Kevin's Blog

Moving to a New Blogging Platform

2009-12-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

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 am now blogging in a new location, using new tools. While the name of the blog has changed (it is now Leadership & Learning with Kevin Eikenberry), my goals haven't changed - I write to help you tap into and move closer to your remarkable potential.

However you found this page, whether you were referred, found it from a search engine or you bookmarked us long ago. I hope you will follow over to the new blog to continue to learn, grow and be a part of our expanding community of leaders and learners.

The Secret Service, The Salahi's and Some Leadership Lessons

2009-12-01T06:19:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving weekend 2009 in the United States will be remembered for two news stories. Tiger Woods and his SUV, and the White House State Dinner Crashers, Tareq and Michaele Salahi. I'll leave Tiger for the tabloids, but I found leadership lessons in the "Partycrahser" story.

The Salahi's

Regardless of what you think of the Salahi's stunt, their motives, or the aftermath, I believe there is a lesson for us all in this story: they had a goal and they went for it.

Seriously now, how are you as committed to your goals as they were to meeting the President (or getting into the event, or getting the publicity - again their motives are not my point)?

Are you willing to stick your neck out, take risks and try things that haven't been successful in the past in order to reach your goals?

If you are, congratulations. I believe that for most of us, the answer is no.

And if the answer is no, why isn't your passion that high and your commitment that strong?

That is a question that is worth thinking about.

While I am not suggesting we break the law to reach our goals, I am suggesting that there is likely more you could be doing - I know there is more that I could be doing - to reach our goals faster.

Of course we can translate these questions into a leadership perspective as well, and ask ourselves if we are supporting people's passion and commitment as much as we could.

These are some of the things the Salahi story story got me thinking about.

The Secret Service

These events also got me thinking about the Secret Service, and an important leadership lesson that I find in their actions/inactions. Without going into the details, details that we may never know anyway, clearly the Secret Service had/has a process problem. Perhaps thay have a performance management issue with specific employees, but from what I have read, they also have a process improvement opportunity (the press calls it a breech - we call it a process problem).

Likely the flaws or improvement opportunities in your organization's processes won't be as drastic or become as public as these have, but it reminds us that even our most important and perhaps most used work processes may need improvement.

The securty process for State Dinners will likely be improved in the coming weeks. But would they have been if not for the Salahi's?

I think not.

Consider this a cautionary tale of the dangers of the comfort zone and the need for us as leaders to be proactive. Like the Secret Service, your most critical processes won't be reviewed until you have a problem, or you as a leader take the iniative to have a review, or a process improvement team look for opportunities.

In both parts of the story, the choice is yours - choose to be committed and choose to be proactive.

The choices are yours.

The Power of the Written Note

2009-11-29T08:33:00.000-05:00

You've heard it your whole life, and your mother probably taught you too. Handwritten notes are important and say something about who you are and your sincerity in regards to the message in the note.

You heard it again with thank you notes after interviewing for jobs. You've heard it as a key "strategy" in networking and building relationships.

All of it is true, and yet, I observe fewer and fewer people doing it.

I've not received thank you notes from gifts. I've not taken the time to send hand written notes in a variety of situations, choosing instead to send an email or even a tweet.

The value of a handwritten note is universal - for any part of our life, in any role that we play. And while I know it, and have taught and written about it, I don't do it as well or as systematically as I should.

And I'm betting you are much like me.

If any of this rings true for you, watch this video of teacher Dan Stroup (the video link is embedded in the story) who will set an inspirational example for you, and prove to you that if it is important, you can do it.

The story will inspire you, but I hope it does more. I hope it prompts you to begin sending more handwritten notes, regardless of the reason.

Because when you do, you will make a difference in the lives of others.

The Cost of Distrust

2009-11-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm working on training materials for a Client - materials that I will deliver next week. As I prepared some notes on trust - a topic I have facilitated learning on many times - I was thinking about the opposite of trust (distrust) and was reminded of this quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“Our distrust is very expensive."

Knowing that part of what I am going to teach is that trust is, in part, a verb (something that we do), it made me want to personalize Ralph's thought.

"My distrust is very expensive."

Thinking about distrust as a verb and in the first person puts the responsibility where it belongs - on us.

Which leads us to some important questions in all parts of our lives, including as a leader. Consider these questions as your personal leadership development activity for the day:

Who do I distrust?

Why?

What is it costing me, my team, my relationships, and/or our organization?

What can I do to lessen the cost, change the distrucst into trust or otherwise imporve the situation?

These questions can be applied to all parts of our lives, and if you are like me, the answers will be illuminating.

Five Approaches to Being More Proactive

2009-11-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

At a 10-year class reunion, four friends gathered to visit. Tina and George reflected on the differences in Steve and Angela after they walked away.

"They were both so smart and outgoing when we were in high school," George said. "Yeah, they were both voted Most Likely to Succeed, remember?" Tina added.

"Then why have their lives gone so differently in the last ten years?" George mused. After a conversation and discussing several factors, Tina and George determined the biggest difference.

Tina seemed to summarize the conversation: "Angela seems to be willing to get started and take action; while Steve has great ideas and lots of promise, but he always seems to be waiting on something."

George said, "I think that's it. Angela is more proactive and that seems to make a huge difference.

Being proactive doesn't just make a difference for Angela. It's important for all of us.

The Collins English Dictionary defines proactive as: "tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events." Other definitions include the phrase "acting in advance" and "taking initiative." Finally many definitions include the concept of the habit or discipline of being proactive.

I'm sure no one would disagree with the concept of being proactive, yet for a variety of reasons many of us are more hesitant, more calculating, more fearful or just procrastinate at being proactive. Here are five specific actions you can take to develop the habit of being more proactive in any part of your life.

Five Approaches

Forget perfection. Do you avoid taking action because you want things to be perfect? Do you spend time scheming or justifying continued learning as an excuse for taking action? While learning and looking at best practices is important, at some point it is pure procrastination. Learn to say "good is good enough."

