Lee Ellis's Blog, page 93

Leadership History Lesson for January 23rd

On this day in leadership history in 1849, English-born Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to receive medical degree. It was from the Medical Institution of Geneva, NY.

What���s the leadership lesson? Honorable leaders are patiently persistent to achieve their goals even if it���s breaking new barriers. Stay the course.

Women’s History Website – Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, January 21, 2022

���Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of a true education.��� ��� Martin Luther King Jr

 

 

 

 

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New Video FAQ on Character Leadership Temptations

In this 3-minute video clip with Leading with Honor Founder and President, Lee Ellis, and Speaker|Author|Trainer, Eddie Williams, they answer the question on how easy it is to threaten one���s character and integrity and how we can combat it as honorable leaders. Also, read and watch more Leading with Honor FAQs.

 

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SeaWorld���s Former CEO Joel Manby: In Difficult Moments Seek Dialogue, Not Monologue

Great insight and experience from former SeaWorld CEO, Joel Manby, the leader who saw SeaWorld through the tumultuous period following the airing of the ���Blackfish��� documentary shares lessons learned about having difficult conversations and leading with love.

���When Joel Manby took over as CEO of SeaWorld, the company was smack in the middle of national controversy following the 2013 release of the documentary Blackfish.

One of SeaWorld���s most vocal critics was Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, an organization seeking to close SeaWorld in California. ���Basically, I was trained not to like him,��� Manby told Corporate Competitor Podcast. ���I was told I shouldn���t trust him or like him. It was ���us versus them.��� I���m naturally against that philosophy. I look for the good in everybody.���

Keep Reading on the Chief Executive website and share your insights too.

@chiefexecutivegroup

 

 

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3 Behaviors to Becoming a Positive Leader

Sometimes the hardest thing for leaders to do is to pause, reflect and then provide positive, affirming words to others. In the vernacular of performance reviews or debriefs, we generally label it as positive feedback, but I���m referring to regular, daily communication with others.

Having been a leadership consultant, coach, and trainer for more than 20 years, I can tell you this may sound easy, but can be like pulling teeth for busy, results-oriented leaders. If you realize that you may be more stingy than generous with your positive words, realize that giving this gift is a fantastic investment that will still have a remarkable impact on results.

“Giving affirming words and positive feedback doesn���t require a new corporate strategy, and it doesn���t add costs to your budget.” [Tweet This]

Well, that���s not exactly true. You don���t have to buy them, but it will cost you some attention, time, and willingness to think positively about someone else. Perhaps above all else, it will require being intentional.

Why Positive Feedback? ��

Why is this gift so important? Here are three reasons:

Positive feedback meets several deep human needs. Each of us has a deep need to have meaning and purpose in our life. Work is a big part of life, and when we know that we���re contributing and making a difference, it meets that need. It encourages our hearts and lifts our spirits.

When we receive positive affirmation, we are more energized; we feel better about ourselves, and we are more confident and more effective. We have less fear and can respond in a more genuine manner.

When you compliment someone���s talents, contributions, and future potential, you���re contradicting some of the lies and negative beliefs that they have about themselves. We all struggle with these lies that undermine our confidence and cause unwarranted insecurities, both of which undermine our work performance. To quote another Christmas analogy, you���re helping them battle their ���ghosts of Christmases past��� and realize their true value.

From my background as a former Vietnam POW, I also like to think of it as bringing freedom to the captives. A good leader���s affirmation and expression of confidence can free us from distorted self-perceptions and ��help restore our perspective of our true identity and achievements.

There���s a multiplication effect that comes from genuine positive affirmation. When people are affirmed, they are more energized and confident. This impacts others, creating a generative effect. We know that attitudes and emotions are contagious, and positive ones bring greater efficiency and effectiveness.

How to Give Positive Feedback

So now you know why you should generously give positive feedback as well as its benefits. How do you do it? Here are three simple ways:

Make it specific. Use a recent example of a successful contribution or some way in which the person has impacted you or the team. Make it genuine���short is fine. You don���t have to make a big deal about it���though in some situations that may be called for. Make sure you have positive energy and enthusiasm. If you are highly results-oriented and reserved, this step may be difficult. This is one time that acting your way into a new way of feeling and expression is not being phony. If you genuinely want to show appreciation and respect for the person, you may feel a bit uncomfortable. Stretch yourself to be more effusive in your delivery of this gift and give extravagantly.

