The young leader might not recognize it, and the veteran may no longer think about it, but neither situation obscures the truth: leaders influence all the time.

At one level this makes complete sense. After all, as leaders we are trying to take people towards a desired destination, and since we can't force anyone to do anything (at least not successfully for any extended length of time), we must rely on our ability to influence others to move them towards the goals.

This sort of planned or intentional influence is important, and seldom forgotten, yet it isn't the only influence that matters, nor is it the most common.

The more "everyday" influence is what may be forgotten or ignored because we don't realize the subtle forms influence can take and how pervasive it is.

The reality is that as a leader everything we do is noticed, analyzed, and has meaning placed on it.

Let's look at the five ways all leaders share their influence, intentionally . . . or not.

The Five Influencers

We influence in each of these five ways all the time. The more aware of this we are, the more successful we will be.

Our words. The things we say - and don't say - have a huge impact on the thoughts and behaviors of others. This can take the form of the carefully planned and rehearsed comments of a politician (or of you before a big planning meeting), or the seemingly mundane way we say good morning (or if we say it at all). Everything leaders say plays a part in how successfully their influence moves people in the desired directions.

Our actions. The cliché is that actions speak louder than words. For a leader, this is more than cliché; it is truth. What do you do when someone shares a new idea? How do you we react to the news about a new Customer or a problem? Your team takes cues about the things you place a priority on simply by watching what you focus the most energy/time/attention on.

Our body language. Do you nod your head eagerly or roll your eyes? Do you smile broadly or are you continually wearing a frown? Do you sit alertly in meetings, or lean back in comfort? Those around you are picking up on these cues all day long. The biggest challenge here is that our body language may be misinterpreted - so we must be vigilant and aware of this risk.

Our attitude. Most everyone knows and believes that enthusiasm is contagious, unfortunately, the opposite is also so true. Our attitude is contagious regardless of what it is, especially as a leader. A participant in a workshop once told me, "I can tell if it is going to be a good day based on the supervisor's attitude when he walks in the door." Enough said.

Our decisions. Of course many of our decisions influence people's thoughts and behaviors, but I'm not taking about the overt decisions about actions and directions that we might share in a staff meeting. Rather, I'm talking about the subtle decisions we make that have a direct impact on the other four ways we share our influence.

If I had asked you to come up with the list after reading the title of this article, you likely would have come up with the first four ways. While they are all important, it is the fifth way - influencing through our decisions - that might be overlooked, but arguably is most important because our decisions and choices directly impact the other four influencers.

As a leader we influence, whether we like it not.

The best leaders make decisions to influence positively and constructively and realize that those decisions are the critical first step to making it happen.

Potential Pointer: Leaders are influencing others all the time, whether we are aware of it or not. Remarkable leaders are aware of the subtle ways they influence others and make conscious decisions to make sure they are sharing the influence they want, and need, to be most successful.

This isn't a page-turning, read-on-the-beach book. That isn't an indictment, just a fact. This is a workbook designed to help you do exactly what the title promises: get more for your training and development dollars.

Actually, this isn't one book, it's two.

One cover is subtitled "A Guide to Breakthrough Learning for Managers." Flip the book over and the other cover is subtitled: "A Guide to Breakthrough Learning for Participants."

When you read the book from the perspective you are most interested in, you will find a surprise in the middle. It ends. And, the next page is upside down (which is the end of the book starting from the other cover)!

This unique and functional approach to creating the book is a telling sign of the usefulness of the content itself. As a workbook it contains specific tools, techniques and templates that you are encouraged to use. Sporting good learning approaches, solid and easy to follow examples are included to make both the concepts and the suggested tasks easy to follow and apply.

If you are a training professional, you will love this book. If you are a passionate learner who gets frustrated by your inability to apply what you learn in workshops, this book will help you. If you are a corporate leader who wants to know how to create a better return on your training investment, this book will give you practical clues as well (but be prepared to get involved and not just hand it off to someone else).

Beach reading? No.

Valuable and practical reading? Absolutely.

If you fit any of the descriptions shared above, this book deserves a spot on your desk - not just your bookshelf.

Learn More and Purchase from Amazon

Walk into most any house and you will see at least one (usually several).

They are as helpful as they are ubiquitous.

You use them without even thinking about them and even though you don't know how they work (or how to program them) you probably use them every single day.

What am I talking about?

Your television remote control.

These little objects come with more and more pieces of electronic equipment from video cameras to fans; but we are most familiar with them and I am going to speak about them in relationship to our television.

How often do you use your television without the remote control?

Even if you know how to change the channels and turn the set on and off without the remote, I'm guessing you look for and use that comfortable remote to do not only the things that only it can do, but also to control the basics functions that you could just walk up to the TV and operate.

Without a doubt the remote control has become so much a part of our lives that we use it without thinking.

Remote controls allow us to do a job easier, faster and with less effort. And, as they have gotten more sophisticated, we can now program these magical remote control devices to do even more functions, to make our lives even easier.

