Kevin Eickenberry

Kevin Eikenberry is a two-time bestselling author, speaker, consultant, trainer, coach, leader, learner, husband, and father (not necessarily in that order).

Kevin is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group , a learning consulting company that has been helping organizations, teams, and individuals reach their potential since 1993. Emphasizing the power of learning, Kevin’s specialties include leadership, teams and teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, and more.

Kevin is the bestselling author of Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at a Time.  His Kevin’s latest release, authored with Guy Harris, is iHFrom Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership.

Did you Learn Your Lesson?

Kevin Eickenberry

Flashback to my kidhood  . . .  I’ve just made some error or mistake, and I am being made aware of that error by one of my parents.  At the end of the conversation, they ask me . . . Did you learn your lesson?

I’m guessing that my flashback is your flashback too – that someone in your life has asked you that question once or perhaps on many occasions – Did you learn your lesson?

Questions are a powerful tool, and when others have asked you this question, I’m guessing their intention was to help you learn something (a noble intention), even if took the intention as a bit less noble.

There are two basic problems with my flashback:

• I typically was asked the question only after a mistake – as if there is only something to learn when we mess up.
• The question really only begs a yes or no answer – not a description of the lesson itself

So let’s tweak our flashbacks before we create them for others – and expand the usefulness of the idea.

Look for lessons all the time, not just after a mistake.  Did something go well today?  Look for the lessons – what do we need to repeat to get those results again?

Make the question more open and powerful.  Suggestions could include:

• What is the lesson that you learned?
• What worked?
• What will you do the next time you are in that situation?

The questions aren’t just for others.  Yes you can ask these questions of other to help them learn, and you will become a more intentional learner when you ask yourself these questions more regularly.

There is always lesson in our daily life experiences, large and small.  Yet there is no guarantee we will learn from them – the learning only comes with reflection, and the right questions.

To become the leader and person you were born to be, ask these questions more often and more intentionally.

So, what is your lesson?

….

A final note:  The use of the flashback here was meant for literary purposes – while I know my parents asked me that question in those situations, they aren’t alone  - I’ve done the same thing myself, with my kids and others.  Hopefully this post helps me learn my lesson and ask a more powerful and helpful questions of myself and others in the future.

TFW Today - August 23, 2011

Organizational culture gets talked about a lot by people discussing success in organizations. It is rightly considered an important determining factor in measurements including retention, job satisfaction, trust levels, productivity and much more. Yet there are some common misconceptions about where culture comes from and who is responsible for it. Because of these misconceptions too many leaders ignore or deny their role.

Let me start with three facts that will dispel those misconceptions

Culture belongs to all leaders, not just the C-Suite. If you think that culture is the sole responsibility of the senior leadership, you are mistaken. Every leader has a role to play in creating, nurturing and maintain the organizational culture. In fact, to individual employees, their boss is in many ways the face of the culture and the biggest contributing factor to it. Which means that . . .

No one does it alone. Culture is about "how things are done around here," and every leader impacts that. After all, if you are in an organization of any size, how often do most employees directly interact with senior managers? They interact far more regularly with their boss or manager. And because of this, even if you as a leader don`t think you have a responsibility for your organizational culture, the reality is that . . .

You are impacting the culture with everything you do. Culture creation isn`t an initiative and it isn`t static. Yes, the basic constructs of any organizational culture exist based on the past experiences of people; the culture is always fluid and always adjusting, based on the examples, situations and actions of everyone in the organization, especially the leaders.

Once you realize these facts, that you do have some influence over the organizational culture, the logical question is, what can I do, from where I am, to have a positive impact on changing the culture for the better (or even maintaining the components that are great)? Here are six specific ideas.

Get clear on your vision for the culture.

Yes this can happen organizationally, but you don`t have to wait. Have a clear image of what you are trying to create, at home or for your particular team, office, department, or division.

Behave intentionally

Ghandi said to "be the change you want to see in the world." Only you can own your behavior, and people are paying more attention than you might realize. Make sure your behavior matches the culture you want to reinforce.

Consider your attitude.

Whatever your vision for your culture, remember that your attitude will play a significant part in it.

Create clear expectations.

While your behavior is a starting and reinforcing point, you must let others know what behaviors you are looking for and coach to them and hold people accountable for them.

Make culture part of your decision making process.

When making decisions, large and small, ask yourself how that decision will impact the culture you are trying to create.

Hire based on your desired culture.

One important decision you make is when you bring people into your team or organization. Make sure you consider your culture when you hire. Will the person fit and will they contribute naturally to the culture you are nurturing?

Even now, near the end of this article, you may be thinking that your impact on a large organizational culture may be small. Perhaps this is true. When you feel discouraged or powerless, consider that the most important part of a culture is what it is like to work where you are, with the people you interact with every day.

Have you ever noticed how water responds to a pebble being dropped into it? Ripples form, in concentric and ever widening circles. Yes, the ripples get smaller as they disperse, but they do grow. In matters of organizational culture as an individual leader, manager or supervisor, you are the pebble, while your impact is greatest closest to you, your behavior will impact culture more directly and in greater ways than you realize.

If you want to change the culture around you, don`t sit on the shore because you don`t think it is your job; start a wave.

TFW Today - August 9, 2011

Have you ever felt like you were treading water, or maybe just floating?  You are active, maybe even busy, and you are likely meeting all of your commitments, but you aren’t making any progress, not making any new progress.  Several years ago my sister-in-law Kara stated this as being in maintenance mode.  The description seemed appropriate to me then, and it does to me now too.

Sometimes people use time of the year as their reason for being in maintenance mode, “well, everyone is on vacation now,” or “I can’t do much until the kids are back in school,” might be a couple you might hear this time of the year.   But these reasons, both seasonal and personal exist all around us, and they are keeping us from achieving what we could, and keeping our organizations from making the kinds of differences they are capable of.

It is like maintaining a house. If we are in maintenance mode things don’t fall into disrepair, but you are doing any remodeling or landscaping either. Maintenance requires some energy, but seldom creates any new Getenergy. Have you ever been there?

As I think about it, I think this is where many people spend their whole lives. They don’t set any goals, they don’t stretch themselves. They simply stay in maintenance mode. A fifty year old house that has been maintained will have out dated bathrooms, paint and appliances – it may be functional, but it won’t be highly attractive.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be attractive. I want to be vibrant, alive and full of energy. Perhaps it its ok to be in a maintenance mode for a bit (other people’s vacations or the extreme heat are realities, I know).  Here, though are some things you can do to move past maintenance. These will all help your team or organization as much as they will help you.  As usual, as a leader, when you go first, you improve the chances for others to follow.

1. Review your goals. When you review your goals it brings  renewed purpose and energy. When was the last time you or your team reviewed your goals?

2. Review the benefits your goals will bring. Reviewing your goals is great – reminding ourselves of why they are so important is even more powerful. Don’t just pull out your goals. Take time to reflect on why they matter. Your energy and motivation will be replenished, guaranteed. Do you (and everyone on your team) know why your goals matter?

3. Take action. Want more energy?  do something related to one of your goals even if it is a super-small baby step. Having a plan and taking action fuels that energy. What is your action plan for right now, today or this week?

4. Remove distractions. For me right now, it is a desk that is too messy. I’ve made some small steps on this today (before I travel the rest of the week).  What are your current distractions du jour?

These four steps help me get past maintenance and on to achieving my bigger and more exciting goals. If you find yourself in maintenance mode, get those tasks done and get on to building your future!