Lee Ellis's Blog, page 8

Coaching Blog ��� The Silent Majority���s Call: Leaders Rise and Lead with Honor

Our leaders in the Vietnam POW camps typically were tortured the most and spent the most time in solitary confinement. Yet they bounced back and ��clarified that our mission and motto was ��� Resist, Survive, and Return with Honor. That commitment enabled us to take torture to remain faithful to our country and our comrades. Unfortunately, honor is not the central focus of our culture today.*

Whether we���re tuned into the evening news, cable channels, the local paper, or social media, the barrage of dis-honorable** behavior can be overwhelming. It seems that everywhere we turn, deception, duplicity, and disrespect are coming at us like a tsunami.

 

Dis-Honorable Behavior Invades Without Accountability

Some, perhaps many, have put their head in the sand, rather than engage in the issues. Even more disheartening are those who with a wink and a nod ignore dis-honorable behaviors, especially if the guilty are associated with the same political ideology, ethnic group, race, religion, or favorite sports team.

This ���take care of our own��� mindset of tribal loyalty comes easily to human nature; it���s always been around, but I don���t think it���s ever been so obvious and so threatening to the ethical foundations of our society.�� When there are blatant illegal and unethical acts that are smoothed over and no one is held accountable, we have a big problem.

Accountability is a fundamental requirement for law and order to prevail.

 

“Without accountability each can do whatever seems right in his or her own eyes and that leads to chaos���a very dangerous environment that quickly takes us away from truth and justice.” [Tweet This]

 

When ���winning at the expense of truth��� takes over, the ���the ends justify the means��� mentality follows right behind.

As POWs in Vietnam, we experienced this firsthand with the communists. They told us that truth was ���that which most benefited the party.��� Therefore, torturing POWs to sign false confessions and even statements that we had received lenient and humane treatment was completely justified in their minds.

 

This coaching clip expands on this idea. Please watch, and then continue reading the blog below ���

 

The Powerful, Positive Silent Majority

The magnitude of the problem should remind us that getting off course can happen to anyone.

If we care about our freedom and the ethics of our culture as leaders, we must be proactive in the battle for honor. Honor and truth are crucial to our culture and survival as a free society.

Regardless of how negative the societal landscape appears, I���m convinced that there is an overwhelming silent majority that believes in honor and accountability. It has to start with one���and before we can be heard, we have to be seen, walking the talk. Each individual that chooses to engage with honor can be like the leaders in the POW camps; we can engage and take others with us into this battle. If you serve in any capacity as a leader, then you have the responsibility and privilege of showing the way for others. You can lead them to a higher level.

 

Three Leadership Tips for your Battle

Want to prepare yourself for these moments when you���re tempted to cut corners or ignore someone on your team acting with dis-honorable behavior? Download a complimentary copy of The Honor Code that is being used by thousands of leaders in their daily work.

And, here���s a three-point mantra for all of us:

��

Recognize the enemy is in us. EWH_Book_Chapters1-3

Accountability starts when you recognize that every person is capable of dis-honorable behavior���that includes you and me. Andrew Carnegie, the famous industrialist of the 19th century, put it this way, ���All honor’s wounds are self-inflicted.���

In a more down-home way, the famous cartoon character philosopher, Pogo the possum, expressed our situation by saying, ���We have met the enemy and he is us.��� So, think ahead and stay on guard.

 

Employ the carrot and the stick.

The carrot comes from our deepest desires, our strongest sources of energy���the source of our purest motives. These deep desires include needs like: to be safe and secure, to use our talents, to provide and protect, to be known and understood, to be valued and cared for, to love and be loved, and to have meaning and purpose. Clarify your values and deep desires and make them a part of your daily life.

You can also see how the drive to succeed in meeting these strong desires might get distorted and cause us to cut corners. That���s where the stick of courageous accountability must be in play���the awareness that someone is going to hold us accountable. Make yourself accountable to others you trust in areas of character.�� Confront others who are exhibiting dis-honorable behavior.

 

Admit mistakes and correct back quickly.

Certainly, there are things in my life that I���m not proud of���decisions and behaviors that I wish I could replay and do differently. We can use them to correct back on track. Early recognition allows us to make small corrections���before we get far out of positon or way off course.

As an instructor pilot teaching students how to fly the wing position information, I emphasized how important it was to always be correcting back to proper position. Small corrections are easy to make, but when you drift significantly out of position, recovery can be a challenge for even experienced pilots.

 

Choosing to Win the Battle

In the pursuit of honor there is no easy day���human nature can be weak���and temptations never sleep. ��As H. Norman Schwarzkopf, General and Commander of Forces in the Persian Gulf War says, ���The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.���

The challenge for leaders is that we must set an example for others while simultaneously fighting to stay on course ourselves. That kind of vulnerability only comes through self-confidence that is anchored in character, courage, and commitment.

This coaching blog is based on Chapter 2 in my book, Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability. Feel free to download a free copy of Chapters 1-3 from Engage with Honor with my compliments.

LE [Tweet This]

 

Engage and Align Your Team This Summer

Thousands of leaders and teams are already using the 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

 

*My two leadership books have both focused on the word honor (Leading with Honor and Engage with Honor) and fifteen years ago, we changed the name of our company to Leading with Honor and soon after we developed the Honor Code.

**We have intentionally shown the word dishonor as ���dis-honor��� to emphasize the prefix associated with honor in this instance (the ���Dis��� prefix meaning ���apart,��� ���asunder,��� ���away,��� ���utterly,��� or having a privative, negative, or reversing force).

 

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Leadership History Lesson for June 1st

On this day in leadership history in 1916, Louis Brandeis took his seat as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was the first Jewish American to serve on the highest court in the United States.