As remarkable as these remote controls are, they aren't nearly as remarkable as the remote control device that we use in our lives every day.

Our remote control is habit.

Our habits are even more ubiquitous and taken for granted than our remote control. And like a remote control they can make our lives easier; help us get things done faster and with less effort.

Like the more modern remote controls which can be programmed to do a wide range of features, we have complete control of the ability to program our habits.

And while most people don't know how to program their remote controls (and therefore aren't able to tap into the vast potential power that they offer), most of us don't think about or know how to program our habits to be the most useful and powerful either.

While it is certainly a waste of capability for the 27-function programmable remote to be used only for changing channels or turning the TV on and off, it is a much larger travesty when we don't take the time to learn how to, and then consciously, program our far-more-potentially-powerful habits.

Your Quick-Start Habit Programming Guide

Like any manual for a consumer appliance, there is the long detailed manual and the quick start guide.

Consider what follows as the ultra-quick, let's-get-started-today manual to programming your habits to aid you in creating the life experience and success you want.

Read it recognizing there is MUCH more to learn. But also read it knowing these steps can be incredibly powerful in your life - right now - when you choose to implement them.

1. Determine a new habit you would like to have in your life. Perhaps it is reading more, eating healthier, exercising more, or any of 100 personal or professional situations. Notice that these habit examples are actually goals that will be reached when you programming a new habit.
2. Determine what habit you are going to let go of to make room for your new habit. For example, if you want to exercise more, and you have determined the morning is the best time for you; you likely will realize your day already seems full. Unless you make an adjustment in your current routine, you will not be successful at programming that new habit. So, to make room for the new habit, you must eliminate another one. (In this case perhaps it is giving up watching David Letterman, so you can go to bed earlier and get up early enough to exercise, maybe you could even record Letterman and watch it while exercising).
3. Allow the program to settle in. Most research says creating a new habit requires at least 21 sequential days. These 21 days of conscious effort are actually programming your subconscious to take the task and hardwire it in to your personal remote control.

That's it - your quick start guide to programming the most powerful remote control on earth. It will help you select the channels of your dreams, adjust the color to its most vibrant setting, crank up the volume, and even allow for slow motion replay if that is what your life requires.

One last thing, for most of us, one of the best ways to program our life remote with the habits we need for greater success is to pick up that other remote control a little less often.

Potential Pointer: Our habits are some of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal to create the personal and professional futures we desire. Consider your habits as your own personal remote control. When you program that remote you'll be able to guide your life easier and quicker than would ever be possible with just your conscious thoughts and actions.

How many presentations did you give yesterday? last week? last month?

Even if you're not giving "formal", organization-wide speeches, as a leader you are constantly giving presentations in boardrooms, on conference calls, in meetings and more.

As a leader you also know powerful presentations can either create momentum in your organization to follow the message or challenge from the presentation or they can create nothing where people do not understand or worse understand but don't implement the message that was presented.

How would you like to always present powerfully?

How would you like to create a community of understanding within your organization because of your ability to be a compelling communicator?

If either of those sounds interested to you, Creating Compelling Communication will help put you on the path toward presenting powerfully and creating a community of understanding.

This 5 CD set includes:

• Remarkable Leaders Present Powerfully with Kevin Eikenberry - an interactive, live recording with 10 ways EVERY presentation can be more powerful, 5 components of powerful presentations and much more.
• Expert Conversation with Ellen Dunnigan - an interactive conversation between Kevin and voice and communication's coach Ellen Dunnigan who will help you use your voice to captivate, persuade and command attention. Learn tools to improve your ability to inspire action and how to create lasting impressions.
• Remarkable Leaders Communicate with Stories with Kevin Eikenberry - an interactive, live recording that will show you how to construct sparkling stories that help you successfully plant ideas and messages into the hearts and minds of others.
• Expert Conversation with Kat Koppet - an interactive conversation with Kevin and improv and story-telling expert Kat Koppett who will help you understand why stories work in almost every business setting and how story visioning will work for you.
• Plus a 5th CD with 2 custom handouts to help you through Kevin's two learning seminars AND a complete series of 13 articles written by Kevin focusing on specific topics such as "7 Ways to Avoid Death by Powerpoint."

By implementing the practical tools and tips these CD's provide you will be transformed into a more captivating communicator.

You will be communicating your ideas in less time with greater meaning.

Creating Compelling Communication includes 4 60-minute recordings, 2 custom handouts and 13 articles all valued at more than $395.

Plus: this self-guided learning system does not impact your travel budget nor does it require you to leave the office for two days of training and development. (Think about the relief of not having to come back to a mountain of messages after being out of the office for two days!)

Your investment for this package is just $179.

Buy Now

Plus, you have our no-hassle, no-questions-asked, guarantee . . . if you are not satisfied with Creating Compelling Communication simply return it and we will refund your investment - no questions, no hassles, no problems. (You can even keep any of the free goodies we include in your package!)