No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE | NO FEES, NO PAYWALLS
MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION
NEWSLETTER
Corporate Compliance Insights
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Corporate Compliance Insights

The Core of Leadership

by Lee Ellis
August 23, 2016
in Uncategorized
What kind of leader are you?

Despite the seeming lack of honor and accountability that we see in our culture today, I still choose to believe that most people that I encounter have good character and will operate ethically. Would you agree?

Interestingly though, when I was a volunteer for three years in a prison ministry at Maxwell Air Force Base, I observed that almost all of the inmates believed that they had good character. They typically explained that they were victims who had been framed by business competitors, political opponents or some malpractice in the justice system.

My Prison Experience

More than 40 years ago, I had my own prison experience as a POW in Vietnam. As a young fighter pilot who was shot down over enemy territory, I spent the next five and half years learning the true meaning of character, honor and its guardian companion, accountability.

In that crucible of mental and physical torture, we couldn’t merely assume our good character. It was put to the test daily as we went face-to-face with an enemy determined to coerce us to turn against our commitments and teammates and join their anti-war efforts. Our honor was on the line. We were offered two options—the hard way of resistance or collaboration for a more normal life. It was in those moments that I saw that good intentions about character are necessary, but not sufficient. Character alone is like a one-legged stool—not very reliable. The other two legs are Courage and Commitment.  Let’s examine these three legs that I call the core of accountability.

Character

Character sounds good, but have you ever clarified what that means? In the POW camps, we had a Military Code of Conduct to govern our conduct. It was simple and very effective. Following that same model, my team and I came up with the Honor Code—seven behaviors that cover our definition of good character. They’re very practical and appear deceptively easy.

  1. Tell the truth.
  2. Treat others with respect.
  3. Keep your word/commitments.
  4. Be ethical.
  5. Act responsibly and be accountable.
  6. Be courageous.
  7. Live your values.

Now if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that these are not easy. None of us is capable of living up to them all the time. This quote by Alexander Solzhenitsyn can help us stay humble and real about our character:

“Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not between states, nor between classes nor between political parties, but right through every human heart, through all human hearts.”

Most of our character violations come through pride, greed and anger—lurking underneath those emotions you will usually find doubts and fears.

Courage

The way we overcome those doubts and fears is by clarifying what is at stake, what is honorable, and then courageously choosing to move forward to do the right thing. And when we see that we’re drifting off course, we courageously correct back.

Whether you’re facing a tough decision or after you have made a mistake, take the courage challenge: lean into the pain of your doubts and fears to do know what you know is right, even when it doesn’t feel natural or safe.

Commitment

We have to recognize that battling for our honor means fighting against part of our human nature as described above by Solzhenitsyn. That’s why we have to constantly refocus on our true north. As a Christian, that means I’m committed to living in a way that honors God. I can only do that when I trust Him for the outcome.

Even when suffering in the POW camps, with no control and no way of escape, I knew my real security and salvation rested in the arms of the Almighty. Our faith can give us the resilience and commitment to stay true to our character and our deepest calling—to reveal and represent our Lord on this earth. And remember, his open arms of mercy are always there, calling us to repent quickly and turn back to His way.

Taking a Stand

Our culture is struggling with honor and desperately needs courageous accountability. It requires honorable leadership—leaders who go first, setting the example. No one can do that perfectly. We (and especially the younger generations) are looking for authentic leaders who will take a stand for honor and then live in vulnerability—admitting when they fall short and then correcting back quickly to the right path.  This way of life and leadership is only possible when you have a strong core.

What about you? Are you guarding your character with an honor code? Are you willing to take the courage challenge to overcome your doubts and fears? Are you really committed to battle every day to grow in character and righteousness? I believe that you can do it, and you won’t have to do it alone.


Previous Post

The State of PAM Security

Next Post

Board Oversight of Compliance & Ethics: How Do You Know What You Know?

Lee Ellis

Lee Ellis

Lee Ellis Lee Ellis is president of Leadership Freedom® LLC, a leadership and team development consulting and coaching company. Lee consults with Fortune 500 senior executives in the areas of hiring, team-building, human performance and succession planning. His media appearances include interviews on CNN, CBS This Morning, C-SPAN, ABC World News and Fox News Channel. A retired Air Force Colonel, his upcoming September 2016 book is entitled Engage with Honor: Building a Culture of Courageous Accountability. Learn more at www.engagewithhonor.com.

Related Posts

Fox_DOJ Speeches_f

Analysis of Recent DOJ Statements

by Corporate Compliance Insights
March 23, 2023

DOJ leaders provide insight into agency's plans. Analysis of Recent Statements DOJ Shaping the Future of Corporate Criminal Enforcement What’s...

Fox_2023 ECCP Update_f

2023 Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs

by Corporate Compliance Insights
March 23, 2023

Keeping up with 2023 changes to DOJ guidelines. Additions, Deletions & Changes From 2020 2023 Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs...

encompass update

Encompass Launches pKYC Maturity Model

by Corporate Compliance Insights
March 22, 2023

KYC automation platform Encompass has unveiled a new perpetual Know Your Customer (pKYC) maturity model designed to help banks improve...

consilio onna partnership

Consilio, Onna Seek to Streamline eDiscovery for Cloud Apps

by Corporate Compliance Insights
March 22, 2023

Legal technology provider Consilio has launched a new platform, Sightline Collect, powered by data management supplier Onna. The platform is...

Next Post
Board Overnsight from XCEO Toner

Board Oversight of Compliance & Ethics: How Do You Know What You Know?

Compliance Job Interview Q&A

Jump to a Topic

AML Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption Artificial Intelligence (AI) Automation Banking Board of Directors Board Risk Oversight Business Continuity Planning California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Code of Conduct Communications Management Corporate Culture COVID-19 Cryptocurrency Culture of Ethics Cybercrime Cyber Risk Data Analytics Data Breach Data Governance DOJ Download Due Diligence Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) ESG FCPA Enforcement Actions Financial Crime Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) GDPR HIPAA Know Your Customer (KYC) Machine Learning Monitoring RegTech Reputation Risk Risk Assessment SEC Social Media Risk Supply Chain Technology Third Party Risk Management Tone at the Top Training Whistleblowing
No Result
View All Result

Privacy Policy

Founded in 2010, CCI is the web’s premier global independent news source for compliance, ethics, risk and information security. 

Got a news tip? Get in touch. Want a weekly round-up in your inbox? Sign up for free. No subscription fees, no paywalls. 

Follow Us

Browse Topics:

  • CCI Press
  • Compliance
  • Compliance Podcasts
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Privacy
  • eBooks Published by CCI
  • Ethics
  • FCPA
  • Featured
  • Financial Services
  • Fraud
  • Governance
  • GRC Vendor News
  • HR Compliance
  • Internal Audit
  • Leadership and Career
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Opinion
  • Resource Library
  • Risk
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • Well-Being
  • Whitepapers

© 2022 Corporate Compliance Insights

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Corporate Compliance Insights

Welcome to CCI. This site uses cookies. Please click OK to accept. Privacy Policy
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT