6 Amazing Benefits of Drinking Tea

6 Amazing Benefits of Drinking Tea

Nothing is quite as relaxing as enjoying a nice cup of tea. Well, studies have shown that a hot cup of tea can do more than relax you. Although we have known for centuries that tea is associated with many health benefits, we have only just started to investigate it scientifically. Whether green, black or white, the humble tea provides so many benefits to your body. Tea is full of natural substances that improve your health in so many ways. Let us have a look at some of the key benefits that tea drinking can have on your body.

Heart diseases

Research has shown that black tea can actually protect you from cardiovascular diseases. Tea improves the blood flow in the arteries, thereby reducing the risk of clots. Tea is also rich in anti-oxidants, which help in preventing coronary artery diseases. It contains flavonoids, quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin, all of which are associated with reduced risk of fatal heart attacks. Drinking tea also helps to reduce blood pressure and stiffness of arteries, thus improving cardiovascular health.

Immune system

According to a study done by National Academy of Sciences in 2009, the immune cells in tea drinkers respond five times faster than those of coffee drinkers. Green tea is loaded with anti-oxidants that help in enhancing the immune mechanism of the body. This protects the body against wide range of viral, bacterial and other microbial diseases. So, brew up a healthy cuppa today, and stay active and free from diseases.

Cancer

Clinical studies have shown that antioxidants present in tea help to fight free radicals that cause damage to healthy cells. These free radicals are responsible for causing chronic degenerative diseases like cancer. Population studies have linked the consumption of tea with the reduction in risk for several types of cancers. Both green and black teas possess cancer-inhibiting properties.

Weight loss

Tea helps in losing weight…Yes, you heard it right. One of the major hurdles in any weight loss plan is slow metabolism. Regular tea drinking (without adding sugar or milk) can help in boosting your body metabolism, thereby promoting the process of thermogenesis (fat burning). According to a study, drinking 5 to 7 cups of tea in a day can help you burn 70 to 80 calories. You just need to make sure that you add little or no sugar and milk.

Tooth decay

Believe it or not, regular tea drinking helps in strengthening your teeth and lowering the risk of tooth decay. Tea contains fluoride, which is an essential mineral required for healthy teeth. Moreover, tea also contains anti-oxidants that fight against bacteria and gum diseases. So, make sugar free tea a part of your daily routine for happy and pearly teeth.

Rehydrate

Forget Gatorade. It is loaded with sugar and artificial flavors. Ditch your bottle of Gatorade and try iced tea. Although tea contains caffeine, but it is not high enough to cause dehydration. Tea contains less amount of caffeine than coffee. It provides a rich flavorsome source of water.

http://www.fitnea.com/6-amazing-benefits-of-drinking-tea/3/

10 Healthy Foods That Are Not That Healthy After All

10 Healthy Foods That Are Not That Healthy After All

 A glass of juice for breakfast, a chicken grill sandwich for lunch and a prepared salad for dinner… Seems as if you are having a healthy meal, right? Well…check it out again. Some foods that sound healthy actually aren’t. The word ‘healthy’ is a very subjective term. What most people do not realize that all healthy foods are not created equal. Many people rely on low fat or fat free foods, but these foods may also conceal some nasty surprises. Here, we have listed 10 manipulative foods that sound healthy, but actually aren’t.

Prepared salads

Just because your meal contains the word ‘salad’ in it does not mean it is healthy. The biggest mistake that most people make while trying to lose weight or become healthier is that they assume that all salads are healthy option. Pre-prepared tuna salads, turkey salads and chicken salads are full of hidden fats. The low fat dressing that you sprinkle on your salad is also loaded with calories in the form of sugar. Mayonnaise, French dressing and salad dressings are full of calories.

The thumb rule is to make your own salads by using fresh ingredients. Instead of readymade dressings, prepare your dressings using basic and light ingredients such as lemon, vinegar or olive oil.

Smoothies

Smoothies are healthier option if you prepare them using fruits and low fat milk. However, traditional smoothies contain high amounts of sugar, ice cream and at times fattening yogurt. Skip the store-bought and make your own smoothie instead. Next time before you guzzle that ‘low fat’ smoothie or that bag of ‘fat free’ chips, don’t forget to read the list of ingredients.