What���s the leadership lesson? Honorable leaders know that there are no limitations for one���s life purpose and talents. Stay consistent and press toward the goal.

Louis Brandeis – Wikipedia

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

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Captured by Love Wisdom for Today, May 30, 2025

Captured by Love Quote – ���I (Paul) knew from experience that truly believing that it���s all going to work out will give you the faith and dedication to make it work out. This same optimism enabled me (Phyllis) to endure without Paul for almost seven years, and then it carried our marriage throughout the rest of our lives.��� – Paul & Phyllis Galanti

Purchase your copy at��POWRomance.com

#Romance #Lovestory #Military #marriagegoals #Resilience #VietnamPOW #Courage #Passion #CapturedbyLove #LoveLessons

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Listen to Summer Stories of Resilient Relationships!

In this award-winning audio book, narrator Michael Orenstein along co-authors 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.

���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.

Check out this audio sample, and then listen with your favorite audio book providers such as Audible, Apple Books and Google Play Books.

 

#Romance #Lovestory #Military #marriagegoals #Resilience #VietnamPOW #Courage #Passion #CapturedbyLove #LoveLessons

 

 

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The Latest from Lee���s Bookshelf ��� ���Coach-Ability and The Tricycle Effect���

Dane has been a professional friend for more than 20 years. In our service and leadership in the military, we both learned that Character and Courage were the foundation for achieving the Technical Mission and serving the People. His Tricycle Effect has been a brilliant way to illustrate that concept. In this new book, Dane has provided Coach-Ability, the most important thing that anyone needs to learn and apply. The ability to self-coach is the only way we can consistently grow as a person and a leader, and this book provides amazing stories and coaching to help us all develop. Even as a senior leader, this book is helping me coach myself to keep growing. I know it will do the same for you.

Learn more about this book on the Goodreads website.

If you���ve read this book, please post your comments and feedback below.

 

 

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Leading with Honor FAQ about New Graduates

Leading with Honor FAQ ��� ���The latest graduating class will become future leaders in life and work. What specific recommendations do you have for them as they embark on this lifetime of leadership?���

 

Lee Ellis��� Answer ��� ���Be clear about your principles of integrity and character and battle to live accordingly. It will take courage, so learn to lean into your doubts and fears to do what you know is right. Know yourself, accept yourself, and be authentic. Be humble so you can always be learning and growing. Be confident so you can be authentic. The most important attributes of a good leader come from a healthy individual���someone who is real, authentic, and humble yet self-confident.

If you spend time worrying about yourself or your competition, rather than just doing your job really well, that���s not healthy. Self-doubt, feelings of insufficiency and false pride cause a person to be self-focused, which undermines one���s judgment and performance.

Know yourself, and know what you���re committed to, and don���t be afraid to keep your commitments and do what you know is honorable. If you do that, you���re probably going to do well.���

 

SAVE 30% on the Honor 2-Book Package as Graduation Gifts!

Purchase these award-winning books from Lee Ellis and FreedomStar Media in one package. Leading with Honor outlines the 14 leadership lessons learned in the POW camps of Vietnam. And, then Engage with Honor applies many of the original leadership lessons into a practical Courageous Accountability Model.

 

Purchase your package in the Leading with Honor Online Store
Purchase your package on Amazon.com

 

#Classof2025 #graduation #wisdom #leadership

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Happy Memorial Day Remembrance

In this brief clip on Memorial Day, today I remember my friends that paid the ultimate price to help preserve our freedom.

 

#NeverForget #MemorialDay

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, May 23, 2025

���Whether you think you can or think you can���t, you���re right.��� ��� Henry Ford

 

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

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Infographic ��� How to Build a Culture of Courageous Accountability

Free Infographic! A lack of positive accountability in personal and work relationships can be catastrophic for all involved. Want to know the 5 primary obstacles to accountability? This practical tool shows the lack of accountability, the obstacles, the 4C���s of making accountability a regular part of honorable leadership.

Check out it here and post your comments and experience too ��� thank you

 

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

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5 Quick Tips to Help Leaders Bounce Back

One critical element of a leadership resilience mindset and spirit is the tenacity to bounce back (repeatedly and often if needed). This gives every leader the capacity to endure tough times whether they include physical, mental, or emotional challenges.

The reality is that life is always a battle on some level, and everyone is going to get ���knocked down��� and must bounce back. Most of the Vietnam POWs were shot down and captured by the enemy, and fortunately our prison camp culture became resilient.

Here are some values, beliefs and behaviors that nurtured and sustained our resilience ���

 

COMMITMENT — Keep your commitments to your character, your duty, and to others. We were committed to the Military Code of Conduct that brought suffering in the short term but helped us believe in ourselves and bounce back.

 

COURAGE ��� To keep your commitments that are foundations of resilience, you must have courage. It���s absolutely crucial to live up to the challenges of life and stay positive, which is essential to being resilient and bounce back.

 

COMMUNITY ��� Stay connected to others. When you are connected with others to encourage them, you send rays of love to the heart and the emotions. That���s powerful for resilience when they are suffering and facing tough times.

 

STAY POSITIVE ��� Almost all the POWs believed that someday we would go home. When you are negative, it undermines your mental health and even your physical health.

 

BOUNCE BACK ��� The four items above (and our faith) gave us determination to live up to our mission to serve honorably and bounce back again and again.

 

At the core of bouncing back is still the foundation of believing in yourself.

Post your comments and experience below on this topic, and you can also read the entire blog on this topic here – “Bounce Back Stronger: Resilience Principles from the POW Experience”

 

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

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