tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66480032009-12-30T08:27:13.184-08:00The Leadership Blog of KEvin Eikenberry and The Kevin Eikenberry Group. This blog explores ideas and insights, resources and revelations about the art and science of leading others and ourselves.Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.comBlogger395125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-47727009080847275022009-12-04T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-04T09:00:03.779-08:00

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-6648003.post-12994570261127341432008-11-18T04:34:00.000-08:002008-11-18T05:41:10.297-08:00

I've recently revised my blogging process somewhat. Over the last several years I have written over 370 posts that relate to leadership in some way that have shown up here. All of those posts are archived here and aren't going anywhere.All new writing about leadership though will be housed on a new blog - the Unleashing Your Leadership Potential blog. I have done this to coordinate, compile,

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-76935507057949688292008-11-15T03:09:00.001-08:002008-11-15T03:09:16.635-08:00

For years I've asked people, "What's the good word today?"  My intention always was to get people thinking about something positive and if they were thinking something positive to share it with me so I could benefit too!Unfortunately far too often people can't come up with a good word - or in many cases a word at all.As I said, I've asked this question for years, until it has almost become a

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-88529293208663142022008-11-14T02:39:00.001-08:002008-11-14T02:39:46.720-08:00

I've been thinking about choice a lot lately - for myself and the implications it has for us as leader. Here is a case in point - what I sent to our Powerquotes subscribers earlier this week - "You can always do what you want to do. This is true with every act. You may say that you had to do something, or that you were forced to, but actually, whatever you do, you do by choice. Only you have the

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-80018259654430967282008-11-12T16:56:00.001-08:002008-11-12T16:56:59.802-08:00

Ryan, the good looking middle-aged executive that everyone loves is in a tragic car accident, and when awakens from a brief coma, the worst has occurred.  He has amnesia!  He can't remember any one or anything at all.  Suddenly he is beginning life new, with no clue about the people he knows or the strategies that have made him who he is . . .Ryan is a make-believe person, and the story is ripped

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-63363140737346573592008-10-31T06:58:00.000-07:002008-10-31T06:59:32.413-07:00

Happy Halloween! While this has never been my favorite holiday (that is the subject of a different post), I realize it has become one of the most popular of all holidays - for children and adults.In the spirit of the day, I believe there are some lessons for all of us as leaders that we can take from Halloween - and largely they come from the opposites of Halloween traditions. Let me explain.To

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-70501992577613817372008-10-27T05:02:00.001-07:002008-10-27T05:02:27.686-07:00

All of us can be leaders. You can be a (Remarkable) leader. I've said it, and written it, but I'm not the first (and I won't be the last - Seth Godin talks about this idea extensively in his new book Tribes).It doesn't matter what I write, what Seth writes or what we believe. It only matters what you believe.Are there people that you know that seem to have some leadership skills you don't have?

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-56726570177512380202008-10-15T04:09:00.000-07:002008-10-15T04:10:49.839-07:00

The other day my son commented that his mother and I were being judgemental. this came after I made a comment about something as we drove down the road.My immediate response was that I wasn't judging, but making an observation. This led to a spirited conversation in our car about the differences between observation and judgement. The differences are huge and we see them every day. Here are a

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-41512680960250897622008-10-13T06:58:00.000-07:002008-10-13T08:03:35.400-07:00

Here's the question:Are you managing your projects, or are your projects managing you?This question is much more than a play on words or a time management query.The question is about planning and focus. It is a question which begs us to put our projects in the proper big picture perspective.Perhaps most of all this question encourages you to think about whether you are proactive or reactive.While

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-19427184889815458242008-10-09T11:36:00.000-07:002008-10-09T11:37:44.996-07:00

In this election season, I decided to share a few quotations from U.S. Presidents about leadership itself.Here's the one I shared with our Powerquotes list today:"I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, becauseonce I have persuaded him he will stick. If I scare him, hewill stay as long as he is scared and then he is gone."-- Dwight D. EisenhowerAnd here are a couple more . . ."Change

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-77552914004884753672008-10-08T04:30:00.000-07:002008-10-08T04:31:45.076-07:00

There are many criteria we can use to vote for a particular candidate. I'm most interested in one of those criteria - which candidate, Barack Obama or John McCain, do you feel has the strongest leadership skills?Please share your ideas by voting on our Presidential Leadership survey. You will have the chance to compare each candidate on 12 leadership competencies from my book Remarkable

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-5697430511127953332008-10-07T05:55:00.001-07:002008-10-07T05:55:41.283-07:00

As our election grows ever closer, I continue to watch the candidates, watching for lessons that we can apply as leaders everyday. In conversations recently with friends and colleagues I have mentioned that I believe both candidates would be better served by talking straight, even if it means acknowledging the similarities between their positions.While we as leaders don't find ourselves under the

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-78964325931370081222008-10-03T06:22:00.000-07:002008-10-03T06:24:08.909-07:00

You are entering a no politics zone...So if you want political commentary or biased spin, you are in the wrong place. :)I watched the Vice Presidential Debate last night from two perspectives. As a voter I wanted to hear what both had to say. But I also wanted to see what I could glean from it from a leadership development and learning perspective.To be Remarkable Leaders, we must communicate

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-88920195400151996902008-10-01T06:28:00.000-07:002008-10-01T06:29:14.767-07:00

Enough about bailouts, that is what I say! Actually, you can see and hear what I say... right here:If you would like to get better at the skills I suggest: delegation, engagement, sharing responsbility and more, you might want to register for my Remarkable Leaders Share Responsbility teleseminar for October 7 at 2 pm.What suggestions would you add to mine?