Flavored yogurt

Just like smoothies, flavored yogurt can contain high sugar and dairy ingredients. Plain sugar-free yogurt is actually healthy for you, and is a good source of calcium. However, flavored yogurt contains sugar, which actually slows down the process of absorption of calcium in the body.

If you are looking for sweetness in your yogurt, add honey or all fruit spread to your plain low fat sugar free yogurt. You can also opt for fat-free Greek Yogurt, which is low in fat and sugar and loaded with proteins.

Granola bars

Many people eat energy bars or granola bars as mid-meal snack. However, what they do not realize is that these energy bars are loaded with sugar, saturated fat and high fructose corn syrup. Some energy bars are also called protein bars as they provide you good amount of proteins (and calories too). This does not mean you should completely avoid all bars. Look out for low-sugar and low carb variety that you do not consume hidden calories.

Diet soda

For those watching calories, diet sodas are a good substitute for their high calorie siblings. However, several studies have found that diet sodas actually cause you several health risks if you are not careful. The artificial sweeteners like aspartame are mainly responsible for causing health related issues of diet sodas. Therefore, next time you feel thirsty, drink plain water or coffee for a quick energy buzz.

Lean cuisines

Just because the word ‘lean’ is associated with your food does not mean that it will help you lose fat and achieve healthy weight. Most of the lean meat or frozen foods are loaded with high sodium content. This substitute ingredient, although low in fat, is detrimental to health when taken in high quantities. Instead of picking ‘Lean Cuisines’ from grocery store, choose fresh produe.

Juice

Many advertisement tout juices as a healthy way to start your day. No doubt, fruits and vegetable juices are healthy, but only when they are prepared fresh at home. Readymade juices contain concentrated amounts of fructose syrup, which is responsible for several metabolic disorders.

Margarine

Many people have this misconception that margarine is a healthier option than butter as it contains less amount of fat. But, margarine contains trans fat (saturated fat), which can lead to several heart diseases.

Bran muffins

Whether it is bran muffin or white flour muffin, muffin are miniature cakes that are high in butter and sugar. Though you can substitute traditional muffins with bran ones, but watch out the quantity.

Sports drinks

Sports drinks or energy drinks like Gatorade are rich source of electrolytes, and also contain high amount of calories. So, if you are not working out, skip sports drinks and take healthier options.

http://www.fitnea.com/10-healthy-foods-that-are-not-that-healthy-after-all/

Top 6 Foods For Healthy Eyes And Better Vision

Top 6 Foods For Healthy Eyes And Better Vision

Staying healthy obviously involves keeping a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. This usually refers to a healthy heart, strong bones and a healthy, slim body. But keeping healthy also implies taking care of vision, our most important asset. After all, seeing well into the future requires healthy eyes and, most certainly, after reaching an old age, many people develop vision problems. Issues such as cataracts, dry eyes or other ocular disease may be prevented by following simple eating guidelines and basically “keeping an eye” on healthy foods. Here is a rundown of some of the best foods for healthy eyes and better vision:

1. Carrots

The number one obviously goes to carrots. Bugs Bunny certainly knew that carrots are the way to having a perfect vision. These orange colored vegetables are packed with beta carotene (carotene actually comes from carrots, hence the name) and antioxidants to help fight degenerative eye diseases such as cataracts and macular diseases.

Carrots are easy to add to any dish or salad, but if you don’t like them whole or solid, carrot juice is a great option. After all, most food supplements or child drinks have carrot juice as a main ingredient. Carrots can be a fine ingredient for soups, stews or any other sauce, be it hummus, spice sauces or sweet pastes. You can even dip them in salsa, hummus, peanut butter, or guacamole for added flavor and texture.

2. Bell peppers

Bell peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C, a crucial element for keeping a healthy vision. Also, they are high in antioxidants and other vitamins that will protect your eyes.

