Kevin's Remarkable Learning Blog - A weblog of Kevin's thoughts, ideas, and lessons learned regarding learning on every level. Read Kevin's Remarkable Learning blog today.

"Deep down you know you can be remarkable. You shouldn't
settle for anything less than your best self, reaching ever
closer to your potential--whether as a leader or in any other
part of your life."

-- Kevin Eikenberry

I want you to succeed. I want you to achieve at remarkable levels - the level your potential allows. That is why I do the work I do. That is why I write this blog, and that is why I wrote Remarkable Leadership.

But one thing I know is true - that writing the words mean little if they aren't read. And they mean even less if people don't take action. So I've decided to do everything I can to urge you to read the words and take the action.

Whether you have a copy of Remarkable Leadership and are looking forward ways to help you implement what you've read, or if you want to build your leadership skills, and want ways to get started, I know I can help.

Owner of the book or not, to see how I plan to help you starting today, check out this Remarkable Choice.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: Remarkable Leadership

Read and Listen

Posted at 6:57 AM on

Who Will I Serve?

Posted at 6:28 AM on Monday, January 28, 2008

This is the thirteenth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The thirteenth question is:

Who will I serve more effectively and/or completely?

Why else are we here, in the end, but to serve others?

Whether you think about this through a business lens, thinking about customers, through a leadership lens, thinking of those you lead, through a personal lens, considering family and friends, or from any other perspective, this is a valuable question.

This is a question that can point you in the direction of greater meaning in your life.

Enough commentary (though there is much more I could say) and on with my answers.

I plan to serve:

- my wife, children and family more completely.
- my colleagues and team more intentionally.
- my Clients and Customers more effectively.
- my community and world more actively.

This isn't the place, in my case, to elaborate, but as you answer this question for yourself, you will want to think about the details. In fact, even if you are thinking about this question for the next month, quarter, or year, I encourage you to decide how you will answer the question today.

this question as much as any of them will help you be more engaged with your world. Why not start today?

After a total of 27 posts on this project, I'm not quite done. After a big day tomorrow (make sure you check out the announcement here), I'll be back later this week to wrap up this whole series and let you know what is next. Thanks for reading - whether this is the first post or you have read the full list.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training

Labels: questions, service

Training is an Event, Learning is a Process

Posted at 10:48 AM on Friday, January 25, 2008

I say that phrase often.

It's part of my personal philosophy, and it's part of my business philosophy.

Let me explain...

People around the world (you included) buy learning materials, books, audio programs, webinars, teleseminars and attend lectures and workshops every day. These learning options exist whether you want to learn about leadership, leopards, or being a lifeguard.

Companies and organizations everywhere organize and fill workshops and classes continually, because they want to invest in their employees' and team members' education and learning.

All of these activities make sense; we want to be able to learn or do more, and our life experience says that a classroom (i.e. school) or reading (i.e. books, etc.) are the ways to learn something new.

Unfortunately a large percentage of these investments of time, money and effort in these courses, books and programs are wasted. Books don't get opened, teleseminars aren’t attended, workshops are forgotten and much more. It isn't really the fault of the author, instructional designer or trainer for these problems. While there are things that these people can do to improve the results gained from their products, in the end it isn't their responsibility.

It is the learner's responsibility.

That means it is our responsibility.

And as long as we carry an "event" mindset, we won't get the results we hope for. Because learning is a process, but all of the programs, classes and books are just events; and we don’t learn in a lasting way from an event.

In order for us to get value from the books, audios, classes, courses and workshops, we must take action. We must try what we learned, see what happened, tweak it, and try again. In other words we must do for learning anything new, what has always worked for us. Think about it - you didn't learn how to ride a bicycle until you put your butt in the seat and a foot on the peddle.

At first, when you got on the bike, you made mistakes and fell down (and scraped your knee and depending on who was watching wounded your pride). Yet you got back up, tried again and learned how to ride.

To learn the things you want to learn now, you must get a little dirty, expose yourself (and your image), and try it. Once you have those lessons, you can improve and adjust until you get the results you desire.