If you���re not sure how your results vs relationship balance stacks up, take the Leadership Behavior DNA assessment to find out.

Make it Intentional

I���m going to be very intentional in 2022 about giving positive feedback. I want to speak into the lives of those around me to show my confidence in them and their future. I���m challenging you to do the same and then post some of your experiences.

What did success look like? When did you miss an opportunity and how can you recover? Let���s be honest and share and see what we can learn from each other.

LE [Tweet This Article]

Two Resources to Assess Your Positivity Performance

Leadership Behavior DNA – Purchase the Assessment

This 19-page report provides accurate, personalized results on Insights on Leadership DNA Traits (based on the eight factors of behavior), Natural Leadership Strengths and Struggles, Natural Communication Style, Results vs. Relationships Balance, and includes a personal development plan in the report for applying the results.

Leadership Behavior DNA – Purchase the Book

Understanding Natural Behavior is Today���s Hidden Competitive Advantage ��� Grounded in statistical research and supported by data from millions of clients and more than 45 years of workplace experience, Lee Ellis and Hugh Massie reveal their personal stories on how they���ve successfully helped organizations achieve their goals by applying practical insights on human design.

 

 

 

 

 

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Leadership History Lesson for January 16th

This quick clip tells the courageous story of Susan B. Anthony���s leadership to vote in a national election in 1872. In spite of the obstacles, she made a mark for freedom that we still remember today. Please watch –

 

 

 

 

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, January 14, 2022

���Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.��� ��� Albert Einstein

 

 

 

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Fantastic Endorsement

We���re so grateful for these kind words from one of our clients in the aviation industry about his team���s recent experience with our Courageous Accountability online training course –

���My team and I just completed the Courageous Accountability Development Course, and we were very excited about it. In fact, we loved it. What was so good about it was that each module guided us into a common focus, and then we were able discuss the principles openly in our team meetings.���

Want your team to have the same experience? Learn more

 

 

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Special Feature – “Freedom 34: The gift of flight”

Fantastic article from author, Jim Roberts, who was a UGA/AFROTC graduate and worked for me as a T-38 IP. And, the T-6 pilot, Wes Stowers, is a USAFA grad (76 and BOD) and flew F-4s.

Such a special day to fly with these aviators and recount lessons learned from my own aviation career.

Please check out the article in General Aviation News.

 

 

 

 

 

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Quick Advice: ���How to Handle an Important Leadership Decision���

Making good decisions is crucial to having a good life and a successful career. Bad choices can bring disappointment, pain and suffering not only to oneself, but almost always drags many others into the negative consequences.

In reflection, there is a lot we can learn about good decision makers from our leaders, mentors, and role models. One of my mentors, Col. Dick O���Grady was my boss twice and my peer three times and my friend for more than 40 years. When facing an important decision, here is how he handled it:

He gathered information. He consistently reached out to his team to get ideas, data and insights on the problem and potential solutions. He analyzed the risk versus reward and how different solutions would help us achieve our mission, whether it was at the strategic 100,000��� level or the immediate 5,000��� tactical level of day-to-day management. He sought wisdom and pursued good judgment. In staff meetings, he listened to others, but his natural bent was to be very decisive and quick to act. It was common for him to pull aside one of his close confidants and ask them for their input. And he listened. He knew that he could come on too strong at times, so he used us to help him see things from other perspectives so he could operate wisely. He made a decision and acted confidently. Once he had sorted it all out and listened to other perspectives, he made a decision, and his team began to develop the plan and execute it. He was open to the debrief process. He and the leadership team would sit around and discuss key points���how is it working and how could it be done better? We were always working to improve.

It���s important to be decisive, but it���s also critical to make decisions based on good information and wise considerations that are grounded in strong values and good character.

You can also read and watch the entire coaching blog on this topic – “The 5-Step Formula for Leadership Decision-Making”

 

 

 

 

 

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