts
These tactics might be just what is needed to help take your fearful thoughts and actions captive and reach new milestones ���
Fear is normal. Learn to proactively manage it.
Fear can help us deal with legitimate external threats as well as trigger adrenalin and other chemicals that help us. When my aircraft blew up over enemy territory���right over the gunners that were shooting at me���my fear of dying in the immediate crash helped me make the decision to eject immediately���even into the middle of the militia gunners below. As I was descending via a ���nylon letdown���, my focus was not on my fear but on how I could escape capture.
The lesson is that we can train and equip ourselves to make logical choices that manage our fears (instead of our fears managing us). ��More recently, in the last twenty-plus years my fear of failure was one of several motivators that helped me author six published books. Oppositely, fear of failure not managed can cause all sorts of problems as mentioned above.
When fear hits, stick with your values and principles.
Even when we���re overwhelmed, we still have choices about how we���ll respond. As the hours, days, weeks, and months went by, the POWs worked out a philosophy to navigate our fears. We engaged in an internal battle to make choices that were aligned with our values, mission, vision, goals, and commitments. Through this struggle to keep our commitments, we grew in courage, and that is the greatest antidote to fear.
Once a leader clarifies what is really important, he or she can make courageous choices to achieve goals even when faced with doubts and fears. The lesson I learned (and can see it operating in all successful people) is that we must be willing to suffer to be who we are called to be and to achieve our most important goals. Need a set of values? Download the Honor Code.
Be willing to suffer for the right causes.
Great achievements are generally the culmination of a lot of delayed gratification, making hard choices and doing hard things���and yes, suffering. So when you look ahead at your goals, consider your passion for them. Is your passion and commitment strong enough that you���re willing to suffer to achieve them? If so, then you���ll be able to lean into your doubts and fears to do what is needed. Our goal as POWs was to return with honor. Through our willingness to suffer, we walked through our fears and came out victorious on the other side. You can do the same.
But to ultimately get results and achieve our goals, we must also balance and value the importance of strong relationships. This point leads to the last tactic.
Don���t fight fear alone.
The worst situation as a POW was being alone. The same is true for every human being. We need connection to others who can support us with wisdom and encouragement. Mutual support is the critical need of every warrior and every person who is fighting the battles of life. Engage with your key support team to help you courageously lean into the pain of your doubts and fears. As a leader, you also have the power to create this culture of support. Need an inspirational definition of courage? Download the Courage Challenge Card.
Fears and doubts are part of life and especially a big part of leadership. ��Thankfully, we have ways to manage them. Lean into the pain of your fear and do the right thing���believe in yourself���I believe in you. ��
LE
Volatility Blog Series:
Volatility Series Article #1 ��� 4 Leadership Courage Tactics in a Season of Volatility
Use This Model for Instilling Strength in Your Organization
Thousands of leaders and teams are already using Courageous Accountability Model to manage team communication and decisions:
Begin using it immediately in your day-to-day decision-making and witness the results of better team performance and results. We offer three options–choose the one that best fits your objectives and goals:
Personal StudyRead the award-winning book, Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability, to learn and apply this model.
Purchase in the Online Store
Purchase on Amazon
Group Self-Study Program
The Engage with Honor Training Guide provides 10 self-guided lessons that you and your team can study together.
Purchase in the Online Store
Purchase the book and training together and save 30%
Group Online Study Course
Many leaders don���t feel qualified to conduct training, and it���s expensive. The Courageous Accountability Development Course, is an online platform using the latest, real-time collaborative learning technology to ensure the best learning environment possible.
Learn More and watch a sample interview
Request a complimentary course demo
The post Coaching Blog – Managing Leadership Fears and Doubts appeared first on Leading With Honor��.
August 2, 2022
New Interview ��� Decision Vision Podcast
Check out Lee���s new interview on the Decision Vision podcast where he and Mike talked about his POW experience, the code of honor he adheres to that guided his actions, how resistance looks in business, the role of resistance in effective leadership, ethical considerations, and much more.
The post New Interview ��� Decision Vision Podcast appeared first on Leading With Honor��.
July 31, 2022
Leadership History Lesson for July 31st
On this day in leadership history in 1928, MGM���s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM���s first talking picture, “White Shadows on the South Seas.”
What���s the leadership lesson? Honorable leaders know the power of a visual image or sound to represent their identity. What image comes to mind that represents your identity? Make it a great one!
Leo the Leon – Wikipedia
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