Lee Ellis's Blog, page 96

Quick Advice on Battling Self-Doubt

Believing in yourself is anchored in your identity. The more clarity you have about who you are, the more you can believe in yourself and manage yourself in a crisis. Here is the contrast between insecure self and secure self.

The Insecure Self

Insecure thoughts and behavior are grounded in self-doubt and self-protection (issues from our early years) that hold us back in two very important ways– self-doubt and its companion, self-protection (behaviors like image management and manipulation).

Self-doubt holds us back from growing as individuals and leaders. Generally, I see that people are more than they perceive they are. In the same way that physical shackles limit a prisoner, self-doubt is keeping them from stepping out into their full potential. When they don���t come through, it impacts not only them, but everyone around them.

The Secure Self

Find the courage to confront the lies of self-doubt that are keeping you in bondage. Reflect on your past successes, the affirmation of others, and the power of your passion and dreams���see the real truth and believe in yourself. Then courageously and confidently move forward and do the work���keeping your commitments to yourself and others.

Reflect on who you are and focus on both what you know to be true and what others whom you trust have told you about yourself. Use that evidence to believe in yourself���and then courageously engage to do what you know is right and appropriate, even when it���s a bit scary. That���s the recipe for living and leading with honor.

Read and watch the entire coaching on this topic – ���Securing Your True Leadership Self���

 

Discover Your Core Leadership Strengths and Struggles

Every human is unique ��� and the best leaders know why this might be an advantage. Learn how embracing different talents and abilities, both our own and those of others, can lead to more effective leadership and success.

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 and experience on how they���ve successfully helped organizations achieve their goals by applying practical insights on human design.

Order Your Copy ��in the Store Order Your Copy on Amazon

Additional discount available for bulk orders.

������There are few that have made significant strides on making ���knowing yourself��� operational and real as Lee and Hugh have in this marvelous book. Reading this book is a compelling adventure. If you follow the path, you will change for the better!��� – Richard Boyatzis, Co-author of the international best seller, Primal Leadership and the new Helping People Change

���This is the book that I have longed for during my decades in managing talent. Having seen the positive impact of DNA Behavior on my teams, this is a must-read for leaders who desire to build strong teams by accelerating natural talents in an authentic and lasting way.��� – Belva White, CPA, MBA, Vice President for Finance & Treasury, Emory University

 

 

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Leadership History Lesson for December 12th

On this day in leadership history in 1955, it was announced that the Ford Foundation gave $500,000,000 to private hospitals, colleges and medical schools.

What���s the leadership lesson? In whatever capacity that���s possible, honorable leaders intentionally find ways to be generous.

The Ford Foundation 1955 Annual Report ��� Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Leading with Honor Wisdom for Today, December 10, 2021

“In the same way that physical shackles limit a prisoner, self-doubt is keeping leaders from stepping out into their full potential.” ��� Lee Ellis

 

 

 

 

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Coaching Clip – Conquering the Lies of Self-Doubt in Leadership

Even the most confident leader must conquer the lies of fear and self-doubt. To help you on your leadership journey, Lee���s coaching this month shares his experience and expertise on this topic. Please watch this newest Leading with Honor Coaching clip.

Also, read the companion coaching article on this topic – “Securing Your True Leadership Self”

Discover Your Core Leadership Strengths and Struggles

Every human is unique ��� and the best leaders know why this might be an advantage. Learn how embracing different talents and abilities, both our own and those of others, can lead to more effective leadership and success.

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 and experience on how they���ve successfully helped organizations achieve their goals by applying practical insights on human design.

Order Your Copy ��in the Store Order Your Copy on Amazon

Additional discount available for bulk orders.

������There are few that have made significant strides on making ���knowing yourself��� operational and real as Lee and Hugh have in this marvelous book. Reading this book is a compelling adventure. If you follow the path, you will change for the better!��� – Richard Boyatzis, Co-author of the international best seller, Primal Leadership and the new Helping People Change

���This is the book that I have longed for during my decades in managing talent. Having seen the positive impact of DNA Behavior on my teams, this is a must-read for leaders who desire to build strong teams by accelerating natural talents in an authentic and lasting way.��� – Belva White, CPA, MBA, Vice President for Finance & Treasury, Emory University

 

 

 

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Coaching Article – Securing Your True Leadership Self

In last month���s blog we talked about the importance of believing in yourself and how that played out right before our eyes in the recent World Series. Believing in yourself is anchored in your identity. The more clarity you have about who you are, the more you can believe in yourself and manage yourself in a crisis.

