There is a difference between what we can control and what we can merely influence. Sometimes we get the two mixed up, and it leads to major headaches. Take elections, for example. There's no question that voting is a civic responsibility, but your vote doesn't control who gets elected. It does influence who represents you, however. The same applies to every election. So … [Read more...]
2 Words You’re Probably Not Saying Enough
Today is Memorial Day and we honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. We'll attend parades, picnics or other celebrations, as a way to remember and show our gratitude to all the soldiers who died for this great nation and to thank the vets and soldiers still with us for their service. It has me thinking a great deal about saying "Thank you." It … [Read more...]
5 Steps to More Beneficial Conversations
Engaging conversation with your employees does more than just provide you with something interesting to talk about. Each time you dive into an insightful conversation, you are building rapport, understanding and trust with employees. Your relationship improves, and with it, so does employee collaboration, cooperation, performance, motivation, engagement, morale and … [Read more...]
Actions are Louder than Words: Simply Responding to Controversy Won’t Make You a Strong Leader
This is a guest post by Vishal Agarwal, author of Give to Get: A Senior Leader's Guide to Navigating Corporate Life. Much of the news over the past few years has focused on things leaders didn't do as opposed to what they've done. From Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to the President, leaders have been called out for not acting and allowing crises to worsen. Rather than look … [Read more...]
Do You Give Your Employees a Voice? If Not, It’s Time to Start
Increasingly employees want to be heard in the workplace, and it goes deeper than simply having someone listen, note their ideas and opinions, and move on. Employees want their leaders to act on what they're hearing from employees. It seems many companies are starting to pay attention. Last year, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology listed “capturing the … [Read more...]
Boosting Self-Esteem is the Key to High Performance
Self-esteem is relatively scarce in the world and in your workplace. If you don't believe that, it's probably because: You have a healthy self-esteem and so you assume others do, or it never crosses your mind. You don’t have it, and are in denial, (or think you are the only one with weak or low self-esteem). Your people seem to have good self-esteem Self-esteem … [Read more...]
Hiding the Cheese (and Tearing Down Other Barriers That Make Change Hard)
I often say that facts dictate the need for change, and emotions create the barrier to it. Changing from one way of doing things (behavior) to a different one always involves loss, and loss triggers powerful negative emotions. You must understand and address those negative emotions to successfully influence change. I've often talked about about the power that having a weight … [Read more...]
Take the Sting Out of Bad News
I'm a huge fan of home improvement shows. One of my guilty pleasures is waking up early on a Saturday (when I don't have soccer mom duties), and catching up on the shows I missed that week while sipping a cup of hot coffee. My favorite show of the moment is HGTV's Home Town. If you like this type of show and haven't already, check it out. The married hosts, Ben and Erin … [Read more...]
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change The Way You Lead Forever
Back in 2016 on the Kevin Eikenberry Blog, I was incredibly excited to share news about Michael Bungay Stanier's brand-new book "The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change The Way You Lead Forever." March 1, 2018 marked the two-anniversary, and the book is now a best seller. The leadership guidance presented in the book and my thoughts on it are as pertinent as ever, … [Read more...]
Don’t Forget Your Manners When You Become a Leader
"Please." "Thank you." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." Most of us were taught by our parents or other well-meaning adults to use those phrases liberally. Yet, says Keith Martino, author of Expect Leadership and head of CMI, a global consultancy that customizes leadership and sales development initiatives, “Simple as they sound, those phrases are often difficult for many people in the … [Read more...]