Browse published articles attributed to Kevin Eikenberry, with full-archive search.
Let me tell you a secret. Things don’t always go the way we want them to. Let me tell you another secret. We don’t always hear what we want to hear. Duh. These two statements are hardly secrets; we all know they are true. If they aren’t secrets, then why do we act surprised when it ...
We’ve all faced a negative attitude or work environment. Perhaps your experience was short lived, or maybe it seems to be the standard operating mode for you. Perhaps you are the culprit of the negativity, or maybe you’re the victim. Whatever your experience, I’m sure you can agree, that a ...
Ask anyone to give you a list of skills that describe a highly effective leader and I’m guessing they’ll give you a pretty extensive list. (Go ahead, make a quick mental list right now.) Since I’ve done this many times in groups I am accustomed to what I will hear or read. These lists ...
Most of us would like to be better communicators. As leaders, co-workers, team members and in all of the other roles we play both professionally and personally, we know that communication is a major key to success. When we are frustrated or stymied by something, often better communication ...
We celebrate all sorts of things in our lives; birthdays, anniversaries, championships … achievements of all sorts. We celebrate all of these things individually or with our family and friends and they bring us great joy and satisfaction. We all like know “how” to celebrate, but many of us ...
Talk to ten people and nine of them will tell you they believe in goal setting. These nine people will tell you that goals are important, that they can help you be happier and healthier, and that they are the best and fastest way to achieve more in life. I would agree with those nine ...
When people ask me about my business, I tell them I’m in the learning business – that we help organizations, teams and individuals reach their potential through learning. This is a fine statement and it does describe the breadth of what we do, but it often leads to the follow-up question like . ...
When I think of magic, the first images that come to my mind are magicians with playing cards, hats, rabbits and sawing pretty girls in half. When I think a little longer images of more subtle and/or amazing feats of, well, magic come to mind. Magic is a skill that can be mastered. It`s also ...
Read the title again, carefully. It doesn’t say “it takes more effort to get results.” It says “it takes more than effort to get results.” Ah, the difference a word can make. In the world I grew up and live in, hard work is considered a high virtue. I’ve read children's books that spoke of ...
Chances are this article’s title gives you a strong opinion about whether or not to continue reading. You are either in sales and want to understand your work better and therefore very interested, or you are being kind and giving me until the end of this paragraph to convince you to continue, ...
My Philosophy When I read a book, I always appreciate knowing the author’s perspective and philosophy. Once I learn an author’s underlying beliefs, I am in a better position to learn from him or her. I’ve actually already shared part of that philosophy, but here is some more context. Our ...
When I worked in Corporate America, many people carried steno pads with them everywhere they went, writing their notes from meetings, decisions made, and more. I frequently saw these people reviewing these notes, looking for ideas, clues from conversations, agreements and more. One of the ...
Last week I attended the annual conference of the North American Simulation and Gaming Association. I have served on the NASAGA Board for the past six years. During that time I have served as the Chair twice and our company also has pro¬duced the annual conference. Never have I learned as much ...
Most conversations, articles and training regarding feedback is focused on giving leaders, managers and supervisors more tools and approaches for offering feedback more effectively. This is very important information, and these are skills that can help you be significantly more effective in ...
There are many reasons why trust is important to us as leaders. With higher levels of trust we are able to influence change more easily and quickly. With more trust we are able to create higher levels of productivity and team cohesiveness. I could go on, but in short, being trustworthy and ...
Tips for Getting the Most From Your Conference Investment All professionals attend conferences, seminars, and trade shows each year. Through my observation and person experience here are my top tips for maximizing your time and monetary investment in these events. 1. Set goals for the event. ...
I don`t know anyone who doesn`t want to be more productive. We buy time management books, go to courses, try new software, read blogs dedicated to productivity and search for the best system to help us get more done in the time we have. Of course increasing productivity makes sense because, even ...
I’m betting you’ve had the same experience I have in most organizational brainstorming sessions. You are in a room with beige (or otherwise boring) walls and a conference table. Sometime during the meeting, there is a problem or challenge identified. Someone standing near a flipchart or ...