Here then is the magic pill that you have been looking for ever since you grew up and forgot about the lesson of the bicycle: Make your learning a process.

Consider books, courses, audio programs all a part of your grander learning process. Commit to finding ways to practice what you are learning, and to finding ways to receive feedback (from yourself and/or others) about your progress.

When you place all of these wonderful learning tools in perspective, they can have a tremendous positive impact for you and your results, but only when they are seen as a piece of your personal learning puzzle, rather than the moment in time where things will change for you.

This information is important for you as an individual, but it is important for you to remember as a leader as well. If you want to help develop those you lead, you must help them create a learning process, rather than simply signing them up for the next corporate course. Leaders can help create a process (holding them accountable, asking for their learning goals, giving them feedback, as examples), or invest in learning opportunities that include a process.

Potential Pointer: We rarely learn anything, beyond a fact or morsel of knowledge in an event or moment in time. Real useful learning comes from a process of doing, trying, experiencing and applying. Despite this fact we continue to seek the "event" that will transform our performance. Remarkable learners consider the event the spark for, rather than the completion of, the learning.

What Lasting Memories Will I Create?

Posted at 8:40 AM on

This is the twelfth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The twelfth question is:

What lasting memories will I create?

You may be thinking that this isn't an intentional question - that memories happen and while we can be grateful for them, we can't preordain or plan these memories.

I don't believe that is completely true. While I may not be able to tell you about the memories themselves ahead of time, I can determine the situations I want to be in and from which the memories will be generated.

Consider this is a question about life balance, because I'm guessing all of your answers (or even your first answers) won't be about work or just professional memories.

I plan to generate memories with my family through a family reunion, a party to celebrate my father's life, and a trip overseas, (as well as some very fun evenings of Wii Tennis).

I plan to generate memories with those I work with in our office (i.e. Remarkable House) - memories that will be meaningful both personally and for the business.

These are just a couple of my answers. I hope you consider this question and your answers carefully, as of all of projective questions, your answers to this one may be the most valuable to you five years from now.

Be intentional about creating memories, starting today.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training

Eight Uncommon Approaches for Better Presentations

Posted at 11:04 AM on Sunday, January 20, 2008

Somewhere in your organization someone will give a presentation today. It may be you, the person in the next office, or someone who works in another department. Even if you work solo, there are times when you will be the presenter.

Few would argue that being able to present effectively - whether you're presenting to two or two thousand - is an important skill. And since it is such a commonly needed skill, there is plenty of advice available to you - books, courses, websites, tools, techniques, as well as the advice of so many others who "just want to help."

Yet with all this advice, a large percentage of presentations still aren't very effective. In fact, many are downright awful; not providing the desired responses from the audience - or any response at all. (Wouldn't you agree?)

The advice in this article will be a little different.

Rather than sharing the common wisdom with you - which must not be working very well if so many presentations are still so poor - I will share some uncommon advice. Think about it this way - if you try some uncommon advice, you might get uncommon results. Given the overall record of the common presentation, that will likely be very good!

More visuals, less words. Your PowerPoint presentation has too many words, on every slide (and there are probably way too many slides too - but that’s another article). Visual aids should be visual. Start replacing the words on your slides with images. And not just pie charts and line graphs, but pictures and images that help tell your story.

More emotion, less logic. It takes more than logic to move people. Give your audience the facts they need, but don't overload them. Make sure you speak to the emotional part of people as well. Talk about why, and not just how.

More stories, less "facts". We read books, watch TV and buy movie tickets because we love stories. When you create stories around your presentation or include relevant and passionate stories as a part of your presentation, you will be more successful.

More focus, less scatter. If you can't put the key concepts and ideas of your talk on the back of an envelope or on one side of a 3x5 card, your message is too scattered. Hone in on your key message; know exactly what it is. If you don't know it, how can you expect your audience to know (or remember) it?

More preparation, less "I'll wing it". Giving an effective presentation takes preparation and planning time. Too many people give poor presentations because they simply rely on their slides and muddle through. If you want to be a more powerful presenter, you must be prepared.