They can be eaten fresh in salads, sauces, and sandwiches or cooked in stews or even an addition for meat plateaus or steaks. Bell peppers can also add color and texture to a dish, as well as that added healthy element. Steamed, roasted, in soups, or in your favorite pasta dressing, bell peppers are the ideal ingredient for having great eyesight.

3. Poultry meats – turkey, chicken or ostrich

Poultry is the lean and healthy substitute for the red, fatty meats you usually come across in dishes, including beef, pork or lamb.
Even though ostrich meat may be hard to find in stores, it is packed with zinc, potassium, proteins and iron which are key elements for having excellent eyesight. Zinc is a crucial mineral found in the retina and it causes enzyme production which is related to having healthy eyes. Also, iron helps fight ocular degeneration, keeping eyes healthy even during old age.

Turkey and chicken also have high amounts of zinc, but as a plus, are also rich in a variety of vitamins such as Vitamin B, niacin and vitamin E. These are essential in fighting cataracts and other debilitating eye diseases.

These types of meats are incredibly versatile, being a staple ingredient for many dishes. You can eat them in chili, steaks, soups, stews or even low fat salads.

4. Spinach

Popeye knew his secret. Spinach is literally packed with almost every vitamin out there, but the key components are vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin and beta carotene. Also, spinach has a high concentration of antioxidants that will help fight macula degeneration. Zeaxanthin and lutein increase the pigment density in the macula area, which acts as a natural sunscreen for the eyes, absorbing 40 to 90 percent of the dangerous blue light spectrum rays. Spinach can be eaten stewed, boiled, in salads or as a sauce for pasta.

5. Sweet potatoes

Here comes another high beta carotene food for great vision. The bright orange colored flesh of these vegetables is packed with this important element. They can be baked, fried and mashed just as regular potatoes. The sweet, soft taste will leave you breathless. Sweet potatoes really are a sweet ingredient when trying to keep healthy.

6. Fish – salmon and sardines

Fish, in general, has high amounts of healthy omega 3 fats, essential for any healthy lifestyle. But salmon and sardines are even better, having a higher amount of omega 3 fats, which will ensure a healthy vision. Omega 3 fats work by protecting the tiny blood vessels that surrounds and are buried in the eyeball. Try to eat at least 6 ounces of wild salmon or sardines every day and you will surely see the difference.

http://www.fitnea.com/top-6-foods-for-healthy-eyes-and-better-vision/3/

7 Ways of Being Well-Organized And Getting Things Done

7 Ways of Being Well-Organized And Getting Things Done

 What follows in this blog post are 7 ways of being well-organized and getting things done and what we have done is tried to make them as easy to follow as possible to allow you to implement them immediately. There is no doubt that being organized does make a difference and it does not have to be as difficult as you think, so that being said let us move on to the tips.

1. Work out your priorities

Working out your priorities is something that you should do every single day and the best way to approach this is to place things in order of importance. Watching that movie may sound like a good idea, but put that at the bottom of the list and focus on things that have an impact on your work, health, or anything else that is key to your survival.

2. Plan ahead as much as possible

Next, you should consider trying to plan ahead, so if you know that there is an appointment at a certain location for a certain time, then plan your day around that appointment. Basically, if you often go to other places near that appointment, then try to do a number of things in the one area at the same time rather than going across the city on numerous occasions and wasting time as this approach will certainly be more productive.

3. Make sure everything has its place and put it back

Knowing where everything is really will allow you to get more things done as you will waste less time hunting for that object that you require to complete your task. Too much time is wasted hunting for keys or that piece of paper and it also just stresses you out and can upset your rhythm. Instead, by being able to go right to everything you will feel as if your day is going quite smoothly and as a result more progress will be made.

4. Never be afraid to delegate

Delegating tasks to others will always lead to you getting more done, but it is not just a case of picking anybody to do a task. Instead, you need to make sure that they are capable of doing it without running into any problems and that they do have the correct tools to complete the job. Failure to do this will only lead to you wasting time trying to rectify the situation when all it required was for you to spend an extra few minutes at the start to ensure that everything would go smoothly.

