tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66479842009-12-30T11:59:40.551-05:00This is the Creativity Blog of Kevin Eikenberry and The Kevin Eikenberry Group. Join in to learn more and be inspired to reach your creative potential!Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-22529905547223054842009-12-04T09:00:00.001-05:002009-12-04T09:00:09.891-05:00

This was the home of my blog from March 2004- November 2009.  Here you will find over 870 posts about leadership, training, learning and more.  I wrote here to help you become more effective and successful in all parts of your life. My business (and yours) looks different than it did in 2004 - and the world of blogging and blog tools is certainly different as well. For all of those reasons, I

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-81381811748039557272009-10-06T09:30:00.001-04:002009-10-06T09:30:55.356-04:00

This is the sixth in a series of 16 daily posts celebrating my 16th anniversary in business with 16 lessons I've learned. Scroll down to read others, or read the introductory post here.....Creativity and innovation has been something I've done more than dabble in over the past 16 years. I think I have always been interested, but while I was still at Chevron, I had the chance to teach a two day

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-10195998833124722482009-01-27T12:31:00.001-05:002009-01-27T12:31:15.166-05:00

Today in Illinois the impeachment trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich begins. Today in Chicago, the Hard Rock Hotel begins a promotion called: "Blagojewhichever You'd Like" package. (you can read all about it here: Hotel Turns Blagojevish into Publicity Scandal.At some level, this post is about marketing and public relations. But really only on the surface. Just barefully underneath that transluent

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-24247956083959591862008-11-28T07:37:00.000-05:002008-11-28T07:38:09.988-05:00

I just opened an email that told me I have been named a Distinguished Author by Best Management Articles. I don't share that to brag or make some sort of pronouncement. I share it here for the lesson it gives to all of us.If you want something, you must take action.I've been writing articles for several years - well over 300 of them at this point (not counting over 700 blog posts). In that time I

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-43453925821398903232008-10-10T17:24:00.000-04:002008-10-10T17:25:21.787-04:00

I've long been a proponent of aiding your creative process by reading from a variety of sources, and have on many occasions purchased a random magazine to read. This excellent awareness post from my friend Jim Canterucci takes this idea further.By subscribing to magazines rather than reading a single issue you immerse yourself into a new perspective and I believe more, and perhaps better new

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-1397713631323105452008-09-15T08:22:00.001-04:002008-09-15T08:22:35.700-04:00

"A poem is no place for an idea."- Edgar Watson HoweThis quotation isn't a slam on poems. But the audience of poem readers is (relatively) small.If you have an idea that you want to spread, it must be shared in places where people will see it, hear it, read it and talk about it.What is your idea?How are you sharing it?Don't hide it, expose it. Don't whisper it, shout it. Make it real, make it

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-25445608002821085432008-08-29T11:16:00.001-04:002008-08-29T11:16:38.443-04:00

One of my team members, Jenny Pratt, our resident pop culture expert has been telling me about Project Runway - a television show on Bravo for some time. She keeps telling me I need to watch it and why. So I asked her to write it all down, so we could share it with you. Here's Jenny . . .Among other things, September is called "Cable TV Month" (although in my house every month could be called

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-17482806022668382762008-06-10T06:42:00.000-04:002008-06-10T06:43:22.887-04:00

If you've ever taken a shower or gone on a walk, then you've had an idea. If you've ever been to a meeting, then you've either shared or heard an idea. And even though you've had plenty of new ideas, do you consider yourself creative? Many people don't - no matter how many new ideas they have each day.If you think idea generation is directly related to innovation, and you don't think you are very

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-62071495973382563582008-05-30T16:57:00.001-04:002008-05-30T16:58:21.087-04:00

When you first look at this large (11x8.5), hardcover book, your first thought might not be "What It Is", but rather "what is it?" The cover sets the stage for the book, in fact it looks much like every page inside - a mixture of drawings, words, doodles, and collage that at once instructs and confounds, inspires and confuses.The book is categorized by the book standards as a graphic comic or

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-74164932753733597692008-05-23T08:30:00.001-04:002008-05-23T08:30:58.792-04:00

In this recent New York Times article there is good news!It seems that a broader attention span (that we tend to have more of as we grow older), helps with problem solving, creativity and may be the source of what we think of as wisdom.This is good news for a guy with a birthday coming up!This is a interesting article with implications for us as learners and for creativity and innovation. I

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-64781902004349547972008-03-02T11:38:00.001-05:002008-03-02T11:42:09.862-05:00

Last night over 500 friends and Alumni of Purdue University gathered in Indianapolis for the inaugural Boilermaker Ball. The dress for this event, sponsored by the Purdue Alumni Association, was promoted as "creative black tie." The people that I talked to before the event all mentioned this, and I participated in several conversations including the question "exactly what is creative black tie?"I

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-2693524220667351292008-02-24T09:43:00.000-05:002008-02-24T09:44:14.715-05:00

Sue Melone, writer of the Boldtrek blog and I chatted on the phone last week. She opened our conversation with a question. If you have read this blog for any time at all, you know I love great questions. She asked one of the best:"What bold thing have you done this week?"You know a great question, because even when you know the answer, you pause.I paused.We talked about variations of this

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-82150609626474292722008-02-22T14:34:00.001-05:002008-02-22T14:36:41.805-05:00