More belief, less bluster. Let your passion for your topic, your message and your recommendations show! If you believe in your message, let people know that through your words, actions, body language, energy and more.

More audience, less you. Hopefully you aren't giving your presentation for your benefit, but for your audience’s. So, focus more on them. Worry less about how you look or sound and more about helping them understand your message. If your focus is all about you, stop reading - none of these points will help you. A presentation should always be about the audience.

More you, less facade. No, this isn't in conflict with the last point; you will be a more effective presenter when you are real, genuine and sincere. Drop the posturing and be real. Your audience will appreciate it, and they will listen and trust you more.

You've just read eight pieces of uncommon advice. But reading them isn't enough. You need to apply at least one of them to your next presentation. When you do, you will be more confident and will achieve more of the results you desire. You will have an audience that has heard and understood your words and takes action because of the presentation.

Potential Pointer: If we want to better at anything - including presentations - sometimes we need to do things differently than everyone else. Following the crowd will, at the very best, allow you to only be incrementally better. Taking a different approach can lead to breakthrough success.

Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps for Being Happy from the Inside Out by Marci Shimoff

Posted at 10:57 AM on

I met author Marci Shimoff several years ago at a book conference. We talked about the Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul books (of which she is a co-author) and just about life.

It was about a twenty-minute conversation, and I’ve always remember it, and her, fondly. So when I heard several months ago that she was writing a new book, and when I heard the title, I knew this was going to be an excellent book.

And it is.

Admittedly, I haven't finished it yet. You see I got my copy before I got my Kindle, and since the book isn't available for Kindle yet I haven’t finished it (I do have to play with my new toy, right?).

Even though I haven't finished, I can recommend it highly. First of all, who wouldn't want to be "happy for no reason?" (Even if you don't think that is possible before you start reading.)

The book draws on research, stories and the interviews that Marci and her co-author, Carol Kline, did with who she calls the Happy 100 - 100 people she (and others) identified as very happy people. From the combination of all of that comes 21 Happiness Habits.

The thing I like best about this book is the focus on us being accountable for our own happiness, rather than looking for it externally. The book promises that in the title and delivers it throughout. Not every point will resonate with every reader, but it doesn't have to. There is more than enough here to help you create a happier self.

And a happier self will help you unleash your potential (and the potential of others) much easier and quicker.

Learn more and purchase at Amazon.com.

How Will I Become Healthier This Year?

Posted at 9:34 PM on Saturday, January 19, 2008

What Habit Will I Alter or Eliminate?

Posted at 8:31 AM on Tuesday, January 15, 2008

This is the tenth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The tenth question is:

What habit will I alter or eliminate?

This is a close cousin to question #9, and your answer may be even more powerful.

I have several habits I'd like to alter. Here are three examples:

I'd like to refrain from turning the television on without knowing what I am going to watch.
I'd like to discipline myself spend the last half hour of every day reading something uplifting and educational.
I'd like eliminate language or comments that could be seen as hurtful or mean to others - even if they are truly meant in jest.

While I am going to work on all of them, the first one - only turning the TV on when I know what I am going to watch is going to be my focus. Studies show American adults watch an average of four hours of TV per day (see here), and while I enjoy some television I don't nearly approach that on average (though some football Saturdays, Sundays and college basketball tournament time days head that direction!), I do find times when I seem to binge, or don't turn the set off.

For me the culprit is the times I just turn it on and surf. In these cases I'm not choosing to sit and watch with part of my family, and I don't have a particular program that I want to see. The reality of these situations is that when I turn the set on in these times I am procrastinating, and therefore actively (by turning on the set) moving away from my goals.

I do enjoy TV and don't want to banish from my house (I'd even like a new one on my wall), but I don want to manage it more effectively. Altering this habit will, for me make me happier, healthier and feel better about my results every day.

What more could we ask from a habit?

Think about this question, answer it, and take action. It is one more way to make your 2008 great!

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: habit, questions

What New Habit Will I Create?

Posted at 3:49 PM on Sunday, January 13, 2008

This is the ninth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The ninth question is:

What new habit will I create?

