by Kevin Eikenberry It's that time of year when we celebrate ghosts and witches and all things Halloween-y. Most of those things we consider "scary" aren't real, so they don't really make us all that fearful. Spiders, on the other hand... Scary or a work of art? If you aren't too afraid of spiders, the next time you have a chance, stop and examine a spider web. What you … [Read more...]
About Kevin Eikenberry
Being a Long-Distance Role Model
by Kevin Eikenberry As a new or front-line leader, you might think about what it means to be a role model leader. If so, you are thinking about something very important. Many people will say they want to be a role model as a leader, but the fact is that once you are in the role, people are immediately watching what you are modeling. The question isn’t how to role model – … [Read more...]
How to Determine Engagement When Your Team is Remote
by Kevin Eikenberry Of all the things a new or frontline leader must think about and attend to, employee engagement might not be at the top of this list. We could talk about why it is important, but suffice it to say, it needs to be on our radar. While getting a handle on that might have seemed hard in the past, now that you may not be able to even see your people at work, … [Read more...]
Helping Your Hybrid Team Members Thrive
by Kevin Eikenberry Many people are talking about the future of work and talking about hybrid teams. Time spent helping build and lead hybrid teams is important (here is the Master Class I created on this topic), but success requires more than that. Remember that your hybrid team is made up of hybrid team members. The question today is how can you help each of your … [Read more...]
The Future of Work Is More Than a Policy Change
by Kevin Eikenberry Now that you are a leader get used to your role in implementing new policies. As long as there are organizations, there have been policies and procedures, and I don’t really expect that to change. Today your organization may be asking you to implement policies related to hybrid and/or flexible work. While there is a policy – the future of work is more … [Read more...]
How You Can Create Collaboration on Your Hybrid Team
by Kevin Eikenberry We need our teams to collaborate to get great results. Often, we think of collaboration as a face-to-face activity. Have you figured out how to do that at a distance from some or all of the team? Do you know what you need to do to create hybrid collaboration? Here are three things you can do right now to start changing the level and success of your … [Read more...]
Remember What It Was Like to Be a Team Member
by Kevin Eikenberry As a leader we need to understand the expectations and needs of our team members. As a new leader, especially if we were promoted from within the team we now lead, that should be an opportunity – we have walked in those shoes, and likely have a sense of the wants and needs of those we now lead. Remembering and applying those lessons is important and … [Read more...]
Are Your New Leaders Prepared to Lead Hybrid Teams?
by Kevin Eikenberry Most often on this blog you read about tips and ideas for new and front-line leaders – people in the role of supervision and leadership after the move from bud to boss. This post takes a different approach, focusing more on the organizational view. If you are an individual leader thinking about your ability to be successful in hybrid team leadership, … [Read more...]
The Culture Responsibility of a New Leader
by Kevin Eikenberry When thinking about team or organizational culture, often new and frontline leaders think the way they did as individuals – that culture is something for the C-Suite or senior management to think about. Culture, they often think, is above their pay grade. Yes, culture can be driven from the top-down, but it can be reinforced, and even more powerfully … [Read more...]
Leading Without Experience or a Roadmap
by Kevin Eikenberry I’ve always said that the transition from team member to leader for the first time is the toughest transition we make in our career. During the pandemic, it got even harder. And yet, now, faced with an uncertain future – the post-pandemic workplace - it might now be the hardest time ever to move from Bud to Boss. You’ll be seeing more content here … [Read more...]