Take a risk. All of that calculating, planning and reworking is often done to reach perfection, or at least to reduce the chance of a mistake. It's OK if it isn't perfect; it's also OK to make a mistake. When you try you will either succeed, or learn a way that doesn't work. Either way, you're ahead of doing nothing.

Focus on a goal. When you focus on something you want to achieve and the reasons why, you begin to create a desire to take action. Keep your focus on what you want, and the actions to move in that direction will come easier.

Do something now. Just get started. You become more proactive by taking action. Decide what's first (or next) and take action - now. The root word of proactive is active - or action. Momentum builds when you do something. Start now!

Accelerate your expectations. Getting started is a good first step; the next step is to move faster. You become more proactive and develop that habit more fully when you put speed in your corner. Believe that you can accomplish more, try more and achieve more; faster. Then prove it to yourself.

These are just five suggestions. They all may not match your needs, but I am confident that at least one does. If you want to become more proactive, any time you spend looking at the list and wondering where to start is just another form of delay or denial. Pick a place to start, and take action!

Potential Pointer: Nothing happens until you take action. Taking a proactive approach to life is a key indicator of your future success; and the best way to get on the proactive path is to get started. You can become a pro at taking action.

Remarkable leaders know that they must lead change. Meaning, leadership implies a proactive approach! One proactive way to build your leadership skills is participating in The Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Get $748.25 worth of leadership development materials including two complimentary months of that unique system as part of Kevin's Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever today.

#LEADERSHIPtweet by Kevin Eikenberry

2009-11-27T15:24:00.000-05:00

The title hopefully gives you a tip as to the construction of this book. It's about leadership (which you might expect), and it's somehow related to Twitter - the blazing-hot social media tool.

In short, my newest book is a collection of 140 thoughts about leadership, each 140 characters or less.

I shared each of the nuggets (or tweets) on Twitter as I wrote the book. And then, I organized them into four sections:

Leaders as Learners
Leadership Actions
Leadership Thoughts
Leadership Inspiration

Here's a random sample:

67: Remarkable Leaders translate vision into reality.

And another:

103: "How can we make it work?" - a great leadership question.

I wrote this book to create a new way to provide leadership inspiration and education in an easily accessible way. I believe I've achieved it!

If you're looking for the perfect gift for your favorite leader, all the leaders in your organization, your boss or yourself, this is it!

Steve Roesler, the two-year winner of the Best Leadership Blog of the year says this about #LEADERSHIPtweet - "Effective leadership calls for concise communication. Kevin has surely shown Remarkable Leadership here."

After you order your book(s), or even if you don't, I hope you follow me on Twitter <www.twitter.com/kevineikenberry, because I'm writing more Tweet books, one message at a time!

Order your signed copy now. Interested in order ten or more copies? Call Jenny @ 317.387.1424 x2 for bulk purchase discounts. (We'll even gift wrap them for you!)

Learn More and Purchase

A Leadership Litany - Reasons for Leaders to be Thankful

2009-11-26T06:52:00.000-05:00

As leaders, we have many reasons to be grateful and to give thanks. I've written alot about gratitude and giving thanks over the years, but on this Thanksgiving morning, I am thinking specifically about my role as a leader and all I have to be thankful for.

It is written in first person on purpose. Please read it as if you wrote it, rather than casually observing it in third person. It won't be perfect for youbut I hope it spurs you to adjust and add to the list for yourself. So put on your leadership hat and read on.

. . . . . . .

As a leader, I am thankful for so many things . . .

. . . for my team. Without a team, I'm not able to learn and lead and make a difference. They are part of the reason, source of some of the challenges and more of the joy.

. . . for Customers. These people pay the bills and allow us to do what we do. You call call them whatever you want, but without those to serve, there is no need to lead.

. . . for opportunity. Sometimes we make opportunities and sometimes they are given to us. I am thankful for every leadership opportunity, even when they don't look like one at first.

. . . for responsibility. There is no question that leadership is a responsibility - some days there is more than I wish I had! But with responsibility comes rewards and a chance to grow towards my potential.

. . . for peers. They provide support, encouragement, and an example for me. They make life easier and more fun.

. . . for mentors. Some I knew or know well, some are unknowing mentors. Each has provided me examples, encouragement and more.

. . . for thought leaders. Carnegie, Drucker, Peters. Kouzes, Posner, Bennis. Roesler, Bock, Say. This list is impossibly incomplete, but my gratitude is overwhleming.

. . . for learning. This goes beyond the mentors and thought leaders for in the end, I must make new ideas, techniques and approaches my own.

. . . for goals. They are the life blood of a leader. If there are no goals, where are we leading?

. . . for ideas. For ideas give us new ways, approaches and opportunites to reach our goals.

. . . for energy. To produce the human capacity for growth, change and a better chance we can change the world.

. . . for purpose. Which gives me reason to do what do, gives me focus to keep me on track, and reminds me what really matters.

. . . for values. To keep me grounded, and reminding me that from these foundational ideas come my strength, abilities and many of the other things on this list.

. . . for family. For without them all of the goals, effort and time wouldn't be worth it.

. . . for God. Who made all the rest possible and who has given me more blessings than I can even fathom.

I'm sure my short litany won't cover all of your list. It is my hope that it inspires you to stop, be thankful, and add to it as appropriate. If you feel led to add to this list in a comment, I, and everyone else that reads this, will be thankful too.

The Myth of Lucky Leaders

2009-11-24T05:56:00.000-05:00

It doesn't matter what endeavor you want to consider, you will find people ascribing the success of others to luck. I'm sure you have noticed this too. It goes something like this. . .

People get to talking about someone who has achieved at high levels (typically in a field they care about, or in a job that is highly valued) and eventually the conversation will turn to the lucky breaks they received, the people they already knew, where/when they were born or the good fortune in their personal genetic makeup.

All of these conversations occur because it is easier for people to ascribe the success of others to luck than to assume they themselves simply didn't work hard enough or do the things necesary to achieve similar success themselves.

This phenomenon doesn't just occur when people speal of actors or athletes - similar arguments are used to explain the rise of certain individuals to leadership roles, including "they got promoted to supervisor over me because they were lucky."