I plan to strengthen habits related to building and deepening relationships.

Included in this area are:

- sending more (and more timely) thank you notes.
- intentionally connecting more often - with colleagues, clients and other cool people.
- making time for friends, creating meaningful memories and conversations.

The key to making these happen is to take action. I have been and will be taking these actions, and along with making for more enjoyable conversations, it will also support me in reaching my other goals for the year.

Pretty good returns for some new habits.

What habits will create those kinds of returns for you? What new habit will you create?

I hope you will choose to share your answers in the comments to this post.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: habit, questions

What Relationship Do You Most Want to Develop?

Posted at 6:20 AM on Saturday, January 12, 2008

This is the eighth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The eighth question is:

What relationship(s) do I most want to develop?

While there are many relationships I want to deepen and develop, including some from my post to the last question, this question begs focus. And while I won't pick one person, I'll pick just three:

Lori - my wonderful wife
Parker - my quickly maturing 15 year old son
Kelsey - my beautiful 9 year old daughter

While there are many relationships that are important to me, none compare to these three. Whatever goals I have set, whatever plans I have made - and you have some sense of those if you have been following these posts - none of those matter if I don't have the most important people to me, ever closer to me.

More than the achievement of any other goals, accomplishing this will bring me success happiness and joy.

Several of the past projection questions have been inwardly focused. This one and some of those to come will be less so. I encourage you to consider this question, as well as the logical follow-up of "How are you going to deepen those relationship(s)?"

As with all of these questions, I welcome your comments and answers.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: questions, relationships

Five Daily Decisions That Will Change Your Life

Posted at 12:00 PM on Friday, January 11, 2008

We all make choices every day. In fact, one way to look at your life is to consider it as the sum total of all the choices you have made. It is easy to think about that in the big picture, think for example, about these choices:

Whether to finish High School (or not)
Whether to go to college (or not)
Where to go to college
What job(s) to take
Who to date/marry
Where to live
Whether or when to have children

Certainly these are the "big choices" and the ones that anyone would say have an impact on who you are at a given point in your life. However, while these are important questions, I do not believe they are the most important ones we make. I believe the most important choices are the ones we make every day - in many cases subconsciously. There are two reasons why the daily decisions are more important:

Because you will keep making them. The big choices listed above have been made in the past. Yes, you can choose to go back to school, have children, etc. But for the most part, those decisions are a part of your past and cannot be altered from the past perspective. But there are thousands of decisions you will keep making every minute of every day of your life.
Because you’ve made so many of them. The sheer volume of these decisions makes them important.

If you buy my idea that daily decisions are important, then which of them are among the most important? Here are five I believe will have a tremendous impact on your future - meaning that your choice will impact your future results. This isn't a complete list, and after reading these I am sure you will think of others that are especially important to you (I hope you will share those with me!). Here are my five important choices to get you started:

Listen more, talk less. Listening allows you to learn. Listening allows you to build relationships. And choosing to listen (rather than talk or do something else while someone is talking) is a choice we all make all day long. Need I say more?
Expect better (of yourself and others). Think about it, you tend to get what you expect - in terms of results, responses, and the performance of others. Expectations typically are based on experience, but all of that experience is in the past. In reality your expectations are a choice. If I told you that you could make a choice that would consistently improve your results, even if you "did" nothing more, would you be interested? Your expectations are exactly that. Choose to expect more, and more often than not you will welcome more in your life.
Trust others more. This could be considered a part of the last bullet point, but it is so important I'm separating it. If you want more trust in your life (at work, at home, anywhere), then choose to be more trusting. You can make this choice with every person you meet. Might that be a risk? Sure, but by making this decision a conscious one, you are improving the likelihood that you will have more trust and more trusting relationships in your life.
Match your actions with your goals. If your goal is to lose weight, then choose to leave the pantry and the refrigerator door closed. If you want to be better prepared for meeting, then prepare (now). If you say life balance is important to you, then choose to go home on time. If your goal is to read more, then turn off the television. These are just some examples of the daily (actually minute-by-minute) choices you can make. When you choose to align your action with your intentions, you can create miracles.
Choose now. Your future begins right now. Make choices that will create the future you want. Make the choice and take the action.

