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.
Lee also addresses the role of honor in leadership. Unfortunately, we don’t hear much about honor in discussions of civilian leadership, but our businesses, governmental institutions, and charitable organizations desperately need to conduct that conversation. Leading with honor is about putting service to others ahead of self-interests. It means keeping your word and your commitments. It means serving sacrificially in a way that upholds the values that historically have made our nation great, our people proud, and our families strong.
My friend Lee Ellis presents these lessons in an exciting and practical way. Leading with Honor is a book that can have a positive influence on the development of every leader. I thank Lee for bringing this conversation to the forefront of our national discussion.
John McCain
United States Senator
POW 1967-1973