While small advantages or opportunities do arise for many on their road to success, wise achievers (including leaders) understand the real definition of luck:

Labor
Under
Correct
Knowledge

Astute leaders recognize this and use this definition of luck every day. They continually take action, using the best techniques and approaches they can, knowing that when they take action they are ahead of those who don't, and knowing that when those actions are wise, based on the best information, strategies and approaches, they bring themselves the best chance for success, and yes, perhaps as others see it; luck.

The best leaders use this approach not only for themselves, but as a ongoing lesson in action for others. They teach others the value of being proactive. They develop others to know and use the best approaches and techniques. By this definition they manufacture luck for those they lead.

This is a lesson for all leaders - whether you are in executive leadership, or striving for your initial supervisory position. Beyond leadership it applies to all parts of our lives.

The closest thing you will find to your own personal four-leaf clover or rabbit's foot is to:

Labor
Under
Correct
Knowledge

If you are looking for an ongoing source of correct knowledge to apply in your leadership development efforts, please consider our Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever - which will provide you with a tremendous amount of best practice information as well as offer you an opportunity to get on an ongoing path of continual improvement.

A final note. As I laid in bed this morning, pondering a blog post, this idea of Labor Under Correct Knowledge came to me. As I sit here writing it now, I wonder if I created it or my subconscious found it in my memory bank. If you have read this somewhere else, please leave me a comment. It is not my intention to steal someone else's great idea, simply to keep us all clear of our personal responsibility for any and all success we achieve as leaders.

The 4 Fundamentals of Leadership Gratitude

2009-11-20T09:23:00.000-05:00

Gratitude is a positive emotion and studies have shown it creates a more positive attitude, reduces stress and provides many other benefits. But, c'mon, we don't really need studies to tell us this, do we? You know how it feels when you are grateful.

This article won't restate the obvious (more than I already have). Instead, it explores the fundamentals of how leaders can transform genuine gratitude into a positive force for change and success for those you lead and in your organization in general.

Before I go on I must highlight a critical word in the previous sentence - genuine.
Please know that all the suggestions that follow will make a huge difference, but the difference will only be a positive one (for you and others) when your gratitude is genuine, authentic and heartfelt. Please read the rest of my suggestions, with this as a given.

In the end, I hope you see that gratitude is far from a soft, "nice to do" behavior. On the contrary, it is a real and important key to your success as a leader.

All the benefits start with the fundamentals.

The First Three Fundamentals

See it. As a leader, you have lots of things on your mind. In order to be grateful, you must first see or notice things for which to be grateful. Do you want to be grateful more often? Then set your mind on looking for things to be grateful for. Once you set your subconscious mind in motion, you will begin to find them more often.

Say it. Are you grateful or thankful for something someone did or is doing? Let them know! Once you have seen something you appreciate or are grateful for, let people know by telling them. And while you are at it, make your gratitude as specific as possible. It could be a simple thank you, but it also could lead to a habit of giving more positive feedback.

Write it. This could be in an email, but, even better in a handwritten note. Let people know what you saw, how it made you feel and why it is important. These words will be read, and likely read repeatedly, and the quite possibly shared with others. Most people I've ever asked tell me they have a file of letters and positive comments they've received from others. As a leader you will be adding to people's positive memories, and perhaps treasured files, with your words.

This is all good advice in any part of our lives, but as leaders, when we see, say and/or write our gratitude to others it makes a huge difference. As a leader, you have a special place in people's lives. Your words, opinions and actions matter. The gratitude you share in conversation or on paper could absolutely change someone's life.

The Final Fundamental - The Transformational Component

I started by stating that when we are grateful, good things happen for us. When we think about it from a leadership perspective, we realize the benefits are potentially much larger.

The final fundamental is to share it.

Gratitude is a viral emotion - meaning it's one that can spread quickly.

As a leader you are more than just carriers of any emotional contagion (positive or negative) - you can spread it much faster and much further than anyone else. When you share and role model your gratitude in the ways described above, you begin to positively change the culture and environment of the workplace.
The results of these changes can result in improved performance, improved teamwork, reduced stress, higher retention and much more.

Hopefully you see that being grateful is more than something you can or should do at the close of a big project or at a couple predefined times of the year. Rather, genuine gratitude is always appropriate and always in season.

Potential Pointer: As a leader, when you are genuinely grateful, you set a positive and lasting example by sharing that gratitude. That process of sharing will change productivity, results and, quite possibly, lives for the better.

Remarkable leaders know that gratitude matters. It's just one way giving better feedback and developing others. One of the ways leaders learn those skills is by participating in The Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Get $748.25 worth of leadership development materials including two complimentary months of that unique system as part of Kevin's Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever today.

Knockout Entrepreneur by George Foreman with Ken Abraham

2009-11-20T09:14:00.002-05:00

I'm a sports fan, and I own a George Foreman grill. And, like many Americans, I've always liked George Foreman. He seems like a nice guy, and he has clearly succeeded in multiple arenas.

Given all that, I'm still not sure George's book ever would have made it to the top of my reading stack. However, after hearing George speak, my thinking changed. I wanted to read this book!

Knockout Entrepreneur is a book about George Foreman's experiences and advice for anyone wanting to be an Entrepreneur. It's an easy read, filled with stories and anecdotes - not just about George's life but about many other people as well.

One of the things I like most about this book is that my positive feelings for George have expanded after reading it. His likeability absolutely comes through the pages.

The book shares a wide range of advice and is written with a boxing theme throughout (for example the chapter about the importance of your colleagues, mentors and coaches is called "Listen to your Corner").

While it will never be mistaken for a book of thought leadership on entrepreneurship; it is very good at being what it is - the lessons and stories from a famous and very successful entrepreneur.

If you are an entrepreneur, or a budding one, looking for some inspiration and a positive role model, you could do far worse than George Foreman and this book. I enjoyed it and learned from it, and I am sure you will too.

Learn More and Purchase

Inspiration is a Process

2009-11-19T10:29:00.000-05:00

I was reading a newsletter from Dan Kennedy the other day where we was talking about inspiration, one of my favorite leadership topics. He wrote, "The New American Dictionary defines inspiration as a process; the process of being stimulated to think, feel or do something creative. . . and as an event; a sudden brilliant or creative idea."