Og Mandino wrote in his wonderful book, The Greatest Miracle in the World, that we should "use wisely our power of choice." The five choices above are among these choices that we all make all day long.

When we make these choices wisely, we will create more of the results we desire.

Your life (and successes) is made up of the choices and decisions you make. Making these five choices will improve your personal and professional life, your results and your relationships in both the short and long term.

The Amazon Kindle

Posted at 11:52 AM on

A few days before Thanksgiving, Amazon introduced an electronic book reader. It isn't the first of these tools, but it is the first from Amazon, and the first that doesn't require a computer to buy or download the books you want to read. The Kindle is self-contained and the first major product in this category.

About a week later, my wife ordered one for me as a Christmas gift. She said it was "the perfect gift for me" - a blend of technology and books, two things I love. She also said it felt like it was a gift for her as well - since fewer "real" books might show up in our house! She was right - it is the perfect gift (however, books will still show up in our house and my office!). Apparently I'm not the only person for whom this is a perfect gift; about a week after they became available, they went on back order. She ordered mine November 30th, and it arrived January 4th.

Actually this tool is more than a book reader - you can subscribe to newspapers, magazines and blogs as well as choosing from more than 90,000 books (priced significantly less than buying a physical book).

I realize not everyone is an avid reader like me and so for many this might not be the "perfect gift" or even something you are interested in. But as people interested in personal and professional development I do believe The Kindle (and other similar products) is a tool that is a part of the future and therefore something you need to be aware of.

If you want to learn more about this great tool, you can check out Amazon for tons of photos, videos, descriptions and reviews and/or you can follow the thoughts of one of my blogging colleagues Lisa Haneberg here, here, here and here.

As Lisa says in her first post - Books Rule! and The Kindle rules!

Learn more and purchase at Amazon.co m.

Who Do I Want to Meet?

Posted at 9:17 AM on Thursday, January 10, 2008

This is the seventh post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The seventh question is:

Who do I want to meet?

Oooh, I love this question!

I have a long list of people that I want to meet. Some are people that I already "know" from online and phone conversations, but that I look forward to meeting. People like:

(This is a partial list!)

I also am looking forward to meeting large groups of John Deere dealers (which I will do in sessions over the next couple of weeks), many new Clients and participants, all of those who are our partners in promoting Remarkable Leadership, and many other members of the Top Sales Experts group.

I also have a long list of "famous" people I would like to meet for a variety of reasons. I wasn't going to share this list, but I decided that by sharing these names I may be improving my chances of meeting them. (Who knows, maybe they, a family member, or colleague will read this - or maybe you know these people!)

Here is part of that list:

- All of the former Presidents
- Oprah (ok, so I want be more than meet her, I want to be a guest on her show!)
- Vince Gill (and while we are at it, my wife would like to meet his wife, Amy Grant)
- Garth Brooks
- Seth Godin
- Larry King
- Warren Bennis
- Patrick Lencioni
- Tony Dungy
- Jimmy Buffett
- Warren Buffett
- Joe Vitale
- Mark Joyner
- Michael Masterson

I want to meet these people for a variety of reasons, but the one reason that is in common is to learn from them. I admire all of these people in one or more ways and I believe that in meeting them I could learn more than I could from afar.

I encourage you to ask yourself this question and think big - not only those people who you "know" you will meet (like, in my case future participants and Clients), but also build a list of those that might be a bit more of a stretch.

One of the things that answering this question (on paper) does for me is that it helps me realize that making this happen in many cases is easier than I might first think. Even in reviewing this list to write this post I am energized by the connections and network that I already have that can help make some of these meetings.

Of course, I am open to your introductions to any of these people as well!

So, again, let me ask you - who do you want to meet (this year)?

As with all of these questions, I welcome your comments and answers.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: network, questions, relationships

What Will I Learn?

Posted at 8:56 AM on Wednesday, January 09, 2008

This is the sixth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The sixth question is:

What will I learn?

