As Col Ellis teaches, he allows the audience sagacious glimpses into his life as a prisoner of war. . . . Col Ellis erupts like a an oil mine gracefully spewing his insightful leadership prowess.
Lee Ellis
Founder and President of Leadership Freedom LLC and FreedomStar Media / Air Force figher pilot
Featured Topics
Fee Range
Please contact us for pricingTravels From
Atlanta, GA, United States
Lee Ellis
Biography
A native of Commerce, Georgia, Colonel Lee Ellis graduated from the University of Georgia in 1965 as a Distinguished Graduate of Air Force ROTC. He received his pilot wings in August 1966 at Moody AFB, GA and was assigned to fly the F-4C Phantom fighter-bomber. In 1967 Colonel Ellis was assigned to Danang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, where he flew 68 combat missions with 53 over North Vietnam. On November 7, 1967, he was shot down, captured and held as a prisoner of war for more than five years.
After repatriation in March 1973, he returned to flying duties with increasing positions of leadership. His assignments included duty as a T-38 instructor pilot, flight commander and section commander at Moody AFB GA and Randolph AFB TX, (560 FTS). At Randolph AFB, he also served as chief of flight standardization and evaluation (12th FTW), ATC staff officer, and flying squadron commander of the 560th FTS. After graduating from the Air War College in 1983, he served as Vice-Commandant Squadron Officer School (SOS) and Commander AFROTC Det. 160 (PAS) at the Univ. of Georgia. He retired as a USAF Colonel on February 1, 1990, completing 25 years of service.
Colonel Ellis is a command pilot whose decorations include the Silver Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster; the Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster; the Bronze Star with Valor Device; the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Purple Heart; the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters; and the Prisoner of War Medal. Lee is also a 2014 inductee into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame and the 2015 DAR Medal of Honor Recipient for a lifetime of patriotic service as a military officer and spokesman for leading with honor.
Colonel Ellis is founder and President of Leadership Freedom® LLC, serving for more than twenty years as a nationally recognized leadership trainer, coach, author, and keynote. He has authored or coauthored seven books on leadership and career development. His latest bestselling book is entitled Captured by Love: Inspiring True Romance Stories from Vietnam POWs. Two additional, awardwinning books share leadership insights gained from his POW experience. Leading with Honor®: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton won book-of-the-year awards and was selected in 2013 for the USAF Chief of Staff Professional Reading List. His follow-on book, Engage with Honor™: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability was selected best in class in the “Leadership” category. Colonel Ellis and his wife Mary reside in the Atlanta GA area and have four grown children and six grandchildren.
Lee Ellis
Featured Videos
Current: Speech Clip- InTouch with Dr. Charles Stanley
Time 14:06
More Videos From Lee Ellis
Lee Ellis
Featured Keynote Programs
Leading with Honor™
Lee Ellis gained an unforgettable perspective on leadership during his five and a half years as a Vietnam POW. In his keynote speaking, Lee reveals personal, powerful stories from that crucible experience. An experienced business and military leader, his expertise also includes being an awardwinning author and leadership consultant, coach, and trainer for almost 20 years in the areas of leadership, teambuilding, and human performance. His past clients include Fortune 500 senior executives and C-Level leaders in telecommunications, healthcare, military, and other business sectors. Lee draws from this deep well of experience to deliver bedrock lessons on leadership, teamwork, and human behavior.
Speaking Topics
• Leading with Honor®: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton (based on his awardwinning book)
• Engage with Honor®: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability (based on his award-winning book)
• Four Steps to a Culture of Courageous Accountability: Winning the Battle
• Leadership Engagement with the I.N.C.C. Model: Initiate, Negotiate, Collaborate, Celebrate
• The Courage to Trust: Taking the Authenticity Risk
• Climbing the Leadership Pyramid: Attributes to Success
• How to Balance Leadership Paradox: Walking the Fine Line
• Understanding Human Behavior with Self and Others
• Next Gen Leadership: What You Need to Know
Workshops and Full-Day Programs
Because of Lee’s extensive work as an educator and business owner in human behavior, human performance, and behavioral assessments, he has created several workshop topics to advance the organizational and development initiatives of his clients.
The following topics are available either as individual workshops, half-day, or whole day programs. Each session is specifically customized for the client’s needs, and they can be added as a breakout training event before or after a keynote presentation.
Workshop Topics
Understanding Human Behavior to Lead Self and Others
- Gain an Objective View of Self.
- Leading with Honor using the online Leadership Behavior DNA™ Assessment taken before the event. Review, discuss results, and answer questions.
Results and Relationships
- Understand the issue of leadership balance with staff and patients, and identify your natural tilt toward results or relationships.
- Identify one or two developmental areas to bring you to a better balance.
- Small Group Activity
Understanding and Using Emotional (Social) Intelligence
- Understand the differences in emotional and cognitive responses in healthcare scenarios.
- Understand the power of emotions and their impact on leadership, team dynamics, and patient care.
- Understand the four factor model of emotional intelligence, and how to use it in everyday life.
Effective Teams & Courageous Conflict (Judicious Debate)
- Define Healthy vs. Unhealthy Teams.
- Courageous Conflict - What is it? What does it look like? What is the value of it?
o What has been your tendency to engage in Courageous Conflict with colleagues and patients? How can you engage more effectively?
- Small Group Activity
The Leadership Engagement Model
- Understanding the model: Withdraw – Engage – Dominate
o Understanding the impact of negative emotions, and power of trust, confidence and positive emotions on leadership.
- Small Group Activity
Accountability – Helping Self and Others Succeed
- A True Definition / Why it’s important / How to do it effectively
- Small Group Activity
Workshop Topics
Understanding Human Behavior to Lead Self and Others
- Gain an Objective View of Self.
- Leading with Honor using the online Leadership Behavior DNA™ Assessment taken before the event. Review, discuss results, and answer questions.
Results and Relationships
- Understand the issue of leadership balance with staff and patients, and identify your natural tilt toward results or relationships.
- Identify one or two developmental areas to bring you to a better balance.
- Small Group Activity
Understanding and Using Emotional (Social) Intelligence
- Understand the differences in emotional and cognitive responses in healthcare scenarios.
- Understand the power of emotions and their impact on leadership, team dynamics, and patient care.
- Understand the four factor model of emotional intelligence, and how to use it in everyday life.
Effective Teams & Courageous Conflict (Judicious Debate)
- Define Healthy vs. Unhealthy Teams.
- Courageous Conflict - What is it? What does it look like? What is the value of it?
o What has been your tendency to engage in Courageous Conflict with colleagues and patients? How can you engage more effectively?
- Small Group Activity
The Leadership Engagement Model
- Understanding the model: Withdraw – Engage – Dominate
o Understanding the impact of negative emotions, and power of trust, confidence and positive emotions on leadership.
- Small Group Activity
Accountability – Helping Self and Others Succeed
- A True Definition / Why it’s important / How to do it effectively
- Small Group Activity
Lee Ellis
Featured Book
Engage with Honor
by Lee Ellis
Lee Ellis
Featured Review
Find Similar Speakers Leadership
How Do You Choose the BEST Speaker for Your Event?
We’ve had 30 years and 40,000 events to perfect the process—and we’ll do it for free.