After reading that I went to Dictionary.com to look up the word for myself. I found another interesting definition on their list - "The act of drawing in, especially the inhalation of air into the lungs." If this isn't a process, I don't know what is!

I find far too often that everyone, leaders included, are waiting for an inspiration event - for themselves or others, rather than consciously creating an inspirational process to prdictably create new ideas, thoughtsand creative actions.

Leaders who think consciously about creating processes, environmanets and cultures that support inspiration and inspirational thinking will always be the most successful. Of course thinking about it this way holds us more accountable and suggests a discipline in our thoughts and actions - two reasons why so many of us probably keep looking for events (and why those leaders who don't are so much more successful).

Your leadership challenge and activity today is to identify three things you can do to create opportunities for inspiration to emerge.

I hope you will be inspired to share your ideas as comments to this post.

Leadership Lessons from Champion George Foreman

2009-11-17T15:37:00.001-05:00

I had the chance to hear George Foreman speak, and then had a chance to meet him afterwards (this is somewhat obvious given the picture).

I was looking forward to his talk, but I came away much more impressed than I thought I would be. To say that he exceeded my expectations would be an understatement.

I guess that shouldn't be too suprising, considering that he is a Champion.

In case you are younger than me and don't know, George Foreman isn't just a guy who sells grills on TV (he's sold 120 million of them), he is also the two-time Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the world.

In reviewing my notes of his talk, I found four clear messages for us as leaders to remember, and take action on.

Age?

In responding to people who said whe was too old to become Heavyweight Champion again, he said, "Age doesn't matter, hunger does." This truth holds two messages for us. First, we shouldn't let our age be an excuse or reason to keep us from achieving and growing to our potential. Second, we shouldnt let age cloud our judgment of the capacitiies of others. Resolve today to make hunger, desire and passion bigger criteria in viewing others than age or experience.

Self Promotion

"We are our most important product." - George Foreman

This may make you feel uncomfortable from a leadership perspective - many leaders want the focus on their teams and not themselves. While this is understandable, and I'm not suggesting that as leaders we must become self aggrandizing; being confident in our abilities (and the capabilities of our team) is important too.
If you know you can lead and succeed, sometimes you must tell others!

Vision

"Keep the vision by going back to where you came from." - George Foreman

Few things are more important to us as leaders than having a clear vision of where we are heading. Whether you are a supervisor, mid-level leader, or a executive leader, the need for vision is clear. George's point, I beleive is that there is power in connecting yoru vision to your values - "going back to where you came from." When you make that connection for yourself and communicate that to those you lead, your vision will be tremedously more valuable and lasting.

Values

During the Q&A session at the end of Geroge's talk, he was asked about the top three values he wanted to impart to his (10) kids. His answer was:

- Get up early in the morning.
- Take advice and listen.
- Strive to be the nicest human being ever.

These clearly aren't just thoughts valuable for children. Thank about how these three pieces of advice can both apply to us and those that we coach, mentor and lead.

These lessons show us that George is a champion - not just in the ring or when pitching a product - but a champion in life.

As the picture shows, George has an autographed copy of Remarkable Leadership. Why did I give him a copy? In part because it he talked about the importance of reading and being a continual learner. Just one more reason why he was (and is) a champion.

If you want to become a more successful productive, confident leader follow George's advice. If you want to develop leaders, do the same.

The Superpower of Persuasion

2009-11-13T09:43:00.002-05:00

Every good superhero has a superpower. You know, the thing that always helps them get out of a jam and save the day.

Leaders may not be superheroes, but we do sometimes find ourselves in a tough or challenging situation. However, unlike like our superhero friends, we don't always remember to use our superpowers.

This article is about one of those powers - one that is too often overlooked or underappreciated.

This is a power that has many uses, but for now let's think about how it can be used when you need to persuade.

Clearly, as a leader, you have a need to persuade others - in a change situation, in a coaching situation, and the list could go on and on. And since persuasion is such a pervasive skill, wouldn't you like to have a superpower you could pull out when you really need it?

More about that in a moment.

First, think about the best, most successful persuaders you know. Get one name in your mind, then answer this question:

What makes that person so exceptional?

Having done this exercise with a number of groups, I know your list probably includes a many ideas. Some of the ideas are tactics or specific types of behaviors that persuaders use to be successful.

All of those ideas are useful and instructive, yet none of them are the persuasive superpower.

However, the superpower may be on your list, hidden, by thoughts like:

She gets others excited.
He is enthusiastic.

Or maybe the superpower is actually sitting right in your mind, and you don't even recognize it.

The persuasive superpower is passion.

First, a definition of persuasion: Persuasion is the ability to induce or create a course of action or viewpoint using the tools of influence through conversation, dialogue, logic, reasoning and emotion.

Note the last word in that definition . . . emotion.

Emotion is the word that links to passion. And since everyone one of us makes decisions and choices based on our emotions, passion is key to successful persuasion.

Why a Superpower?

Six reasons why passion is the persuasive superpower:

Passion shows conviction. People are more likely to believe your words when they sense your passion.
Passion is contagious. Passion IS contagious, and if you are trying to persuade someone of something, wouldn't you want your ideas to be the contagion they catch?
Passion provides value. People want more passion, energy and excitement in their lives. Like a little (or big) kid who is drawn to the cookie jar, our passion draws people because it is something they want more of in their lives.
Passion is best based on purpose. Generally we are passionate about something because of what that something represents. When you connect your passion and your persuasion to a higher purpose, you further energize your superpower!
Passion enhances effectiveness. Your communication will be better when you are passionate. Your productivity will be enhanced, as will the productivity of others as they tap into your passion.
Passion is truly "other focused." When you are truly passionate about something it's because you want others to benefit too. Laser-focus your passion based on the needs of others and your persuasive powers will be further enhanced - while you aren't thinking about them at all.

Two Final Thoughts

Some leaders are afraid to show their emotions and passion because "they aren't that person." Or they don't see themselves as a rah-rah cheerleader type.