5. Make lists and read them

Those post-it notes are going to be your friend when it comes to trying to be well-organized and you should consider having those little notes in different locations to remind yourself about what you still have to do and the order in which the jobs must be completed. It is important that you never just rely on your memory as you will slip up from time to time and as each task is completed always remember to score them off the list as it has been shown that when you see progress has been made that people do get more done due to the psychological lift that it gives them.

 6. Stick to a schedule

Having a schedule will help to force you into completing tasks on time and actually getting more done in the process. The only problem here is that you need to be sensible when working out how long something takes or you will put undue pressure on yourself and this is where mistakes can occur and you will actually then start to get less done. Always give yourself some leeway when working out your schedule for the day, so if you believe that something will take you 10 minutes, then write down 15 because in actual fact seeing that you are ahead of schedule will give you a boost and this can help keep you motivated and you will do more than you expected.

7. Be disciplined

Finally, you must be disciplined at all times or you will ruin all of your hard work. It is important that you keep your focus and try to avoid being side-tracked, even though this can be very difficult to do, so eliminate as many potential distractions as possible or you will just be making life harder for yourself. If you have people around you, then make sure that they know when to leave you alone, or if somebody wants to have coffee just remember that your favorite coffee shop will still be there tomorrow and there is no need to stray off your schedule if it can be avoided.

http://www.fitnea.com/7-ways-of-being-well-organized-and-getting-things-done/3/

Five Mistakes To Avoid When Trading Financial Markets

Five Mistakes To Avoid When Trading Financial Markets 20/05/2013   It’s a well known fact that 95% of “retail” traders (i.e. the small speculators) will lose money trading the financial markets.  Little wonder then that small speculators are referred to as “dumb money” by investment professionals and monitored as a contrarian indicator for future price direction. It is not simply that the little guys choose the wrong trade, there are a number of classic mistakes that are repeated over and over again that mean losing is all but a certainty, leaving the 5% of winners and the professionals to clean up. This article highlights what we believe to be the top five mistakes that traders make that can be avoided and increase your odds of success dramatically. Get more free articles like this helping you learn how to trade online. 1. Not Planning Your Trades It is not sufficient to look at a particular market, choose to either buy or sell and cross your fingers hoping for the best.  You must devote time to study your chosen market, decide whether the prevailing trend is up or down, what timescale this trend is over and where the points of support and resistance are. You have to plan where you are going to buy or sell, where to place your stop loss and most importantly where to exit the trade.  Then, once the trade is planned and executed, you must show discipline – you made the trade for a good reason with solid justification, so any changes need equally solid justification. 2. Lettings Losses Run and Closing Winners Too Early There is a tendency to become too emotionally involved with a trade once it has been placed, and to want the trade to succeed too much. Therefore, novice traders tend to let losses run too long, by either widening stops or ignoring signals that the trade is going wrong, in a desperate attempt not to lose money.  All that happens is when you do eventually lose, the loss is a huge one. Learn to take small losses and you won’t ever get smashed by an enormous loss that blows you out of the water completely – the markets will always be there tomorrow, as long as you still have capital, you are in the game. On the flipside, novices tend to get over excited when their trades move the right way and into a profitable position and the tendency is to close the trade out earlier than planned to “bank” the profit.  Of course there are times when this is the right course of action, but if your plan said close out at a certain point, unless something has changed, stick to the plan. 3. Chasing Losses The other classic trading mistake is to “chase” losses – after taking a loss on a trade (hopefully a small, manageable one - see above!) the natural urge is to “put it right” by getting straight back into the markets and winning the lost cash back as soon as possible. As we know, the only way to trade is by planning each trade and executing it carefully, jumping back in to the markets after calling a losing trade is NOT going to work. The best advice is to take a few days out of the markets, regroup and plan your next trade.  4. Overtrading Everyone loves the thrill of placing a trade and entering the market – many traders tend to overtrade, placing too many trades that haven’t been planned properly just to be “in the game” and part of the action. We at UKGTE only make about 10-20 carefully planned trades a year as overtrading means more money is lost on commissions and spreads and the likelihood of losing is higher as trades are more frequent. 5. Staking Too Much Money management is the key to real success – too many traders risk far too much of their trading pot on each trade, looking for the “big win” rather than gradual and controlled growth through smaller more manageable trades. If you go seeking the “big win”, more often than not you will end up finding the “big loss” and then its game over. http://www.goldtradingexperts.com/1/post/2012/10/five-mistakes-to-avoid-when-trading-financial-markets.html?utm_source=taboola

Safety Culture, An Innovative Leadership Approach

Finally! Our Safety Culture Book is moving to publishing!

