Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American author Leon F. "Lee" Ellis.
Last updated on December 19, 2024.
Leon F. "Lee" Ellis is a retired United States Air Force colonel, award-winning author, speaker, and consultant. Ellis gained notoriety when, as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War, he was shot down, captured, and spent 5+1⁄2 years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi and surrounding areas with former presidential candidate and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and others. His capture occurred on November 7, 1967, and he was released on March 14, 1973. He was one of the youngest, junior members in the camps. Ellis is an international speaker and consultant on the subjects of leadership and human performance, organizational integrity, operational effectiveness, and personal accountability. He frequently consults with various organizations—from small businesses to Fortune 500 organizations on these subjects.
Ellis' latest book, Leadership Behavior DNA: Discovering Natural Talents and Managing Differences was published in 2020 with co-author Hugh Massie. Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability published in 2016 and his last award-winning book, Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton published in 2012, share his POW experience and the leadership principles that helped him and his compatriots resist, survive, and return with honor. His previous book, Leading Talents, Leading Teams, was published by Northfield Publishing and shares in-depth team concepts on how to lead and manage based on individual, innate gifts and talents. Additionally, Lee has co-authored three additional books and workbooks on career planning.
Professional accountability is a good thing. Without it, excellence is merely a pipe dream and even average performance isn't a realistic expectation.
Persistence is important in every endeavor. Whether it's finishing your homework, completing school, working late to finish a project, or "finishing the drill" in sports, winners persist to the point of sacrifice in order to achieve their goals.
Fearful leaders side-step issues instead of dealing with them, cover up mistakes instead of owning up to mistakes; they skulk back into the shadows and hope that the crisis-whatever it is-will somehow blow over instead of facing their fears. Worse, they resort to lies and deception to cover up the truth.
Courage is leaning into the doubts and fears to do what you know is right even when it doesn't feel natural or safe.
As is often the case with children, the rule of 'monkey see, monkey do' plays out in the workplace. It's hard to be good role model, and it's one of the greatest challenges of leadership.
An honorable leader must demonstrate a willingness to reveal his or her 'inner self' to their team. It builds trust and trust is essential. It's also a sign of strength and authenticity, and people are attracted to those who are 'real' and authentic.
Affirming others isn't 'flattering' them-it's when you genuinely and consistently acknowledge their efforts and accomplishments, both large and small. Make affirmation a habit and watch what happens!