Lee Ellis
Have you ever had to fight for clarity in a meeting or conversation? Early on in my military training at Air University, our professors who taught speaking and writing courses told us repeatedly to “fight for clarity.” When lives are at stake while flying multi-million dollar pieces of equipment, clarity was crucial for us. Clarity […]
The longer I live, the more convinced I am of the power of connection—and especially connections of the heart. Unlike computers, rocks and steel, we humans have emotions and spirits that can be lifted, energized and ignited by a relational connection. We know that but grossly underestimate the power of those connections. Our Strongest Connections […]
<<<Also, watch this month’s Special Interview with Consultant and CEO, Cindi Filer – Watch Now>>> Freedom isn’t free, is it? Whether it’s enjoying our national freedom and independence or the freedom to discover your true self, it takes work and sacrifice. This month, we celebrate the privilege of being citizens of this country. Of course, […]
<<<Watch the interactive coaching video on the topic of exceeding expectations.>>> Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by someone who exceeded your expectations? Someone who put careful thought into their interaction with you and simply made you feel special? Wonderful feeling, wasn’t it? My wife Mary and I had that experience recently, and it reminded […]
<<<New this Month! Interact with other viewers in a new social collaboration environment when you watch this month’s coaching video. Click to sign up and get instant free access.>>> If you’ve ever ridden a seesaw, you know what happens when the weights on each side are very different—it’s not as fun and it takes more […]
“The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves.” – J. Carla Nortcutt Most great stories have a struggling protagonist and a mentor—someone who speaks into their life to help them find […]
Good news—bad news. You and the leaders, teammates, peers, and family, friends, and neighbors in your life are amazing human creations with unique talents, skills, and perspectives. But as amazing and valuable as these people are, we also must consistently respect, communicate, and manage the challenges that come with this uniqueness. It is the duty […]
Last Fall I did a couple of blogs on core identity. This month, let’s focus on the core of our identity, which is more than your vocation or hobbies represented in the outer circles below—it’s the inner self that truly defines who you are: Outward Confidence is Not Inner Confidence As a 24-year old […]
You’ve had that feeling for a while, and it’s not going away. The daily battle to stay engaged and productive is wearing on you. It’s time for a change, and you’re either reluctant to move forward or don’t know how. Courage is needed, and your mind drifts to those traditional heroic figures in movies such […]
<<<Watch this month’s free Leading with Honor Coaching clip on this topic – Sign up and get instant access. Your information is safe with us.>>> During this Christmas and Chanukah season, many of us are thinking about the special gifts that we hope to receive. But when it comes to giving the most important gifts, […]
<<<Watch this month’s free Leading with Honor Coaching clip on this topic – Sign up and get instant access. Your information is safe with us.>>> Natural confidence in leadership can make us believe that our core identity is safely locked in a vault. But the reality is that the elements of our core are only […]
By Lee Ellis When I was a young boy, my goals were simple and quite clear. I was going to do something special. Either I would play football for the Georgia Bulldogs, or I would be a fighter pilot. As a senior in high school at 155 pounds and only average speed for a quarterback […]
<<<Watch this month’s free Leading with Honor Coaching clip on this topic – Sign up and get instant access. Your information is safe with us.>>> By Lee Ellis When recording this month’s Leading with Honor Coaching video, I realized that two of my most influential mentors and I held the same job during our military […]
<<<Watch this month’s free Leading with Honor Coaching clip on this topic – Sign up and get instant access. Your information is safe with us.>>> By Lee Ellis What value would you place on your most treasured mentor leader? It could be a parent, teacher, coach, or any adult that made a significant impact. How […]
<<<Watch this month’s free Leading with Honor Coaching clip on this topic – Sign up and get instant access. Your information is safe with us.>>> As the well-known, dramatic story unfolds, “Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty […]
Does the thought of having 7,000 books in your personal library make you giddy or give you trepidation? Recently I read an article highlighting the prolific reading habits of Secretary of Defense James Mattis. He had over 7,000 books in his library when he retired as a general in the U.S. Marine Corp. “Mad Dog […]
You’re in a work situation where it’s not necessarily wrong or improper, but the appearance of your activity or decision could mistakenly be construed as a wrongdoing. What do you do? Launch forward and accept the consequences or avoid the appearance of wrongdoing altogether? As I’ve seen in the past, good leaders that make decisions […]
<<<Watch this month’s free Leading with Honor Coaching clip on this topic – Sign up and get instant access. Your information is safe with us.>>> A few years ago, I began noticing a line of clothing marketed mainly to young people that proudly displayed its label of “NO BOUNDARIES.” I knew it was a marketing […]
By Lee Ellis During his time as a political prisoner in the gulag of the Soviets, Alexander Solzhenitsyn came to a radical but revealing conclusion about the human problem of corruption and dis-honorable behavior – “Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not between states, nor between classes […]
By Lee Ellis Here we go again. Another unrealistic goal handed down from leadership where I didn’t have any input. Accept it and figure out how to make it happen. Now I’m trapped in a corner, so I’ll have to “lie, cheat, and steal” (as the saying goes) or possibly lose my job. Does this […]