November 7, 1967 sent Lee Ellis, an Air Force fighter pilot, on a new adventure he hadn't planned and didn't desire. In a bombing raid over North Vietnam, here's what happened: "Suddenly, an explosion rocked our aircraft. A terrifying sound, like marbles in a blender, alerted me that the metal of our expensive flying machine was ripping apart. The cockpit was still intact, but it was rapidly filling with smoke. The control stick was frozen. . .and we were tumbling end over end through the sky."
Fortunately, Ellis ejected. Unfortunately, North Vietnamese combatants captured him. For five and a half years, he stayed at the now infamous "Hanoi Hilton," the sarcastic name applied to the prison camp that also housed the POW we would come to know as Senator John McCain.
After his release from the service, Lee Ellis started sharing the leadership lessons he had learned for survival. He has become a popular speaker and consultant for leading corporations. Now this gripping book makes his crucible-proven concepts about communication, morale, team building, and motivation available to a larger public.
I invite you to watch my brief video review of Leading with Honor.