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-32125291807428468992008-09-17T12:05:00.000-07:002008-09-17T12:06:19.549-07:00

Here I am combining my love or learning and of beer to share a lesson relevant to us as leaders and marketers:Learning and education is a tremendous relationship building opportunity.When we help people learn new things, we are deepening our relationship with them.

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-43776441172129208272008-09-15T12:48:00.001-07:002008-09-15T12:48:41.523-07:00

I was fortunate to be a guest on Nan Russell's Work Matters radio show recently. That show is now available online to listen or download as a podcast.My interview begins about half way through the show, and I believe, is one of the best I have given to date on leadership, learning what it means to be a Remarkable Leader.I hope you will listen, and share it with others.

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-35423771356884628582008-09-15T05:15:00.001-07:002008-09-15T05:15:48.555-07:00

"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.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-56709782576643847782008-09-05T05:54:00.001-07:002008-09-05T05:54:20.312-07:00

That was the message of the short keynote I gave last week to Rainmakers, a fast growing, difference making business networking organization in Indianapolis last week. My goal was convince them that everyone is a leader, and that we can all become Remarkable leaders too.They've posted the full keynote here.I hope you will take a look and share it with your colleagues and fellow leaders.(If you'd

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-52857318170407567502008-09-01T10:45:00.000-07:002008-09-01T10:46:19.587-07:00

This is a question that politicians and the news media have been talking about for some time. With the announcement of Gov. Sarah Palin as Senator McCain's running mate last Friday, the conversation has grown louder.This post isn't about politics, and will leave you to draw your own conclusions. It isn't written from the right, left or center, but from the perspective of leadership. While I

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-6639915167731692782008-08-25T06:50:00.000-07:002008-08-25T06:51:57.054-07:00

Re-found a favorite Buckminster Fuller quotation in my journal this morning.I seem to be a verb.This is a very powerful thought to me.A verb is an action word. While all of us "take action" (breathing after all is an action), some will spend their day replying to email or just "attending" meetings. Others will "be a verb".I want to create something new each day.I want to lead in a proactive way.I

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-66357200534113566362008-08-19T09:18:00.001-07:002008-08-19T09:18:46.208-07:00

Recently I was introduced to Nancy Fursetzer, owner of Silver Linings Unlimited in Minneapolis, and Founder and CEO of The Positician Training Institute. After a phone call that ended with me feeling I'd know Nancy for a long time, I wanted to share some of her message with you.Here is a portion of an interview I did (via email) with her.Kevin: What does the word "Positician" mean?Nancy: A

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-59355988610200348202008-08-06T06:46:00.000-07:002008-08-06T06:48:23.768-07:00

Dan McCarthy of the Great Leadership Blog is hosting the second monthly Leadership Development Carnival, and I want you check it out! It features 41 posts on leadership and leadership development, including one from me and one from All Things Workplace, this year's Best of Leadership Blogs winner.Considering today is also the first day of the Great Indiana State Fair, I'm hungry for some fair

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-21565374740673691722008-08-05T18:18:00.001-07:002008-08-05T18:18:54.146-07:00

We are pleased to announce All Things Workplace by Steve Roesler as the winner of the second annual Best of Leadership Blogs Competition!As the winner, Steve will receive complementary six month Silver membership in the Remarkable Leadership Learning System (a value of over $750!) to use for himself or one of his readers. He will also be given the logo you see above to place proudly on his

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-39013996004215688562008-07-31T07:36:00.001-07:002008-07-31T07:36:26.712-07:00

Authors Carmine Coyote, Peter Vajda, and John Fletcher of Slow Leadership offer interesting and challenging articles to help readers think through issues and find ways to enjoy life and work to the fullest.They believe "slow leaders" are only slow in making decisions or jumping to conclusions and that it's essential to think more clearly and make better choices, free from today's obsession with

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648003.post-44312276313297518232008-07-29T12:14:00.000-07:002008-07-29T12:15:04.369-07:00

My friend and project management expert Jim Brosseau just published his latest issue of the Clarrus Compendium, and he talks about an important distinction in team performance.Here is how it begins . . .In many shops, I have seen situations where one person (or perhaps a few, but it is always a minority) appears to be getting in the way, and the perception is that they need to be sent on their

Kevin Eikenberryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04997336500282309016noreply@blogger.com0