In the USA Today yesterday I read about a new book called Not Quite What I was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. The title tells you the premise - you have just six words to write your memoir. You can read examples and contribute your own (perhaps in the next book!) here.This exercise got me thinking about ways you could apply this concept for focus and clarity - even if

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-42612476686130646982008-02-01T10:58:00.001-05:002008-02-01T10:58:23.804-05:00

Each year Punxsutawney Phil comes up from his hole on Groundhog Day to see about the world around him and look for his shadow (or not). Media from around the world will cover this event (I haven't quite figured out why). You can learn more about this event and it's history from the official site. But this isn't exactly why I am writing on Groundhog Day Eve.Like I said, Phil comes up out of his

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-48262160497859084882007-12-08T10:34:00.000-05:002007-12-08T10:35:11.606-05:00

Last week I attended the 2007 Author Pow Wow sponsored by 800-CEO-Read. At the end of the two day event the participants were asked to share a single word that encapsulated their feelings and thoughts about our time together.Words included: fun, invogorating, energy, relationships, genersoity, memorable, learning, and fattening (that was right on Ben). I chose the word Remarkable. The group

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-3633796662016553152007-11-28T07:31:00.001-05:002007-11-28T07:31:45.607-05:00

Join me tonight (November 28th)…When I am interviewed about creativity by master publicist and best selling author Rick Frishman.You can join this tele-seminar, titled Remarkable Creativity! Enhancing Personal and Group Creativity at no cost, except the cost of your phone call.At the end of this session you will:- Recognize your creative potential.- Be able to list at least 7 strategies of

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-39353217062109065702007-08-30T09:26:00.000-04:002007-08-30T09:27:15.949-04:00

I have a new hero - Denny Flanagan. Denny is a pilot for United Airlines and was the focus of a a front page article in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal. You can read the article here.Captain Denny does a variety of things for his passengers - and none of them are in the United employee handbook. Here are just a few examples:- he takes pictures of people's pets in the cargo area and show them to

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-34841818385528138702007-08-14T07:37:00.000-04:002007-08-14T07:38:18.581-04:00

We recently set up a YouTube Channel. Included so far are a couple of short clips of me speaking, a preview of a poem I wrote put to music, and a video of my daughter Kelsey and her efforts to help market my new book, Remarkable Leadership.This channel has been up for a few days and there will be far more videos here in the future. Check it out, watch the videos, and subscribe so you know when we

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-43463631497025816932007-03-09T07:49:00.001-05:002007-03-09T07:49:25.942-05:00

It seems everywhere I look, turn or listen I find messages about gratitude. I've always been a person who tries to "count my blessings" and be grateful for the wonderful (and even the not-so-wonderful) things in my life.I believe that when we need greater lessons and understanding of a topic or idea, if we listen, those lessons will be made available to us. The more I "notice" lessons on

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-47371452441503837902007-03-07T06:51:00.000-05:002007-03-07T06:52:19.035-05:00

It seems that in every organization I work they claim to have more acronyms than any other organization. Actually, they all seem to have equally large numbers of them. We even have them in our own small organization. Acronyms are a series of letters used as an abbreviated form of a longer phrase. CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), and LSU (Louisiana State

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-14648022023382271802007-03-01T11:15:00.001-05:002007-03-01T11:25:06.990-05:00

Last weekend my son Parker and I played a game of Go.Parker (14 and a freshman in High School) has been reading about, studying and playing Go for several months. For a variety of reasons he and I hadn't sat down to play since he was first learning.In a role reversal, Parker was the expert and I the neophyte as we played the game. While this reversal could make an interesting blog post in itself,

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-55116917009388460012007-02-21T07:42:00.000-05:002007-02-21T07:43:26.006-05:00

Yesterday I posted my first YouTube video with some comments about presentation skills. I encourage you to read it here.This connection to Michael Jordan and Mars Blackman/Spike Lee popped into my head and as I continued to think yesterday about effective presentations. Most people who are going to give a presentation focus on certain aspects of it, figuring that these things are the

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-86148668380325375632007-02-05T10:47:00.001-05:002007-02-05T10:47:39.764-05:00

In the month of the January I thought a lot about resistance, as it was the focus of The Remarkable Leadership Learning System for the month. Due in part to that fact, I also wrote this article (Why We Avoid Resistance) for my newsletter, Unleash Your Potential.When I read this quote, I shook my head an said "YES!" Even though no one was around. Buckminster Fuller was a smart guy and this

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-1169551447845253982007-01-23T06:23:00.000-05:002007-01-23T06:24:07.856-05:00

Whoonu is a great game with a funny name. I heard about it around Christmas time from a couple of sources, then played it at my Mom's house before New Years. Then I bought a copy (actually I bought two).We've played it at home (Kelsey, my 8 year old) loves it, and I've introduced it to others.I reviewed it in my newsletter, Unleash Your Potential recently (you'll find it here). One of the

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6647984.post-1168634181323925382007-01-12T15:36:00.000-05:002007-01-12T15:39:22.283-05:00

An old friend (thanks Joe!) sent me a link to an amazing page today. It is called the Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, it looks like, well, the Periodic Table of Elements (duh).But what it does in this format is provide 93 ways to visualize or look at information. It cleverly categorizes these methods in a variety of ways, AND as you hover over any individual method a window pops up and

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com1