MAY 3, 2013 · 0 COMMENTS

in MANAGEMENT BOOKS,SAFETY CULTURE

“Safety Culture, An Innovative Leadership Approach” by James Roughton and Nathan Crutchfield is planned for publishing  by Elsevier In October, 2013.   The Table of Contents is shown below and lists the topics we believe should be part of an overall approach to developing and sustaining a Safety Management System as well as enhance the  organizational safety culture.

Subject to editorial change, our book includes:

Part 1 – Laying the Foundation

The Perception of Safety

Analyzing the Organizational Culture

Analyzing and Using Your Network

Setting the Direction for the Safety Culture

Part 2, Safety Management Systems Defined

Overview of Basic Safety Management Systems

Management Leadership: Demonstrating Commitment

Leadership and the Effective Safety Culture

Employee Involvement

Part 3, How to Handle the Perception of Risk

Risk Perception - Defining How to Identify Personal Responsibility

Risk Management Principles

Developing an Activity-Based Safety System

Developing the Job Hazard Analysis

Part 4, Tools to Enhance Your Safety Management

Education and Training - Assessing Safety Training Needs

Assessing Your Safety Management System

Becoming a Curator for the Safety Management System–

Final Words, Can You Develop a Culture that Will Sustain Itself?

As the editorial process continues, information about the book, new videos and presentations will be posted here and over in Safety Culture Plus.   We’ve had many discussions about organizational culture, the subset of safety culture, human performance improvement and many more concepts that might improve the work environment.

As the Job Hazard Analysis is critical to the development of a strong organizational culture that embraces safety, we  will continue to cover concepts learned while researching the concepts of culture and how the culture impacts how jobs get done.    

http://www.myjobhazardanalysis.com/finally-our-safety-culture-book-is-moving-to-publishing#more-2082

3 Key Criteria for Determining a Business Development Plan

 By Tom Varjan

Do you know that in Kansas it’s illegal to shoot rabbits from motorboats?

While on the surface that is bad news for rabbit hunters, the good news is that it’s a bad plan anyway. So, whether or not it’s the law, it doesn’t make a dickybird of a difference.

I mention this stupendous fact not so much because I used to be a rabbit farmer, but because many professional services firms’ business development plans are the equivalent of trying to shoot rabbits from a motorboat.

On one side of the equation, the plan looks mind-bogglingly brilliant.

On the other side of the equation, the target market looks good, too.

But closer scrutiny reveals that the specific plan is pretty ineffective or even hopelessly futile to “catch” the selected target market.

Good business development planning is about doing fewer but more effective activities to achieve better results.

There are many methods to land new clients. Some work really well and generate high-caliber clients. Some work pretty inconsistently and generate so-so clients. And some are nightmares and generate clients from hell.

Fortunately, it's easy to determine which plan you should implement and which you should avoid by answering these three questions:

1. Is it healthy? That is, is it based on magnetic attraction not on maniacal pursuit?
2. Is it consistent, predictable, and sustainable? That is, can it be systematized?
3. Does it empower or enslave professionals? That is, can it be automated?

Question 1: Is Your Business Development Plan Healthy?

Is your business development based on magnetic attraction of the market, not mindless pursuit of the market?

When you run a healthy business development program, you are positioned as a trusted, respected, recognized, and sought-after industrial authority. High-quality buyers seek you out and bring their opportunities to you.

It means a small firm can produce an incredibly impressive profit per employee figure, the ultimate performance indicator of a professional firm.

When firms run on unhealthy business development plans, positioned as replaceable vendors, they have to “hunt” down each client, very often by responding to cattle calls. This approach requires you to have a large group of “hunters” in your firm whose daily chore is to roam the land and hunt.

