Leading With Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton

by Lee Ellis, Michael Dowling (Editor)

Overview

Make Every Step Count on Your Leadership Journey

How did American Military leaders in the brutal POW camps of North Vietnam inspire their followers for six, seven, or eight years to remain committed to the mission, resist a cruel enemy, and return home with honor? What leadership principles engendered such extreme devotion, perseverance, and teamwork?

In this powerful and practical book, Lee Ellis, a former Air Force pilot, candidly talks about his five and a half years of captivity and the fourteen key leadership principles behind this amazing story. As a successful executive coach and corporate consultant, he helps leaders of Fortune 500 companies, healthcare executives, small business owners, and entrepreneurs utilize these same pressure-tested principles to increase their personal and organizational success.
In Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, you will learn:

-Courageous lessons from POW leaders facing torture in the crucible of captivity.
-How successful teams are applying these same lessons and principles.
-How to implement these lessons using the Coaching sessions provided in each chapter.

In the book's Foreword, Senator John McCain states, "In Leading with Honor, Lee draws from the POW experience, including some of his own personal story, to illustrate the crucial impact of leadership on the success of any organization. He highlights lessons and principles that can be applied to every leadership situation."

This book is ideal for individual or group study as a personal development, coaching, human resource development, or executive training resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780983879312
Publisher:	Greenleaf Book Group, LLC
Publication date:	05/14/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	416,519
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

Lee Ellis is founder and president of Leadership Freedom® LLC, a leadership and team development consulting and coaching company, where he has consulted small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in the areas of hiring, teambuilding, human performance, and succession planning. As a frequent media guest, his media appearances include interviews on networks such as CNN, C-Span, ABC World News, and Fox News Channel. His interest in leadership development was piqued early in his career during his five-year experience as a Vietnam POW. Lee’s combat decorations include two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Valor device, the Purple Heart, and the POW medal.

Interviews

Atlanta, GA

Editorial Reviews

"Leading with Honor combines a gripping personal narrative with analysis of the events described [during his POW experience] and lessons that can be applied by leaders in a variety of organizations." - Business Book Summaries (http://www.bizsum.com/summaries/leading-honor)
 

Business Book Summaries (http://www.bizsum.com/summaries/leading-honor)

Rarely can a leadership book—usually stark and cold in tone, written with business school savvy—be called moving, but former Air Force pilot and leadership consultant Ellis culls lessons from his experiences as a POW in the infamous Hoa Loa Prison (the “Hanoi Hilton”) in North Vietnam and juxtaposes them with suggested strategies. Two books in one, Ellis shares his recollections from this harrowing time, and at the end of each chapter, presents the lessons he’s learned —often extensive, but never trite. Detailed descriptions of the personalities that make and destroy leaders (including fellow POW John McCain), as well as the physical and emotional torture he endured, give the book much added depth and show leadership as a quality of character. Though many of the leadership lessons are interpersonal, dominant among them is the idea of self-reflection. As Ellis writes: “Authentic leaders consistently live in harmony with their values, even when no one is looking. Their walk matches their talk.” Much more than a leadership text, Ellis offers an inspiring story that will engage readers. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Leading with Honor combines a gripping personal narrative with analysis of the events described [during his POW experience] and lessons that can be applied by leaders in a variety of organizations." - Business Book Summaries (http://www.bizsum.com/summaries/leading-honor)
 

Business Book Summaries (http://www.bizsum.com/summaries/leading-honor)

Leading with Honor is an introspective read offering character and leadership parallels from prisoner of war (POW) camps to today’s challenging business environment. Lee does a thought provoking, masterful job sharing his personal experiences in captivity and integrating those into principles for leadership success. This book is a must read, authored by a unique individual who continues to give back to those he so courageously served and protected – the leaders of today and tomorrow.”

