Lee Ellis - Leading With Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton

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 or civilian.

Gen William R. Looney III, USAF (Ret)

At the intersection of principles and character lives the virtue of honor, and I have never seen it more clearly than staring through the hole of a POW cell with Col Lee Elliss eyes. This is not just a good leadership book, or even a career changer. It is a life changer.

Rusty Gordon
Chairman and Co-founder, SpeedTracs, Former CEO, Knowlagent,
Chairman of the Ambassador Leadership Program, serial entrepreneur

Of the dozens of books Ive read on leadership, Ive never read one which so grabbed me and captivated my attention from beginning to end - the way a great novel does, making you almost sad to finish.

Bob Littell
Chief NetWeaver

WOW! Col (Ret) Lee Ellis has given us a true gift - real solutions to todays 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 A. Lord, USAF

Leading with Honor is an introspective read, offering character and leadership parallels from prisoner of war (POW) camps to todays challenging business environment. 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
President and CEO, Mississippi Power Company

In the crowded world of books on leadership, Lee Elliss unique contribution, Leading with Honor, far exceeds anything Ive seen, and its storytelling style woven into strong, practical wisdom makes it hard to put down.

Archie B. Carroll, PhD Director, Nonprofit Management & Community Service Program and Professor of Management Emeritus, Terry College of Business
University of Georgia

A great read on integrity, character, and leadership. Lee captures the essence of what it takes to provide strong leadership, as well as followership, in some of the most difficult conditions ever faced by our military men.

R. E. Gene Smith Past President and Chairman of the Board, Air Force Association POW 25 Oct 6714 Mar 73

In these pages, Lee Ellis shares extraordinary stories of courage, resiliency, honor, and humility from which we can learn about transformative leadership and apply these insights to todays workplace.

Michael Montelongo SVP & Chief Administrative Officer, On-site Service Solutions Sodexo North America

Our culture desperately needs to hear his inspiring story, and even more so these fourteen lessons on leading with honor. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Howard Dayton Founder, Compassfinances Gods way

A wonderful book! Leadership advice obtained and forged from the burning fire of captivity and adversity at the Hanoi Hilton. This books offers great wisdom and advice about leadership.

COL Jim Coy, (Ret) Author, The Eagles Series books: Prisoners of Hope and A Gathering of Eagles

This book is a truly outstanding explanation of what we POWs witnessed, describing great examples, naming names and incidents that had such a spectacular effect on our morale and survival. I will use Lees book as a standard from now on in relating to everyone I know the leadership lessons learned in North Vietnam!

Guy D. Gruters USAF POW 20 Dec 6714 Mar 73

Lee has used these lessons with us as our team has evolved over the past several years. His leadership and facilitation have helped us to grow as leaders individually as well as become a strong team.

Carol Burrell
President and CEO, Northeast Georgia Health Systems

The leadership lessons Lee Ellis imparts in this compelling work do much to inform all of us who lead in these challenging times.

John R. Lough, Ed.D Manager, Professional Development Programs, The BB&T Banking School, BB&T University

Lees remarkable journey and ability to take what would for most be considered a dark time, and turn it into an opportunity to teach leadership is a genuine gift. Transforming prison life experiences to leadership learning surpasses others attempts to write on leadership.

Bob Pedersen Chief Visionary & Storyteller, Goodwill North Central Wisconsin

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. Lees 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 President and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets Author of Obstacles Welcome: Turn Adversity into Advantage in Business and Life

Lees painful and humorous stories touch deeply, reminding us of the sacrifices that POW leaders made to serve our nation with honor. From those dry bones, he brings life and light through case studies and stories from todays workplace, showing us how authentic leaders in every generation lean into the pain to do the right thing.

Laurie Beth Jones Author, Jesus CEO and Jesus Life Coach

Copyright 2012 Lee Ellis

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites mentioned as references or sources for further information may have changed or no longer be available since this book was published.

Published by FreedomStar Media

Drawings from Prisoner of War: Six years in Hanoi by John M. McGrath, LCDR U.S. Navy, Copyright 1975 U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland. Reprinted by Permission of Naval Institute Press

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover Design: Mighty 8th Media
Interior Art and Layout Design: Marshall Still - Still Graphics
Content Editor: Michael Dowling
Copy Editor: Valerie Dyke

To purchase this book for trade distribution, go to FreedomStarMedia.com

FreedomStar Media

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9838793-1-2

Ebook Edition

Lee Ellis and I share a bond that goes back to our experience in the POW camps of North Vietnam. He was captured eleven days after me, and we occupied neighboring cells in the Hanoi Hilton for eighteen months of our captivity. When the peace agreements were signed, we paced the open compound at the Plantation Camp together, waiting for our release date. We have been friends ever since.

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. His writings highlight lessons and principles that can be applied to every leadership situation.