The other option is to have a small group of people who operate as trappers. Instead of chasing the market, they bait their traps and wait. Their bait is high-value, education-based marketing content, and their trap is their list.

Then self-selected people request the appropriate content and land on the list.

With a little upfront attention, a professional services firm could build enough magnetic attraction into their business development, enabling them to stop chasing after the market.

Question 2: Is Your Business Development Plan Consistent, Predictable, and Sustainable?

Can your plan be systematized?

Systemization is important for two reasons:

1. Consistency and predictability make it possible for partners to make more accurate projections for the firm’s future performance. The ability to make better projections adds to the firm’s value and makes long-term planning more accurate.
2. Consistency and predictability make the firm’s brand stronger.

There are four criteria that help us to determine whether we’re looking at a system or just a random heap of bits and bobs:

1. Can you identify its parts?
2. Do the parts affect each other?
3. Do the parts together produce an effect that is different from the effect that each part produces on its own?
4. Is the effect, the behavior over time, consistent under various conditions?

Besides rendering great service, the other main aspect of a professional firm is client acquisition.

The difference is that rendering services is paid work, but business development is not. For this reason, it often happens that associates are so involved in delivering services that they are reluctant to engage in client acquisition.

But if through systematization associates could predict and factor in how much time and effort it takes for them to perform their fair share of business development, their reluctance levels would come down quite significantly.

For instance, the task of “writing an article on leadership” can be pretty daunting. After all, both “article” and “leadership” are broad terms.

A system would simplify the process. For example: based on your last five coaching clients, and following the firm’s “fill-in-the-blanks” article template, write an article on the leadership problem of “when leaders fail to practice what they preach.”

Using this approach, the firm’s articles can be consistent, including a tried-and-tested call to action at the end, depending on what action the writer wants the reader to take.

My firm has a system like that, so no matter who writes an article, it carries the firm’s unique tone and style, thus brand. Not to mention it’s less overwhelming to answer eight questions in a few paragraphs each than to “write an article.”

Question 3: Does the Business Development Plan Empower or Enslave Professionals?

Can your plan be highly automated?

Your business development should take the burden of manual labour off your shoulders, and it should give you more time and energy to work on strategic- and client-related issues.

On the surface, one option is to hire more people to do the work, but that only complicates management.

There is an exponential relationship between the number of team members and the effort to manage them.

Mathematically expressed: (N * (N-1)) / 2, where N is the number of team members.

Management effort for a four-person team: (4 * 3) / 2 = 6

Management effort for a five-person team: (5 * 4) / 2 = 10

Hiring only one person into a four-person team gives you a 25% increase in the size of the team, but a 66% increase in effort to manage that team.

Plus, on a per-person basis, small teams are always more effective than large teams.

That is why hiring new people should be the last effort only when systems and automation are fully optimized and hiring new people is unavoidable.

If you don’t want to ruin the firm’s profitability by hiring more people, you can turn to automation. There are five good reasons to do that:

1. Many tactical aspects of business development, put it bluntly, are boring and repetitive. And boring tasks are best left to technology that doesn’t get bored and doesn’t make mistakes due to boredom.
2. During the initial stages of the buying cycle, firms can build more trust in their markets through automated consistency than through humanized inconsistency. Consistently arriving auto-responders are more trustworthy than haphazardly arriving manual emails.
3. Buyers are more willing to “consume” and “digest” automatically arriving valuable information than to talk to salespeople.
4. To be nicely profitable, a professional services firm has to find the optimal headcount to provide its services. That leads to maximum profit per employee. Both understaffing and overstaffing erodes profitability. Economists call it the economies of scale. The key is to have the lowest number of people and automate whatever can be sensibly automated.
5. The fewer people your firm needs, without getting understaffed, the more it can pay for highly qualified employees. People get exceptionally well paid, they do exceptionally good work, and the firm becomes exceptionally profitable.

Summary

Business development can become quite complex, especially for larger firms, but the above three questions can set a good direction before you lose ourselves in the tactical details.