We watch the star athlete calmly make the final shot, score the winning goal, or lead his team for a touchdown in the final minute of the game. We marvel at their talent and their determination, but what we value and admire most is the supreme confidence they display – they know they will ...
Bob moved to a new company, and it wasn’t too many days before he was invited to a meeting. The meeting announcement he received said that the meeting started at 9 am in room 105. At 8:55 he walked into an empty room. Frantic he went back to his computer to see if he had the details right. ...
We attach significance to the turning of the calendar, and when the calendar turns to a new year, it means more than learning to change a digit when we write a check – we’ve started a new chapter. It is instructive for us to think about how we can get the most from the end of chapter 2005. ...
Most of us find ourselves in a position to help others achieve more of their potential than we realize. Sure, as leaders, supervisors, and parents we can see ourselves in that position; but the fact is that all of us are uniquely qualified to help at least one other person in our lives reach ...
Your Thirty Golden Minutes Would you like a new idea that could greatly impact your outlook, attitude, productivity and happiness? Would you be willing to make a change to your daily routine in order to increase your personal satisfaction and help you reach your goals faster than ever before? ...
According to Ad Age magazine, the slogan introduced for Coca-Cola in 1929 – “The Pause That Refreshes” – was the third best advertising slogan of the 21st Century. I can see why, it’s a great slogan. And I believe its message is one we can employ in our personal and professional lives with much ...
Halloween never has been my favorite holiday. As a kid, growing up on the farm, trick-or-treating meant getting in and out of the car (often on very cold nights) and wearing coats over our costumes. I certainly liked the candy, but it never made much sense to me. As a father, I must admit I ...
Recognizing that the time had come to replace our hot water heater, my wife called our plumber to schedule an appointment. She placed the call at about 11 a.m. When the agent asked, “Would you be available between one and three?” Lori asked, “Which day?” The agent replied “Today of ...
First, let me be clear, this article is not a how-to piece to get everyone to like you. While your life will be more enjoyable and satisfying when you have many strong relationships,sometimes as a leader people will not like you. nnWhy?nnBecause, as a leader, you are challenging their comfort zones, encouraging change and expecting improvement. It wouldnât matter what you did or how you did it, when you expect more than status quo some people get rattled. And there are some
Words are very powerful. In fact, vocabulary has a remarkably high correlation with IQ scores. We use words to communicate our thoughts and feelings. Internally, we use words to think. For both reasons - thinking and communicating - having a strong vocabulary is valuable, and improving our ...
It’s that time of year again. Shopping, parties and long lines everywhere. More vacations, more family commitments, and more stress. These are a few of the challenges we all face during the holiday season. The holidays are a wonderful time of the year, and we will enjoy them more as leaders ...
Manage or Lead – Why the Difference Matters and What to Do About That Difference Many books have been written about managing people, and an equally large number have been written about leadership. Some use the words manage and lead interchangeably, and some talk about the differences between ...
Many people wish they were more creative. They yearn for the big idea (or even the small one) and think that if they just had that one idea they’d be on their way to greater success.Certainly, we can all do things to be more creative, but having ideas isn’t the biggest, or even first, source of ...
We all need encouragement. Even the most callous, hard headed self made person needs encouragement to stay on track and move forward. This isn’t news – it is something we all know. Unfortunately many times we don’t take action on what we know. We can change our habits about encouragement – ...
The team faced a significant challenge on the project. After a very successful brainstorming session they felt they had several ideas that would address and alleviate the problems they faced. They were truly energized by some of the ideas they generated. But soon, the glow wore off, because ...
Every day we deal with a variety of matters of urgent importance in our organizations. Seldom is leadership development on that urgent list. While perhaps not urgent, few things are of greater importance to the future of our organizations that the conscious and consistent development of our ...
You can pick up any business or news magazine at any time and read articles about the rapid pace of change, the increasing speed at which everything moves, the globalization of industry and commerce, and how technology is changing our world. Of course all of these things are true. Further ...
This may seem like a very strange title for an article. After all, a vacation is supposed to be… a vacation. The title seems to imply that we should strive to make our vacation, somehow strategic or productive. In a way, that is what I am suggesting, but maybe not in the anal-retentive way ...