Let me be very clear - the passion superpower doesn't require you to be a cheerleader unless that is who you are. All of us can effectively show and communicate our passion in our own way. Don't let a stereotype get in your way!

At this point you may be thinking "you know, Kevin, I'm just not very passionate about my current situation or position."

While exploring that would be worthy of another article, here is a short answer:

Find the part of the situation you can be passionate about and focus your energy there. Since passion is contagious, two things will happen - you will be using your superpower AND building your own passion over time.

Potential Pointer: If you want to be a more successful leader, you must be able to persuade others. If you want to be able to persuade, you must allow your passion to show. While you can learn tools and approaches, your ability and willingness to show your true passion is the first step towards developing your persuasive abilities (and your secret superpower).

Remarkable leaders know that to be successful they must be able to persuade with passion. One way to learn that skill is by participating in The Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Get $748.25 worth of leadership development materials including two complimentary months of that unique system as part of Kevin's Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever today.

Being More Believable

2009-11-13T09:35:00.002-05:00

For the last six years we have shared and/or suggested a variety of recommended resources with you in this space. Today we offer the ideas from one of our more popular articles from 2007 in video form, shot from my desk at Remarkable House.

Click on my picture and spend 4:04 thinking about how to be more believable.

Leadership Lessons from the Berlin Wall

2009-11-06T10:29:00.001-05:00

In 1961 the East German government built the Berlin wall to stop the flow of people into West Germany. Over time, the wall did more than stop the flow of people. It became a powerful symbol of oppression and stopped the flow of ideas and freedom.

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell.

This historic change opened the flow of people, and again became an equally powerful symbol of change, creativity and a return to greater freedoms.

Both the building and tearing down of the wall are powerful metaphors for leaders. Many leaders put up walls to "protect" or "isolate" themselves from those they lead. While it may not be as intentional as the Berlin wall, it will likely be as obvious and limiting to those you lead.

Walls You May Have Erected

Have you put up walls through your words or actions that reduce or limit any of the following?

Trust. Are the levels of trust in your organization and on your team where you would like them to be?
Communication. While communication is always a challenge, do you find yourself able to clearly communicate with your team, and do they communicate freely with you?
Openness. Are you comfortable in sharing your concerns genuinely and do people share them with you in return?
Creativity/Ideas. Do you hear great ideas from your team regularly?
Engagement. Are people onboard, enrolled and moving forward towards their goals and the goals of the team?
Attitude. Is the attitude of the organization healthy and where you would like it to be?

Your answers to these questions hopefully will be quite instructive.

If you find gaps when answering them, recognize that you as a leader play a role in each of them. If any fall short of where you would like them to be (or where the organization needs them to be for maximum success), get some feedback from others and build a plan to begin tearing down those walls or barriers.

When the Walls Come Tumbling Down

Your walls likely are less obvious than the Berlin wall, and the changes that come with tearing them down may not occur as quickly, but believe me, as you identify your personal walls and begin tearing them down, you will begin to observe new results.

Regardless of the nature of the wall you have built, tearing it down will result in:

Improved working relationships
Greater respect and credibility for you
Better problem solving
Greater organizational and individual productivity
Increased employee retention
Higher morale
Better Customer service
Fewer frustrations
Lower organizational stress
Greater results

When the Berlin wall fell, the world changed. As you identify the walls you have erected and subsequently knock them down, your world will change too - and change for the better.

Potential Pointer: When you take the time to determine the walls you have created (as a leader, as an employee, as a spouse, as a parent…), you can begin the process of systematically tearing them down. It will take time and effort. It may be painful. But, your efforts to tear down the walls will be richly rewarded.

The walls we create are often subtle and multi-faceted. Leaders who recognize this also realize the need for an ongoing personal learning process to help them continue to become a more effective leader. One way many leaders do that is by participating in The Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Kevin wants to give you $748.25 worth of leadership development resources, including two complimentary months of that unique system, in his Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever. Check it out.

Five Ways to Keep People Focused on Their Goals

2009-11-06T10:26:00.000-05:00

On December 4th, I am delivering a one-hour teleseminar on helping teams and individuals focus on their goals more successfully. This article/recommendation previews one small part of what you will learn and be able to apply after participating in the teleseminar. Sign up now!

Goals, whether formally stated or not, are critical to all organizational success. We (hopefully) all have over-arching organizational goals; but on a more practical and immediately applicable level, we have project goals, productivity goals, quality goals, developmental goals, and the list could go on.

Setting effective goals is the focus of countless resources (drop by your favorite bookstore, run a search on Amazon.com, look on your personal bookshelf if you're unsure about that). One way to improve your leadership skills will be to improve your ability to help team members set effective goals. And if your team doesn't have goals established right now … setting effective, meaningful goals needs to be your first task. Then, you need to help keep your team focused on those goals once they exist. Here are five practical tips for keeping people focused on their goals:

Remove distractions. People are busy (like you haven't noticed). They have lots to do and many things on their mind. The first, and perhaps obvious thing, you can do as a leader is remove distractions. How? You do that by continuing to communicate about, ask about, talk about and align your communication with their goals. It is easier to stay focused when there are fewer competing messages. As a leader you can focus on your communication and conversation as one important way to reduce distractions.

Review regularly. How often do you review your goals? How often do you encourage others to review theirs? Unless your answer is daily, you have room for improvement here! As a leader you can do any number of things to review regularly. You can review goals with your team as a part of regular meetings. You can place key goals in emails. You can ask people to provide updates on their goals, and more. Think about your specific situation and you will come up with a variety of ways to make reviewing possible (and not monotonous). The real challenge, then, is to actually do it!

Support through action. It is hard to maintain focus on a goal if you don't see how the goal can actually be achieved or how you'll find time to actually work on it. You can help people focus on their goals by providing tangible support to them - including time, space and resources. Help people carve out time from the schedule to work on their goals. Find people, information or tools that might help them achieve their goals more rapidly. These tangible actions will help people focus on and achieve their goals.