Let’s remember Sun Tzu’s words in Art of War:

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

These three questions can help you set the strategy, and then you can design tactics to serve the strategy.


http://www.raintoday.com/library/articles/3-key-criteria-for-determining-a-business-development-plan/

No One Likes to Be Changed

by Daniel Markovitz  |  10:00 AM May 16, 2013

• Comments (45)
•        

Listen to the language that any leader, consultant, or HR professional uses, and you'll hear them expound at length about how "we" need to change "them." That says it all: the fact is, no one likes to be changed, even if the change is ultimately beneficial.

In his recent HBR blog post, Ron Ashkenas argues that the reason most change management initiatives fail is due to stunted managerial capability to implement change. He points out — correctly, I believe — that in many organizations the responsibility for change initiatives has come to rest with HR, and not with the line supervisors and managers. However, I believe that there's a deeper, more fundamental problem with the way we frame the whole notion of change management. In fact, I propose that we dispense with the concept of "change management" entirely. History shows that's a recipe guaranteed to foment fear, resistance, and — ultimately —failure.

Many factors underlie that failure. Research shows that there's actually a decrease in cognitive function when people feel as though they lack control over their work environment. Moreover, repetitive change initiatives — particularly ones that include layoffs — inevitably lead to cynicism and often to a kind of learned helplessness.

A far more effective approach would be to actually involve workers in solving business problems. As Dan Pink writes in his book Drive, the autonomy and skill development that comes with solving problems for oneself will do more to overcome resistance and motivate change than any strategy a cloistered HR professional or consultant can develop. I'm partial to A3 Thinking as a powerful way to solve problems, but the truth is — the tool you use doesn't really matter. The key is to pose a business problem to the workers actually doing the job and then having them design the change. Consider the following cases:

• A group of senior R&D engineers at Abbott Vascular spent six to seven hours each day handling email. They were demoralized and frustrated by their inability to find time to do any engineering. On their own, they developed a new communication protocol that defined when and how to use email (never for urgent or complex issues), and now they can safely unshackle themselves from their smartphones and focus on engineering issues.
• The interventional radiologists at a major cancer center were asked by leadership to lower costs and increase revenue by accelerating room turnover. They decided to standardize the devices (stents, guidewires, catheters, etc.) they use for basic cases. Reducing the variation lowered inventory-carrying costs and enabled technicians and nurses to set up rooms more quickly.
• In her book, Sleeping with Your Smartphone, Leslie Perlow recounts how she set a goal of one day per week of "predictable time off" for a team of consultants at the Boston Consulting Group. The consultants themselves then devised radically different work habits and client communication procedures to make it happen — an initiative that has now been adopted by over 900 teams worldwide.
• A typical Toyota assembly line in the U.S. makes thousands of operational changes in the course of a single year. As journalist Charles Fishman writes, "that number is not just large, it's arresting, it's mind-boggling." Toyota doesn't have change management consultants driving those changes; the workers themselves make them.

In each of these cases, it's easy to imagine how externally imposed solutions by leadership or HR would have been fiercely resisted, leading to lengthy disquisitions on how to manage or overcome employee intransigence. The real secret to successful change, therefore, is not to change people at all. Let them figure out how to solve their own problems, and they'll do the rest.

DANIEL MARKOVITZ

Daniel Markovitz is the president of TimeBack Management and the author of A Factory of One (Productivity Press, December 2011). Follow him on his blog or on Twitter at@timeback.

http

COMMENTS:

• Anna_farrow

  This is an interesting article and reflects something that I have believed in for many years. Delivering change is not just about the business, but also the emotive.
  People agree to a change that they have created themselves. Change as a strict dictat can foster resentment.
  Within our work space change processes we highlight what end users do have influence over, and what they don't. Influence does not mean they get everything they ask for as it may contradict the business change, however their questions will be respected and answered, though it may not be the answer they want to hear. The end users are responsible for collaborating and agreeing on the work space culture (behaviours) for their new office space. They own this process, we support them through it.
  Some people will need more support during the change, line managers may need additional skills - and some will be itching to get started in the brave new world. This is to be expected, each one of them are intelligent, articulate and very human.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • Today 11:06 AM
• 
  Olivier Compagne

  Couldn't agree more! The top-down organization of most companies makes it fundamentally difficult for workers to self-organize and implement changes. It's one thing to bring up local solutions to problems that the boss acknowledges, it's another to adopt changes to fix something that the boss doesn't even consider broken.