I believe this question is extremely powerful because it makes us intentional and conscious as learners. In many ways this is the necessary follow-up question to the second in this series - What are my goals?

Why?

Because when we set goals by definition identifying gaps in our knowledge.

In my experience most goals require more than just time or other resources - they also require that we learn some things! So if you have been following this thread and (hopefully) answering these questions for yourself, go back to question 2 and start there in creating your learning list for 2008.

My list for 2008 includes:

- How to use and extend Web 2.0 tools for the benefit of our clients - current and future.
- How create and tell stories more effectively.
- Write to elicit more emotion from the reader.
- implement ideas with greater speed.
- ways to collaborate more effectively.

As with many of these questions, I haven't shared my full list, but rather a sampling. If you are also interested in learning these things, or if you may be able to help me as a mentor, coach, or teacher, let me know - I am VERY open to learning these things in any way that I can!

As with all of these questions, I welcome your comments and answers.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: learning, questions

How Will I Apply My Most Valuable Lessons From Last Year?

Posted at 9:49 PM on Monday, January 07, 2008

This is the fifth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The fifth question is:

How will I apply my most valuable lessons of last year in the New Year?

To answer this question, you must know your most valuable lessons from last year.

Duh.

The best (and perhaps only if you haven't already thought about it) way to answer this question is by doing the reflecting questions earlier in this series. If you missed them, click the links in the paragraph above. :)

For me the way I will apply my biggest lessons will be to make decisions consistent with those lessons. For me this includes, asking for help, deciding on what is most important, planning my time more effectively and being more focused. My biggest lessons from last year require me to make different choices.

On most counts (though not all) I am doing much better than I had in the past. This shouldn't be a surprise - success is, after all a journey.

While it is a journey, it does begin with decisions - decisions that play a big role applying my lessons from last year.

As with all of these questions, I welcome your comments and answers.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: learning, questions

How Will I Strengthen My Strengths?

Posted at 9:25 PM on Sunday, January 06, 2008

This is the fourth post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The fourth question is:

How will I strengthen my strengths?

I will strengthen my strengths in several ways.

I will recognize them.
I will be grateful for them.
I will practice them.
I will teach them.

While you may have more specific answers, based on your strengths, I believe that all of us can answer this question at least in part this way.

This series and this blog in general are two of the ways that I will strengthen my strengths, and I hope you see that it mirrors all four of my points above.

As with all of these questions, I welcome your comments and answers.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: learning, questions, strengths

Creating Fresh Air (and What That Has to Do With Your Organizational Environment)

Posted at 5:30 PM on Saturday, January 05, 2008

For years there have been a variety of ways to freshen the air indoors. You can use a spray air freshener, open a door, light a candle, or in more recent years plug a device into the wall that freshens the air continually. Recently, I've also noticed a new type of air freshener called a diffuser.

A diffuser is a table-top device that consists of a bottle, aromatic oil, and some tubular reeds. The reeds are placed into the bottle filled with the oil, and the oil is slowly diffused into the air by the reeds through a wicking effect. This simple device provides ongoing scent into the air for a long time (weeks/months).

I've been thinking about these various air freshening tools and comparing them to the tools or approaches you might use to modify or influence a working environment or an organizational culture. A leader is responsible for creating a culture and, just like someone who wants to freshen a room, they must consider which tools to use.

Let's look at the various room freshening tools and start to consider their corollaries for leaders creating a working environment.