See the success. People lose focus when they don't feel like they can make it and when they lose sight of the goal. This step goes far beyond reminding people of the goal - rather, it's about helping your team visualize the goal in real and vivid ways. It is also about helping them see themselves on the path to success. Help them do more than remember, help them actually see the success in their mind's eye. When they have that picture, it will be much easier to maintain focus.

Show your belief. If you really believe in someone's ability to reach his or her goal and demonstrate your belief - it will be much easier for them to focus. Given that, here are three important questions about belief: Do you really believe in that person's ability to succeed? If not, why not? And if so, are you showing through your words (and actions, see above) that you do? Making sure that people know you care and believe in them will help them remove large subconscious barriers to their focus and achievement. (And if you don't believe in them, there are bigger questions to be asked, but that's for another article!)

As a leader you (hopefully) want people to reach their goals. And in order for any of us to reach goals, we must be able to maintain our focus on those goals. You do have the ability to help people find and maintain that focus!

Interested in more in-depth discussion on these topics - and more? Join me for our December teleseminar.

Four Ways to Engage Your Team Everyday

2009-10-30T08:10:00.003-04:00

One of the biggest business buzzwords today is engagement.

Everyone suddenly seems to have realized that we need to have employees who are engaged in their work. It seems to be the latest "holy grail" in leadership and management circles (teams, lean and total quality are just three past examples).

Like the other examples, creating and nurturing engaged employees is important and will make a difference both for the individuals and the organization. I believe in the importance of engagement and the value of engaged employees. And I believe leaders can make a big difference in this area.

And, if these are my beliefs, you may be wondering why I opened on a bit of a cynical note?

Because I know many reading right now are thinking about "buzzword Bingo."

I get that.

And, even though engagement may be the latest rage, it's still an important topic for you to be familiar with - regardless of how you feel about the latest leadership fads.

(Leadership tip: I also know that when we acknowledge how others may be thinking and feeling up front we improve our ability to connect and communicate with them.)

If you agree that engagement is important and that we as leaders can do something about it, the logical next question is, what can we do? Here are four everyday actions any leader can take to support, build and nurture the engagement of team members.

The Four Ways

Acknowledge them. I've just given you an example of this one. One of our deepest human needs is to feel heard and acknowledged. It starts with listening but goes beyond that. We do not have to agree with people in order to acknowledge them and their perspective. The quicker we realize this, the more effective we will become.

Share the big picture. Do your folks know the big picture? Can they see past the work of your group to see how it impacts the larger organization? Do they know how your organization's products make a difference for Customers? Positive answers to all of these questions are critical to creating engaged team members. If any of the answers are no for your team, this is job one for you as a leader. Once the answers are yes, you can remind, connect and reinforce these ideas every day.

Create meaning in daily work. People will be engaged when they feel like their work matters - that it makes a difference. Help people find that meaning. Certainly understanding the big picture will help. You also can do this by learning more about their needs, interests and skills and helping them see the connections between these and their work (or adjusting their work to create a better match). Another way to create meaning is to give people a more personal connection to Customers. When people meet or talk to those who use their work output (or the final products of the organization), the work isn't just being done "because it is my job," but to "actually help Carla the Customer."

Trust them. Can you tell if someone trusts you? Do you try a little harder, pay a little more attention and remain a little more engaged for those who do? Your answers to these questions should be a big signal to you! Trust people. Show them in tangible ways that you do. When you do you will reap higher levels of engagement.

A Final Important Thought

One could look at these as tactics that could be used to manipulate others. Please know that if you choose to look at them in this way you will not be successful beyond the very short term - in any way. These activities will gradually create greater and greater engagement for your team members, but only when they are done authentically and genuinely.

Potential Pointer: When you help people become more engaged in their work they are more effective. Your job as a leader is to create the environment and provide the support and tools to nurture greater individual engagement.

Remarkable leaders know engaged employees are more effective, productive and happier. That's why they continually look for ways to help those they lead become more successful and engaged. One way is by participating in The Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Two months of that unique system are included in Kevin's Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever.

101 Ways to Have a Great Day at Work by Stephanie Goddard Davidson

2009-10-30T08:07:00.000-04:00

You won't get a simpler book than this. It fits in the palm of your hand. The left hand pages contain brief quotations. The right hand page contains a tip for making it a great day at work.

Here are two examples. I just randomly opened the book and . . .

#41 Take Ten! The next time you can't get started on a task or project, tell yourself you will only work on it for ten minutes. Chances are you will stick with it once you've started, but even if you move on after ten minutes, you have accomplished that much more.

#21 Find Inspiration. Find a quote that really inspires you and post it somewhere prominent in your workplace. Better yet, find a role model in your field and read up on how he or she achieved success.

That is the book, simple as can be.

My suggestion is to read one each day you're at work. Some you will be able to easily apply, some you may already do, and some may seem harder. Regardless, try one every day! (Read and do one every day and you will get through the book twice a year.)

Or, you could pick one to apply as a team for the week.

Or, you will come up with some other great way to use this book.

It is a small, simple, little book that could make a big difference for you and your team.

Buy one and see!

Five Keys to Blazing Inspiration

2009-10-23T10:45:00.003-04:00

Everyone I know loves the feeling that comes with being inspired. They like the mental lift, the energy, the attitude, the productivity, the satisfaction and even the way it makes them feel physically.

And as wonderful and valuable as inspiration is, for most of us, it's hard to capture, expand and make last. We want the eternal flame, but far too often settle for a spark as fleeting as the flame provided by a match.

There are predictable ways you can extend the life of your inspirational flame. When you learn these ways, they become important to not just you, but also those you care about, interact with and lead. As you begin to apply these ideas in your life you can help others be inspired and internally motivated as well.

In short, these keys will help you transform your spark into an exciting, lifelong, raging bonfire.

Passion - the Fuel for the Fire

Every fire requires fuel. The more fuel you have and the higher quality of that fuel, the bigger and more powerful your fire. If you want to create lasting inspiration you must be working and living from a place of passion. You must be doing things you love! If you know today how to make money with your passion, and therefore live it 24/7, great! If not, start with tapping your passion in as many ways as you can, as much of the time as you can.

