  The Kreiss constant $K(A)$ of a stable matrix $A$ conveys information about
the transient behavior of system trajectories in response to initial
conditions. We present an efficient way to compute the Kreiss constant $K(A)$,
and we show how feedback can be employed to make the Kreiss constant
$K(A_{cl})$ in closed loop significantly smaller. This is expected to reduce
transients in the closed loop trajectories. The proposed approached is compared
to potential competing techniques.