Opening the door. Opening a door is the least intrusive way to change air quality in a room, and assuming the air is better on the other side of the door, it will make a difference. This process will be slow and is risky - if the air on the other side of the door changes, you have little control over what happens in the room you are trying to adjust.
The Diffuser. The diffuser is consistently, continually influencing the air quality. Once it is in place, and assuming the oil has a favorable scent, it will continue to have a positive impact on the environment. This impact won't be immediate or strong, but will provide an underlying, pleasant smell in the room - one that is almost not noticed unless it is needed to counteract an offensive odor.
The Candle. Like a diffuser, a candle will impact the scent of a room in a subtle way. It will provide that effect as long as it is active - and only when fueled by an external source (the flame). Note too that to begin to work, specific action must be taken, the wick must be lit; when it isn't lit, there is no real effect on air quality.
A Plug-in. In more recent years the plug-in air freshener has become popular. It provides a similar effect as the diffuser, but again requires external power to create an impact.
A Scented Spray. A scented spray can create a nice smell in a room. It is usually used to cover up another smell, and, while pleasant smelling, it can be a bit harsh (especially if your nose passes through a recent spray). It is by nature, temporary.
An Anti-bacterial spray. These room fresheners are typically used when there is a real problem. If you walk into a room soon after these have been sprayed, the room will smell OK, but it will be very obvious that something has changed. These sprays will provide the most immediate change, but also may have the shortest-term impact. These sprays will not solve a long-term problem without constant re-spraying with harsh smells!

What Does it All Mean?

Is any one of these tools the perfect answer to room freshening? Not at all. In much the same way, leaders must use a variety of approaches to mold, manage and influence the culture and working environment they want to create. While I believe there are many lessons and corollaries between these two ideas, let me share three important ones:

You are responsible. There will always be air in a room and there will always be an organizational culture - both are natural occurrences. Anyone can take responsibility for freshening the air or even better for impacting the environment in a positive way. And if no one does, it might get pretty stagnant and smelly.
Use the right tool at the right time. There is a time for all of the air fresheners above - each has a place. At the same time there are some that will work better longer and serve as a preventative for challenges and changes. When people consider using those, they will need to intervene with the harsher, immediate impact tools less frequently.
Consider the diffuser. The diffuser manages the environment through initial conscious action - selecting the oil to be used. When leaders select the right oil to create the right environment, they create a pleasing working environment that leads to higher level of productivity, satisfaction, results and more.

The longer I thought about this article the more rich the connections and metaphor became for me. I have shared some of my thoughts with you. I invite you to consider this metaphor for yourself and consider what lessons you can take from it to become a more effective leader and influencer of the work environment around you.

Execution - The Discipline of Getting Things Done By Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Posted at 5:21 PM on

This is one of those books that has been on my radar since it first came out in 2002. Then again, if you follow business books, it wasn't hard for it to make the radar screen because it was a bestseller.

I've just recently picked it up because stronger execution of the plans for The Kevin Eikenberry Group is one of my goals for the coming year. I'm glad I did.

Books can become bestsellers because of a number of factors:

A great title (this one has that).
Well known authors (this one has that).
Accomplished and experienced authors who know their stuff (this one has that).
Great content that is usable in the real world (this one has that too).

I knew about the first three factors before I picked it up, as I read the book, the fourth point became clear. Perhaps there is no stronger recommendation for a book than to say it will influence your actions and results. I believe this book will do both for me.

If you want to learn more about how to put strategy into action, and to understand your role in making that happen, you will want to read this book.

Learn more and purchase at Amazon.com.

How Will I Best Use My Skills?

Posted at 10:47 AM on

This is the third post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The third question is:

How will I best use my skills?

My answer to this one is simple. I will use my skills to serve others.

I believe this approach I allows me to not only serve others, but reach my personal and business goals, and ultimately make the world a better place.

I plan to do this by writing, speaking, listening, consulting, and training. I plan to do this by caring about the needs of others.

So, how will you best use your skills, as an individual, as a team member, as a leader (insert any other role in your life here)?

As with all of these questions, I welcome your comments and even your answers.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: goals, learning, questions, skills

What Are Your Five Most Important Goals For This Year?

Posted at 7:01 AM on Friday, January 04, 2008

This is the second post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

The second question is:

What are my five most important goals for this year?

While I believe it is valuable to share your most important goals with one or a few people (specifically people who will be supportive of you reaching those goals), I don't know that I want to share ALL of my most important goals with the entire world in this forum. Besides our family goal setting for the year isn't finished (we will work on that more this evening), so I couldn't present a completely prioritized list anyway.

