Kevin Elko

Biography

Dr. Kevin Elko is a nationally renowned Performance Consultant, Professional Speaker and Author.

Dr. Elko received his Bachelors in Biology Education and Coaching from California University of Pennsylvania. He then went on to West Virginia University where he received two Masters and a Doctorate and was later inducted into West Virginia University Hall of Fame.

He went on to intern at the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs. In Sports, he has consulted for The Pittsburgh Steelers, The Dallas Cowboys, The Philadelphia Eagles, The Miami Dolphins, The New Orleans Saints, L.S.U. Football, The University of Miami Football, The University of Alabama Football, The University of Nebraska Football, Rutgers University Football and The Pittsburgh Penguins.

His corporate clients have included ING, Tyson Foods, Abbott Labs, LPL Financial, The Hartford, Genworth, Jackson National Life, Pioneer Investments, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Sun Life.

Dr. Elko is the author of four books, Nerves of Steel, The Pep Talk, True Greatness: Mastering the Inner game of Business Success and Touchdown: Achieving Your Greatness on the Playing Field of Business and Life, along with several audio CD programs.

The movie rights to his book The Pep Talk have recently been sold and the book is in the process of becoming a motion picture.

Publications

Nerves of Steel

This compelling new book by Dr. Elko is a guide on how to be mentally tough when times call for it and how to stay focused on the things that are truly important. It features life-improving strategies, motivation enhancements, and forgiveness strategies.

Nerves of Steel addresses these and other life-changing concepts by explaining the step-by-step processes necessary to guide you through the journey we refer to as life.

Titles

How to Achieve Greatness at Work and in Life
This seminar consists of four major points and four action items. First, from a research study conducted with MBA students at Harvard over ten years, those who have goals make twice as much over time as those who do not. And those who have written goals will (1) make ten times as much money and (2) are ten times as effective as those who do not (if you go on Google and type in goals/Harvard the study comes up). One either lives in circumstance or in vision. The first action step is to get a notebook and write goals daily.

Secondly, this seminar has the objective of clearing mental clutter. A person is effective when realizing "there are some things beyond my control and there are some things that are not." When the vision/goals are clear, one is pulled to them, but what makes the vision fuzzy is mental clutter, or thoughts in our head about things we can do nothing about. This seminar has the objective to identify those thoughts that rob performance and joy on the job. The second action step is to develop a focus phrase that clears the mind and then to write it on a card supplied at the seminar that the participant can keep in a wallet or purse.

Third, the process of developing a "game plan" is discussed and ways in which the participant can adhere to one that is effective. A key to performance is to get to our day and start our process as early as possible and without emotion. Sport analogies are used here in the seminar to show how athletes approached their task without emotion but with intent of execution. Studies show that the productive advisor makes his or her first call before 9 a.m. to a possible client, where the mediocre advisor makes that same first call after 11 a.m. In other words, productive people start their process as soon as possible daily. The third action step is to develop a personal script to use when starting the day to visualize the process and to focus before starting each day.

Last, the concept of "claiming" the vision is important in this seminar. High-level performers know the effectiveness of asking and asking and asking. The mediocre performers assume that those around them read their mind and will give them what they want because they have presented something to them and that others can read their mind. People like to be asked and research shows that people usually will not respond until asked -- to do whatever. The final action step is to leave the seminar and focus on asking for what one wants, or claiming it.

Nerves of Steel
This program addresses life-changing concepts by explaining the step-by-step process necessary to guide you. Dr. Elko teaches you how to be mentally tough when times call for it, and how to stay focused on the things that are truly important.

Although there has been much energy given to stress and how to handle it, the challenges of the stressful environment remain. Today`s workplace, be it an athletic field, a business office, or our home, is more stressful than ever and people report being less able to handle their environment now than any time in history. In his approach, Dr. Elko discusses the strategy necessary to develop Nerves of Steel. He points out the importance of intrinsic motivation and how to keep those motivators in front of you at all times. Dr. Elko discusses how to focus using specific self-talk and how to identify your internal Voice of Judgment (V.O.J.) and how to internally respond to it. Finally, to retain the information taught in this program, Dr. Elko explains how to give away the very thing you need...your "68".

There is very little evidence that I.Q. alone is responsible for the success that an individual has in life. But one`s ability to focus through adversity, be creative and maintain motivation, all factors that are referred to as having "Nerves of Steel" has been known to have a significant influence on one`s success and satisfaction.

Vision for Victory
It is easy to sit and constantly analyze the problem along with the mass media. The winners however look for a solution. It is the difference between being an over-developed survivor or a developed achiever. This discussion presents a five-step system of first creating a vision of what you want to accomplish. Next we discuss techniques on how to make the vision clear and keep that vision in front of them daily. Next the participant is taught to remove the thoughts in their head that are keeping them from achieving their vision, which is called mental clutter. The third step is to develop and stay on a concrete process and techniques are shown so the participant does not vary. And finally, we discuss how to recognize and seize opportunities that enable the vision to be realized which we call "Claiming it".

Seasons - Learning How to Deal with Change
These are not tough times they are changing times, this is a very important distinction because as one labels they tend to adopt a set of behaviors that follow their label. However, this truth does not necessarily make life easier because the fact of the matter is few really know how to change. Last week a woman who was in tears was describing how her mother was telling her how she has emphysema and cancer while she was smoking a cigarette. I do not think there is such a thing as will power, but there is a specific set of skills that one uses to change. This talk outlines how the participant identifies the changes in their world and develops mental strategies to do the changes needed to become effective again, they (1) develop a new vision, (2) clear thoughts away that are not the new vision and (3) adhere to a system that gets them to the vision including asking for business they are entitled to. This talk describes how we need a season of change in our life to address the current challenges.

The Three R`s (Retreat, Rethink, Respond)
One of the biggest challenges of interacting with clients is the fact that we (Financial Advisors, Sales Reps, etc) are frequently in a logical mode while the client is in an emotional mode. The interaction is frustrating and not productive. In this program, Dr. Elko presents a three-step system to teach participants to move the client to a logical mode by first retreating out of the interaction and becoming aware of their own thoughts. Then the participant is taught to rethink so that they let go of thoughts like needing to be right or wishing the client was not in the emotional state. Finally, listening skills are discussed that are key to moving the client out of the emotional state and then responding with possibilities to the client.