Ed Day

Imagine yourself in the most hostile environment possible, experiencing constant deprivation and even torture for not just a day, but for years. How is it that certain people in times of such crises never waver or falter, but instead exhibit remarkable endurance and faithfulness in accomplishing one’s mission? The answer is leadership that respects, dignifies, and serves others; leadership that stirs souls, heals hearts, touches lives. In these pages, Lee Ellis shares extraordinary stories of courage, resiliency, honor, and humility from which we can learn about such transformative leadership and apply these insights to today’s workplace.”

Michael Montelongo

True leadership is that which surfaces when one is tested in the most severe of arenas. The leadership lessons Lee Ellis imparts in this compelling work come from just such an arena. Those lessons do much to inform all of us who lead in these challenging times."

John R. Lough

In Leading with Honor, Lee Ellis shows us that the principles of leadership he experienced during some of the most difficult situations as a POW are applicable to leaders everywhere. Lee’s candid narrative is compelling, giving us an appreciation for the importance of leading with honor and courage, even in the face of the most difficult adversity.”

Ralph de la Vega

In the crowded world of books on leadership, Lee Ellis's unique contribution, Leading with Honor, rises well above the standard fare on this topic. His book is so authentic in that he has personally experienced most of the lessons he promotes. In short, he's "been there, done that" in terms of "knowing himself" and "knowing others." The book strongly provides keen insights on the subject and he persuasively integrates leadership with such vital values concepts such as conscience, trust, principles and honor — topics too often lost today. This book far exceeds anything I've seen and it's story telling style woven into strong, practical wisdom makes it hard to put down. I enthusiastically commend Leading with Honor to leaders seeking to synchronize their personal styles with the challenges of managing diverse people and tasks.”

Archie B. Carroll

Lee has captured many powerful lessons through his many years of experience in this gripping read. He has used those lessons with us as our team has evolved over the past several years. His leadership and facilitation have helped us to grow as a leaders individually as well as become a strong team.”

Carol Burrell

"WOW! Col (ret) Lee Ellis has given us a true gift – real solutions to today's leadership issues against a backdrop of real human survival in Prisoner of War status. This wonderful book is a must read for all who aspire to any leadership job! An absolute 'page turner' and tribute to our warriors of a by-gone era, with lessons for today."

Lt Gen William Lord

In Leading with Honor, Lee uses gripping stories from the POW camps to engage the reader and teach invaluable principles of leadership. I highly recommend this book for developing leaders at all levels in any organization, military of civilian.”

William R. Looney III

As I read Leading with Honor, I thought,’ Imagine if ALL the leaders of our country—from the President, to the members of Congress, to our state government leaders were elected based upon their commitment to the standards and leadership qualities that Lee describes as hallmarks and guideposts for leading with honor’. How quickly the United States could re-assert its reputation not only as the envy of the world as a leading industrial nation, but as the brightest beacon of light and hope and honor on the planet."

Bob Littell

"Leading with Honor combines a gripping personal narrative with analysis of the events described [during his POW experience] and lessons that can be applied by leaders in a variety of organizations." - Business Book Summaries (http://www.bizsum.com/summaries/leading-honor)
 

Business Book Summaries (www.bizsum.com/summaries/leading-honor)

Leading with Honor combines a gripping personal narrative with analysis of the events described [during his POW experience] and lessons that can be applied by leaders in a variety of organizations.

Business Book Summaries

Former Air Force pilot and POW Lee Ellis transforms his five-and-a-half-year ordeal in a North Vietnamese prison into principles for civilian leaders. While his speaking voice is monotonous and lacking in the kind of engagement and projection that his story deserves, listening is still a moving experience—somewhat like hearing a rare public talk by a revered elder. Now a business consultant, Ellis has a calm manner of delivering advice on such topics such as communication, loyalty, group cohesion, and, of course, adhering to one’s principles. But it’s the steady stream of first-person POW experiences that rivets attention and holds this wisdom together. These are stories that will make listeners reach inside for their highest self before doing anything as a leader. T.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2012 - AudioFile