Purpose - the Big Why

Before you can make anything happen, you need to understand and clearly define your purpose. Why do you want to achieve? What is in it for you, your family and those around you? When you connect your passion to a purpose you get excited about, your fire is already roaring; the rest is channeling the flames in the proper direction. Which leads directly to . . .

Goals - the Direction of Your Dreams

Goals are an extremely important part of the inspiration equation, but they aren't the start. Have you ever set a goal and become discouraged, or perhaps even despondent, when you weren't making progress? This is much less likely to happen, when your goals are set in connection with your passion and spurred by your purpose. Goals, in order to channel your inspirational fire, must be your goals and they must be aspirational.

Inspirational Inputs - the Oxygen for Your Inspiration

The first three components can be in place, and your inspirational flames can still smolder. Why? Because life happens! Things change, setbacks occur and we fall prey to our humanness. Just like a fire needs oxygen, we all need inputs that continue to breathe life into our inspiration. Perhaps for you it's your favorite music or movie. Perhaps it is a play or poetry. Maybe it is a seminar, workshop or time spent with the most positive person you know. Maybe it is all of these and more. Whatever your inspirational inputs are recognize that they are the oxygen for your fire. You don't get upset at a fire when it needs oxygen. Neither should you expect your inspiration to tend to itself without additional inputs on a regular basis.

Action - the Small Steps that Create Momentum

Want the ultimate cure for waning inspiration? Take action! Do something! Get off the couch and get going. Lethargy breeds lethargy and will kill your inspirational fire like sand in the campfire. You can't do everything today, and you don't have to. Do something. Take a step. And then keep going. You will get there, and you will move further faster than you realize.

These five keys can give you a lifetime blazing fire of inspiration in your life. You must recognize that the spark you love will never become a raging fire without help.

Smokey the Bear says only you can prevent forest fires. He's right. And only you can create a personal fire hot enough to help you create the life you desire. Don't settle for a spark. Fan your flames every day.

Potential Pointer: Rather than searching for a spark, you should focus instead on fanning your flames. You can create lasting inspiration when you realize your inspirational sources and consciously put those sources to work in your life.

Remarkable leaders know inspiration is important for themselves and those they lead. That's why they look for ways to remain inspired and stay on a path of learning. One way many leaders do that is by participating in The Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Get two complimentary months of that unique system as part of Kevin Eikenberry's Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever today.

Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk

2009-10-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

I've known this book was coming for a several months. It's been fairly widely known that Gary Vaynerchuk, the online King of wine, all things New York Jets and social media and online video darling was writing a book. This is the book he wrote.

It is 142 pages of motivation, social media, personal branding, marketing, business acumen and more all mashed up into one. It's an embodiment of Gary. (If you don't know who Gary Vaynerchuk is, check out his website; spend a few minutes and you'll see who he is and what he is about.)

This book is the natural outgrowth of the personal brand Gary has built, and his success proves his book's point - we all can "Cash in on our passion."

The book talks about your passion, but it isn't a soup to nuts "how to find your passion" book. Gary recognizes the foundational important of finding your passion, but chooses to cut to it and move on to application of that passion to turn it into a personal brand; and then, how to turn that brand into revenue.

This book is for anyone - the recently retired person wondering what is next, the disillusioned or out of work mid-lifer who is looking for a purpose, the housewife who has raised her kids and wants to contribute in a new way, or the college student just trying to determine their way. My high school senior doesn't know it yet, but he's going to read it too!

If anything I've said intrigues you, buy this book. If it seems I've been too vague, buy this book and figure it out. This book can be a mind changer for you on a variety of levels.

But only if you read it.

Buy it now, and be among the first to read what will surely be a bestseller and most talked about books of the next few months.

Learn More and Buy at Amazon

A Nice Recognition and How You Can Help

2009-10-22T08:13:00.002-04:00

My Unleashing Your Leadership Potential blog has been nominated as one of the Top 50 Blogs in Indiana. That is a nice 16th Anniversary present! How you can help me is by checking out the list, and voting, hopefully for me!

The Secret Sauce to Success in Life

2009-10-19T00:09:00.005-04:00

This is the final post in my 16 lessons learned over (my first) 16 years in business. For a summary with links to the other 15, scroll down to post 15, Use Wisely Your Power of . . ..

I announced this lesson during our online party last Friday, as promised.

But now it is time to share it with you.

The title of the post, could have been written for better search engine optimization, but that would have given you the answer.

The biggest lesson I've learned in 16 years in business is that in order to be more successful, you must continue to learn.

If you are thinking to yourself, "Duh Kevin, that isn't so profound," read on - because that attitude certainly isn't conducive to the learning mindset. (And a open, curious learning mindset is extremely valuable!)

As human beings, we are learning beings. We are truly at our best when we are using our gifts, including our gift of learning, to it's fullest extent. I've learned this, and while I believe it with all my heart, but I can tell you that until I'm blue in the face and it won't motivate you to act as a learner more of the time.

I could also tell you that the key word is being a continual learner is the key. I used to think we needed to be continuous learners, but I believe there is a key difference. Continually means being on a path. Continuous means never stopping. It would be pretty hard to always be learning (at a conscious level). The only thing I can think of that we truly do continuously is breathe. Beyond that, we need a break.

I'd like to continually eat, but not continuously eat. I'd like to continually laugh, but not continuously laugh. I think you get the idea. we can't consciously continuously learn, but to become our best selves we must continually learn.

I've learned that be be a great learner, we must be continually learning, which includes rest and reflection.

And I've learned, that as valuable as this discussion of continuous vs. continual might be, this won't likely move you to learn more intentionally either.

But this might.

Think for a minute about what you want more of in your life. Think about your goals, dreams and aspirations. Whatever they are, and whether they are personal or professional in nature, you can not achieve them without learning.

If you already knew everything, everyone and all of the particulars, you would have already achieved those things. Learning is by definition a part of the journey towards anything we want and desire.

Would you like to get to your goals faster? Would you like the accelerant, the secret sauce to faster achievement?

Learning.

Learn more and learn faster and you will accelerate your progress towards achievement.

Create the habits, discipline and mindset to become a continual learner and you will have found the secret sauce.