Having said all that, I am prepared to share some of my goals here. Here are some of them:

- I will successfully complete the Indianapolis Mini Marathon in May.
- I will return to my goal weight of 178 (I wasn't very diligent in this area during the holidays).
- I will complete my next book.
- I will be a much more active blogger.
- I will learn more and be more active as a social networker.

After reading this list, I encourage you to read my last post. When you compare the lists from these two posts you will notice similarities. I hope that when you have answered these two questions you will find similarities as well. Having goals that you are genuinely excited about improves your chances for success significantly.

Note too that I have already taken daily steps towards all of these goals - and if you want to reach a goal, you need to be actively taking steps towards them.

1. I have been training for the Mini (which addresses the first two goals)
2. I have been outlining the new book over the past several weeks - and spend mental time on it last night while driving.
3. This very series of posts is a part of my strategy to be a more active blogger.
4. I've taken the plunge and joined Facebook. I'd love for you request friend ship with me if you are a member, or you could become a member, and know you'll have one friend right away!

If you haven't started your goal setting for the New Year, now is a great time. I encourage you to do all of the questions in this process as a part of that process. If you already have the goals set, great - doing the reflective questions and the rest of the projective questions will accelerate you towards success.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: goals, questions

What Excites You About The New Year?

Posted at 1:41 PM on Wednesday, January 02, 2008

This is the first post in a continuing series designed to help you create a great 2008 - using questions to reflect on last year, and project into the future. All of the questions and additional information can be found in this tool, available for you to download now.

Here then is the first of the 13 projection questions . . .

What excites me about the New Year?

The list of things that excite me about 2008 is a long one. Here are some key ones:

- I am excited by the opportunity to travel overseas with my family.
- I am excited about writing my next book.
- I am excited to learn more about social networks, and build connections with more people.
- I am excited to complete some major projects with my wife.
- I am excited to impact the lives of many people and organizations through our consulting training and speaking services.
- I am excited to help people on their paths towards becoming remarkable leaders.
- I am excited about watching my kids grow up.

Thinking about the things that excite us is a great place to start in goal and resolution setting. While we'll talk more about that tomorrow, I encourage you to start getting excited, by thinking about what excites you!

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: goals, questions, resolutions

Reflecting Before Creating Your Resolutions

Posted at 7:55 PM on Tuesday, January 01, 2008

At this time of the year, either just before or just after the New Year begins, many people set resolutions for the coming year. One of the reasons that many people don't succeed with the resolutions they set is that they haven't put those resolutions in context - they haven't reflected on the past to set goals that will have a better chance of success.

This is why I created the 26 Questions to Make Your 2008 Great tool.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been answering the first thirteen reflection questions. Here is the list, and the links to those posts.

1. What did I learn this year?
2. What did I accomplish this year?
3. Which accomplishments am I proudest of?
4. Knowing what I know now, what would I have done differently?
5. What will be my greatest lasting memories of this year?
6. In what ways did I contribute?
7. What were my biggest challenges or obstacles?
8. What obstacles did I overcome?
9. Who are the most interesting people I met?
10. How have they changed my life?
11. How am I different now than I was at the start of the year?
12. What am I most grateful for?
13. What else do I want to reflect on?

Reflection is of course only half the picture. The picture of Janus, the Roman God of beginnings and endings (and the root of the name of January) at the start of this post is on purpose. We must look back to learn and set context, then when we look forward in projection, we will have much greater success.

In this spirit, I will blog for the next thirteen days on the 13 projection questions in my free tool. I invite you to join me to read and answer the questions for yourself. I hope you will comment and if you blog, pick one or more of these questions to answer on your blog as well.

The point of all of this is to help all of us create a great 2008.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.

Also posted in Leadership, Learning and Training.

Labels: learning, questions, reflection, resolutions

Begin to Unleash Your Remarkable Potential today!

Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential is Kevin Eikenberry’s guide to helping you have amazing success while developing your professional and personal potential.

For more information, visit Unleashing Your Remarakble Potential to read past issues and either subscribe to the ezine or the Blog.

A Remarkable Opportunity

Posted at 9:25 AM on Tuesday, January 29, 2008