So, this month I thought it would be good for us to circle back and focus on the core of our identity, which is more than our vocation or hobbies represented in the outer circles below���it���s the inner self that truly defines who we are:

��

Outward Confidence is Not Inner Confidence

As a 24-year-old kid, I thought my identity was very clear. In the outer layers above, I was a combat fighter pilot, quite proficient in that environment and outwardly overflowing with confidence (Think ���Top Gun��� and you get the picture). But shortly after shoot-down and capture, the dark and scary path of a Vietnam POW exposed my core fears, doubts and insecurities.

There were times I felt unworthy to wear the mantle of a warrior. The spotlight of terror exposed my insecurities. It was going to be a battle, not just for survival, but for my core self and the honor of my profession that I cherished.

Watch the coaching clip on this topic where I share deeper insight into this idea of an insecure vs. secure self –

The problem of the unhealthy self

For more than twenty years after my military career ended, my life has focused on leader development.

 

“The most common issue that undermines leaders are the doubts and insecurities of the core self.” [Tweet This]

 

It���s a universal issue we all face. Only perfect love will cast out all fear and we don���t get that in this life.

Reflecting on the reality of this barrier to healthy performance, our team has begun working on a new model that shows a continuum with fear on one side and inner confidence on the other. For now, we are calling these two extremes insecure self and secure self. Let���s unpack some of what is likely happening and what the antidotes might be.

Take a look and see if this sheds some light on how doubt and fear undermine healthy behaviors and what the solutions might be –

Your insights on it would be most helpful, so please feel free to analyze, criticize and share your thoughts. With your help, I believe we can come up with something meaningful in the field of leadership and for each of us individually.

 

This type of insecure self is internal rather than external. These powerful feelings are grounded in self-doubt and self-protection (issues from our early years) that hold us back in two very important ways– self-doubt and its companion, self-protection (behaviors like image management and manipulation). This month we���ll focus on self-doubt.

Recognize the shackles of self-doubt

Self-doubt holds us back from growing as individuals and leaders. Generally, I see that people are more than they perceive they are.

“In the same way that physical shackles limit a prisoner, self-doubt is keeping them from stepping out into their full potential.” [Tweet This]

When they don���t come through, it impacts not only them, but everyone around them.

If you���ve ever done any writing or public speaking, you know this feeling. The familiar fears and accompanying lies come rolling out to confront your core self ���

I���m not really qualified.How will others see it?Can I come through?You can���t do it; you don���t have what it takes; you���ll look stupid, etc.

Though I���ve coached other authors and speakers on this very thing, ironically those doubts hit me again the last time I began working on a new book about leadership behavior! That was my fourth book on leadership, yet the battle was on again. But as an experienced soldier in this conflict, I knew how to break free.

Break Free

Find the courage to confront the lies of self-doubt that are keeping you in bondage. Reflect on your past successes, the affirmation of others, and the power of your passion and dreams���see the real truth and believe in yourself. Then courageously and confidently move forward and do the work���keeping your commitments to yourself and others.

When I began work on the 2012 book, Leading with Honor, I called my POW teammate Capt. Ken Fisher (the senior officer in my POW prison cell and now retired colonel), and asked him, ���What was the real Lee Ellis like?��� His reply was short, but it said a lot – ���When you were captured, you were not yet comfortable in your own skin. When you came home, you were.��� ��Of course, being comfortable with yourself does not mean that you are fully free. The model above is a continuum, one that works like a sliding scale. It���s easy for even the most secure to discover a nick in their armor���an area where they have doubts and fears���and slide back to insecurity. The battle against our self-doubts never goes away completely. ��That���s why we need to believe in ourselves���like we saw great players do in the World Series.

Become an encouraging leader

As you become more secure in your core identity, you���re in a healthier position to help others grow, which is part of the stewardship responsibility of leaders. How can you help others grow in their feelings of self-worth and confidence?

Capt. Fisher did that for me. More than once, he reminded me of who I was and expressed his confidence that I would come through and succeed. He told me of his own fears and then showed me how he confronted them by believing in himself and courageously battling to keep his commitments to his self and his country.

In that crucible of leadership in the POW camps, we learned that sometimes the suffering we fear most, becomes the agent of our healing. If we have the courage to lean into the pain of our doubts and fears to do what we believe we can and should do, then we move the needle���the self grows more secure and more capable to do the hard things that come our way.

Reflect on who you are and focus on both what you know to be true and what others whom you trust have told you about yourself. Use that evidence to believe in yourself���and then courageously engage to do what you know is right and appropriate, even when it���s a bit scary. That���s the recipe for living and leading with honor.