Perhaps it is ironic that a guy who says he is in the learning business sees this as his biggest lesson. Ironic, perhaps, but no less true.

The Achilles Heel of Process Improvement

2009-10-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

From a fairly early stage in my career I have been involved in process improvement activities. While at Chevron in the early 1990's, I served as a Quality Training Consultant teaching organizations, among other things, process improvement tools. The goal of the training and the efforts overall were to improve quality, reduce waste and take existing work processes and make them better.

These ideas certainly didn't start at Chevron.

Experts, notably W. Edwards Deming, have long used statistical analysis and process improvement tools to transform Japanese companies and eventually the entire economy. It was from this transformational success that American companies began looking to process improvement in the 1980s and beyond.

I have enormous belief in process improvement. There is no question that process improvement (and it's more current cousin Six Sigma) can create massive improvements and efficiencies in any business.

But, like anything else, its great strengths are counterbalanced by a weakness that too often goes unnoticed.

Let me explain with a hypothetical example:

Imagine in the 1980s, when process improvement was really starting to catch on in the United States that the leading maker of pay phones decided that process improvement was the key to the company's future.

They invested heavily in training and support for process improvement methodologies. And, as they hoped, they found major improvements in their key work processes.

These improvements reduced costs, improved efficiencies and added money to the bottom line. . . for awhile.

With the advantage of hindsight, we now know what happened to our imaginary company. They got better, more efficient and produced a better pay phone than anyone, but soon no one was buying them because everyone had a cell phone.

And THAT is the Achilles heel of process improvement.

Process improvement skills are wonderful, but even the very best process improvement experts often don't ask a fundamental question:

Do we need this process at all? Or, even more importantly, should we be doing something entirely different to start with?

Once we are sure this is a valuable and needed work process, we should definitely work to refine and improve it. But these skills alone don't automatically lead us to ask that fundamental question.

Just as using all of your leg muscles in unison gives you better results (and doesn't injure your Achilles tendon), using all the tools of process improvement is important, but those skills alone can't lift your business to the highest heights by themselves.

It is your responsibility as a leader to use these tools intelligently, supporting your teams in using them, and ALSO asking if the time calls for a breakthrough or the creation of something new instead of the ongoing refinement of what exists.

Potential Pointer: Process improvement is important to any business, and leaders must recognize both its value and limitations. To lead you must help your teams and organizations look outside your current processes to make sure you are not only doing what you are doing in the best possible way, but also to make sure you are doing the right things to start with.

Remarkable leaders know that process improvement is important, and support it within their organization. Leading both process and project improvement is one of the skills in the Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Get two complimentary months of that unique system as part of my Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever today.

An Anniversary Discount

2009-10-18T20:36:00.000-04:00

By now you've hopefully heard - The Kevin Eikenberry Group is 16 years old this month. I've told you in this space about our limited number of mini-consults (will you grab one of the last 4 slots), and our online party (which has already taken place - but you can check out the replay).

Perhaps the easiest piece of our celebration to understand is that we have products on sale!

Specifically, we are offering you a 16% discount on six of our products. We carefully selected these products to give you a wide variety at a wide range of investments - check it all out.

If you have always wanted a copy of Remarkable Leadership, now you can get one and save some money. If you've considered some of our other products, now is the chance to check them out, and save yourself, or your organization, 16% - a pretty significant amount of money.

There's no limit on the number you can buy, but the window of time is shrinking. You only have until 13 more days to take advantage.

Help us celebrate - and save yourself or your organization some significant money too!

Use Wisely Your Power of . . .

2009-10-16T05:37:00.002-04:00

This is my 15th of 16 lessons from 16 years in business. This post will actually reference many of the others in this series. If you would like to read the introductory post, you can do so here.

While the original plan was to publish this post yesterday, and #16 today, the 16th, I've chosen to unveil the biggest lesson live on our online streaming video Party today at 3 pm ET (Watch and get the full details).

.....

Then, I'll post that final lesson here this weekend. But for now, lesson 15.

Lesson 15 is about an ability that we all have, all use, and along with opposable thumbs is one of the things that make us different than any other living thing.

We can choose.

We choose literally thousands of times a day - most all of these choices made subconsciously - based on past experience and habit. This is good, of course, because we need not be consciously dealing with many of those decisions or choices in our daily lives.

My lesson is that we become more successful, productive, happier, healthier, more confident, have better relationships, (insert any positive desirable attribute here). When we exercise our ability to choose - taking back from the subconscious some important choices, and in other cases simply recognizing that we have a choice.

As I thought about how to talk about this lesson, I realized that this lesson is imbedded inside almost all of the other lessons. In some it is at the heart of the lesson, for others more on the edges. But choice plays an important role in each one.

#1 The Value of Writing - you can choose to write.

#2 A Leadership Primer on Celebrations - you can choose as a leader to look for places to celebrate and to make it happen.

#3 Some Advice about Advice - you can choose how to listen to and use any advice you receive.

#4 Success is about Relationships - you can choose how to build and nurture your relationships - almost every minute of your day.

#5 The Dangers of Dabbling - you can choose how much - or how little to dabble.

#6 The Importance of Innovation - you can choose to keep the status quo - or you can innovate.

#7 Look. See. Be Grateful - you can choose gratitude.

#8 Four Lessons in Change - you can choose change (it is all around you).

#9 Reading. Why We Should and Why We Don't - you can choose to read.

#10 The Starting Point of All Improvement - you can choose to believe.

#11 Make Work Play - you can choose to work, you can choose to play and you can choose to make work play.

#12 You've Gotta Take Action - you can choose to act.

#13 The Power of AND - you can choose AND.

#14 The Truth About Attitude - you can choose your attitude, yes you really can!

One more thing about each of these lessons. You can choose all of them now.

Right now.

Realize too, that waiting is a choice.

What I've learned, and I relearn it every day (and I certainly don't always get it right), is that we move closer to our potential and make a bigger difference in the world when we choose more consciously and with greater intention.

Actually, it has never been said clearer or better than by Og Mandino is his fabulous book, The Greatest Miracle in the World:

Use wisely your power of choice.