I know that there have been people with the title of Project Manager for many years, and there has been a growing body of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques in the area of project management for a long time. Yes, there have always been projects. But never before has it been so important ...
Every place I go, if I’m in an organization long enough, I’ll hear people lament about the lack of accountability. Specifically, I hear things like: “They just don’t seem to care enough, I guess.” “Those action items never get done – I don’t know why we even identify them.” “I have trouble ...
Every leader I’ve ever talked with has been busy. Some are more stressed by their workload than others, but the reality of work today is that we all (leaders included) have plenty to do. Which should make the title of this article of great interest, I mean, who wouldn’t be interested in better ...
If you are like me, you are living some distance from the devastation wrought by Katrina. If you are like me you not physically impacted and can watch the plight of others on television in the comfort of your home. And if you are like me, you are wondering what you can do. I believe the ...
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “go slow to go fast.” I sometimes say it to Clients and participants in training. I remind myself of this truth occasionally too. Why? Because too often we are in such a rush to get the next task done that we end up spending more time doing it – or getting ...
We all have personal networks â the groups of people who make up your professional and personal collection of friends, colleagues, acquaintances, etc. Unfortunately, we almost all also have people we used to know or were close to that we have lost track of or fallen out of touch with. Whether personally or professionally, Iâm sure that this has happened to you and you look back with some amount of regret.nnLet me ask you a question: âAre you doing things now to keep tha
Most of us, at one time or another have looked to someone more experienced or expert than us to help us navigate through a difficult challenge or situation. Whether formal or informal, we’ve had these sorts of relationships throughout our lives. Sometimes these relationships have happened ...
Most of us donât tell stories to become an entertainer or to make it on television. We tell stories as a way to instruct, explain and, in the end, sell our ideas to others. As a leader we must sell ideas. As a co-worker we must sell ideas. As a spouse, parent and friend we want and need to sell ideas.nnStories are a great way to sell ideas, but not all stories are successful in doing that. Of all the factors that will impact a storyâs effectiveness in getting a message ac
It might seem a bit strange to highlight one particular choice as important. After all, Iâm guessing you can immediately think of many important choices you have made in your life. However, the choice Iâm talking about isnât deciding what job to take, where to live or who to share your life with. Actually itâs a more fundamental choice that in my observation some people have never really considered. nnMy goal for the next few hundred words is to give you three specifi
Tom was working hard to change the culture in his organization. He wanted to create greater collaboration, teamwork and empowerment. He envisioned an organization where people loved coming to work each day. He knew that when these things were a part of working life that productivity would sky ...
Toby was a young and ambitious salesperson. Part of his training had been to spend time with Janice, a veteran and very successful salesperson at the firm. As Toby went on sales calls with Janice he took notes, and one of the things he marveled at was Janiceâs ability to ask great questions. In fact he had been collecting and recording her questions and had begun using the same questions himself.nnToby was disappointed though, as it seemed that the questions that worked so
Before you read any further, get a pen and a piece of paper. Write down all the groups you belong to. Iâll help you get started.nnI am a member of the human race. nI am a male/female. nnKeep writing until you have at have at least 10-15 groups on your list.nnNow that you are back, letâs review your list. nnIâm guessing that you will notice some groups that you are a member of without even making a choice, like the two I gave you to start your list. You also will likely
Maybe you are a voracious reader. Maybe reading has never been your favorite thing (though if that is the case, youâre probably not reading this!) Either way â whether you read a book a week or struggle to finish one a year - it would be helpful to gain more value from the time you do spend reading.nnFirst, recognize that Iâm not talking about reading novels or the classics. Reading those is purely for pleasure, and, for the most part, the suggestions below donât appl
Effective coaching is a big topic. nnHere are just a few examples where being a more effective coach can make a difference: at work, for your childrenâs sports teams, for a friend and in your community. As with anything as important and as pervasive as this topic, there are lots of resources available to you. You can search the internet, buy a book or take a course. There also are coaching certification programs and many other ways to learn the skills of being an effective