Moving forward, please consider these concepts and let us hear your thoughts on the model and your insights on the role of doubts and fears in sabotaging the healthy self.

LE [Tweet This Article]

Discover Your Core Leadership Strengths and Struggles

Every human is unique ��� and the best leaders know why this might be an advantage. Learn how embracing different talents and abilities, both our own and those of others, can lead to more effective leadership and success.

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 and experience on how they���ve successfully helped organizations achieve their goals by applying practical insights on human design.

Order Your Copy ��in the Store Order Your Copy on Amazon

Additional discount available for bulk orders.

������There are few that have made significant strides on making ���knowing yourself��� operational and real as Lee and Hugh have in this marvelous book. Reading this book is a compelling adventure. If you follow the path, you will change for the better!��� – Richard Boyatzis, Co-author of the international best seller, Primal Leadership and the new Helping People Change

���This is the book that I have longed for during my decades in managing talent. Having seen the positive impact of DNA Behavior on my teams, this is a must-read for leaders who desire to build strong teams by accelerating natural talents in an authentic and lasting way.��� – Belva White, CPA, MBA, Vice President for Finance & Treasury, Emory University

 

 

 

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Leadership History Lesson for December 5th

On this day in leadership history in 2010, NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft became the longest-operating spacecraft ever sent to Mars, and it continues today. The Odyssey entered orbit around Mars on October 23, 2001.

What���s the leadership lesson? Honorable leaders consider the longevity of their plans and goals instead of creating a flash-in-the-pan. Plan for long-lasting impact and influence!

NASA Science ��� Mars Odyssey

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Free Offer to the First 100 Leading with Honor Followers!

Free Offer to the First 100 Leading with Honor Followers!

Our friends at Honor2Lead have debuted a new training series featuring top thought leaders, celebrities, and business experts who have come together to add value to our nations heroes and help them discover success after service.

Lee Ellis is also featured in this series, and we���re inviting you to sign up and experience it for yourself.

Go to www.honor2lead.com/lee-ellis to sign up now.

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3 Superstar Attributes from my Leadership Mentor

��As someone who may have an interest in human behavior and the power of understanding natural talents in yourself and others, I want to share the rich lessons that I witnessed for over 40 years with a very special mentor, Col Don Ellis USAF (1932-2018).

Col. Don Ellis was a highly decorated Air Force officer serving 37 years, from 1955 to 1982. Assignments included Air Training Command, Alaska Air Command, the Air Force Academy, and 604th Special Operations Squadron. A Vietnam veteran, he served there 1968 -1969 with over 333 combat missions in the A-37.

Without a doubt, Don displayed the rock-solid leadership foundations that we teach and train at Leading with Honor���the pillars of character, courage, and commitment to do the right thing. Here are the three successful attributes that I witnessed him do on a regular basis –

Consistent

On a daily basis, in every conversation, behind every closed door, in every briefing and meeting, in social or professional situations, he displayed consistent character, fairness, and behavior. He ���walked his talk,��� which enabled him to amass a great amount of trust, respect, and influence with those around him.

Skilled at Team Selection

On a regular basis I watched Don have the awareness and skill to choose the right person for the right job. Don just naturally had the ability to connect people and their respective roles seamlessly together. He also used this skill to effectively communicate down to his squadron, directly with his peers, and up to superior officers to keep objectives running well.

Collaborative

With a strong, confident personality, Don could be direct and commanding with his team. He was very clear in what he wanted, but he also skillfully balanced these traits with being collaborative and open to input and team decisions. He had this balance of confidence and collaboration because his motive was helping others succeed.

Stop and reflect on the people in your domain that are watching you to see how you act, behave, and respond. If you model integrity of character, courage, optimism, humility and confidence���and you can be both caring and tough, you have it.

Read and watch Lee’s entire coaching on this topic – “3 Behavioral Attributes for Leadership Success”

 

 

 

 

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New Podcast Interview!

Lee Ellis just finished a new podcast interview entitled ���A Lifetime of Leading and Learning���

In this new interview, Lee talks with Australian leadership author and coach, Gerard Penna, about lessons learned throughout his career. Hear special, in-depth insights on how Lee has trained Fortune 200 teams and companies on the art and science of leadership.

Listen on the Xtraordinary Leaders podcast site or your favorite podcast outlet.

 

 

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Leadership History Lesson for November 28th

Very interesting 5-minute clip of Gen Colin Powell was a United States statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army who was the first African American to serve as the U.S. Secretary of State. Find out more about his life and military achievements in this short biography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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