Kevin Eikenberry

Kevin Eikenberry is an internationally respected leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. For over 30 years, he’s coached and trained leaders in 53+ countries, guiding them toward greater effectiveness and confidence. Listed on Global Gurus as a top leadership thinker, Kevin is a prolific author whose works include Remarkable Leadership, From Bud to Boss, The Long-Distance Leader, and his newest book Flexible Leadership. This latest release explores how leaders can adapt to change without compromising their core values. Kevin also hosts the Remarkable Leadership Podcast, and his insights are regularly featured in top publications. He believes flexibility is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have for leaders navigating complex times.

Is your leadership style built to survive today’s uncertainty?

In this inspiring episode of Talking with the Experts, Kevin Eikenberry—a globally recognized leadership expert—shares why flexible leadership is the secret to thriving in unpredictable times. With three decades of experience and clients in over 53 countries, Kevin knows exactly what it takes to lead when the path ahead is unclear.

When the pandemic hit and remote work skyrocketed, many leaders found their traditional tools suddenly ineffective. Kevin’s newest book, Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence, offers a fresh framework for today’s complex world. Rather than rigid strategies, he encourages leaders to adopt a mindset of adaptability—without sacrificing their core principles.

In our conversation, Kevin outlines what’s changed (and what hasn’t) in the workplace, how to lead confidently through uncertainty, and why emotional agility and trust-building are more vital than ever.

This episode is packed with practical advice for business owners, executives, and team leaders seeking to improve results and morale in changing environments. You’ll learn:

• How to balance consistency with innovation
• Why adaptability is the most undervalued leadership trait
• The key differences between surviving and thriving as a leader

👉 Don’t miss your chance to learn from one of the world’s most influential thinkers in leadership. Listen now and step confidently into your role as a flexible, future-ready leader.

🧠 3 Key Takeaways

1. Adaptability is essential: Leaders must be flexible to navigate today’s complex business landscape.
2. Values guide flexibility: Adapt without losing the principles that define your leadership.
3. Confidence through clarity: Knowing what’s changed—and what hasn’t—leads to better decisions and stronger teams.

Introduction to Kevin Eikenberry and Flexible Leadership

• Rose Davidson introduced Kevin Eikenberry, the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a leadership and learning company based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Kevin Eikenberry has spent over 30 years helping organizations and leaders from at least 53 countries become more effective.
• Global Gurus has listed Kevin Eikenberry on the list of most influential thinkers on leadership for the past four years.
• Kevin Eikenberry’s blog can be found at kevineikenberry.com/slack-blog, and their podcast is at remarkablepodcast.com.
• Kevin Eikenberry discussed their book, Flexible Leadership, Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence.

The Importance of Flexible Leadership

• Flexible leadership is crucial in any business, corporate life, or entrepreneurial life.
• Despite the agreement that flexibility is important, most people do not actually adopt a flexible leadership style.
• The challenge lies in balancing consistency with flexibility, as people often operate based on their habits and perceived identity.
• Flexibility is not just about strategic changes but also about daily interactions and decisions.

Challenges in Adopting Flexible Leadership

• Organizations and leaders often resist change due to the status quo and habitual behaviors.
• The belief that one must choose between consistency and flexibility is a misconception; both are necessary.
• Leaders may intellectually agree with the need for flexibility but struggle to implement it in practice due to ingrained habits and identity.
• The complexity of the modern world requires a more adaptable approach to leadership.

Practical Strategies for Leading in Uncertain Times

• In uncertain times, leaders should recognize that they do not have all the answers and should engage their team for a broader range of perspectives.
• The era of the all-knowing leader has passed, and collective input is essential for better decision-making in a complex world.
• Leaders should be flexible enough to incorporate team suggestions and decisions, moving away from command and control styles.
• There is often a gap between knowing the need for change and actually implementing it, requiring patience and grace in transitioning to new leadership styles.

Kevin Eikenberry’s Book and Online Presence

• Kevin Eikenberry’s book is titled Flexible Leadership, Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence.
• The book can be found at kevineikenberry.com/slack-flexible-leadership, where a sample chapter is also available.
• Kevin Eikenberry can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, with their website being kevineikenberry.com.

Final Advice from Kevin Eikenberry

• Kevin Eikenberry emphasized that leadership is about reaching valuable outcomes with and through others, not about the leader themselves.
• All discussions and strategies should be in service of achieving outcomes and supporting others.

• Flexible leadership is crucial for navigating uncertainty and leading with confidence in today’s unpredictable world.
• Adopting a flexible leadership style involves recognizing the need to balance consistency with adaptability, despite common habits and identity-based leadership styles.
• Flexibility in leadership is not just about strategic changes but also about daily interactions and decision-making processes that adapt to the context and situation.
• The status quo and habitual behaviors often prevent leaders from adapting and flexing their leadership styles, even in a rapidly changing world.
• Leaders must recognize that the world is more complex than a single leadership style can address and embrace the idea of being both consistent and flexible.
• In the context of remote or hybrid work settings, both leaders and employees need to be flexible in their day-to-day duties.
• In uncertain times, leaders should engage their teams more to gather a broader range of perspectives and recognize that they may not have all the answers.
• The transition from command and control leadership to a more flexible and team-inclusive approach is challenging but necessary in today’s complex world.
• Kevin Eikenberry’s book, ‘Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence,’ provides deeper insights into the discussed concepts and can be found at kevineikenberry.com/flexible.
• Effective leadership is about achieving valuable outcomes with and through others, emphasizing that leadership is not about the leader themselves.

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