  I work with a system called Holacracy, the goal of which is to distribute authority and decision making precisely to allow any team to self-organize and address problems locally. All the "rules" of spelled out in writing for any organization to use: http://holacracy.org.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/27/2013 02:15 PM
• 
  R A Artz

  This is something I say often- Don't be afraid of change. Be afraid of not changing.
  Change without direction or purpose is demoralizing. Change, as noted in this article, where all feel empowered, yields results & change that is embraced. 

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/21/2013 03:08 PM
• 
  Amber King , Marketing Executive. Lead Generator. Appointment Setter.

  Change is one thing that most of us dislike especially in business. Like you said, we are scared to fail. But this mindset should be changed. If we need to alter something in order to be better, then we should embrace it.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/21/2013 01:53 AM
  • 1 Like
• 
  Ahalzind@hotmail.com

  It's about striking a balance of setting challenging targets and letting people find a way to get there versus setting a challenging target and insisting on a method of how to get there. The "how" is as important as the "what" and in many instances is more important.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/20/2013 10:15 PM
• 
  ronstrauss

  See Edgar Schein's work on process consultation.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/20/2013 11:49 AM
• 
  Fitim Rasidi

  We need to improve them.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/20/2013 11:02 AM
• 
  Tackdowds

  This is be a powerful way for management to go. We need a lot more of it, our politicians need to do the same, we need to vote on decisions for the people by the people, add problem solving to the people. It creates energy, and is empowering. 

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/19/2013 08:04 AM
• 
  Liamanderson64

  Thoroughly agree. Anyone who is not involved in the decision making process will end up fighting back or quietly sabotaging the process-specially middle management.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/19/2013 03:16 AM
  • 1 Like
• 
  Andrea Lange

  If people feel that change is imposed they feel powerless, helpless and ultimately they adopt a victim mentality that 'something is done to them'. If you explain the background (even if it is painful, most people are better handling painful facts than a smoke screen or consultant BS) and if you show people that they have a role to play, you will take a team with you.
  Mind you, it takes time and energy to engage hearts and minds, it's not a 'I have told them once' discussion.
  The least effective changes are those which are designed in ivory towers ont he basis of 'this should work' - everything is easy for the person who doesn't have to do it. The most effective changes are those where those who are affected have a voice and feel a sense of belonging. It works - but it takes time and energy and patience which is sadly lacking in many organisations.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 11:21 AM
  • 4 Likes
• 
  Tom Hathaway

  Great
  discussion. I support the concept that those impacted by change should be the implementers
  and (when possible) the instigators and change imposed by management is
  ineffective.

  On the
  other hand, I firmly believe that every solution creates its own set of
  problems. I think whether to use effective change management (and I agree with
  all disclaimers in other poster's comments regarding how change should be
  managed) or not depends on the situation. As Hemanta noted: "Changes are
  constant and inevitable and since they cannot be avoided they need to be
  managed for smooth transition to the changed state. In that sense change
  management is a very positive and powerful management tool."

  A key
  consideration is the scope of the change. As a business analysis consultant and
  instructor, I hear and observe all too often how a "minor" change in
  one part of an organization creates an different "problem" in another
  department because the people who "fixed their problem" were not
  aware of how their change impacts other groups. One part of the issue is you
  define role of management. IMHO, the manager's job is not to manage the people,
  it is to manage the environment and motivate the people. Managers have the
  responsibility for recognizing how their group's actions fit into the overall
  organization and they are often the only ones who can recognize potential
  external impacts.

  To
  empower employees to be the change agents you propose, I believe at a minimum that
  they...

  show more

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 10:16 AM
• 
  Danmasani1016

  Does this imply by extension that democratic style of leadership is always the best?

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 09:47 AM
• 
  Daniel Melchior, The Shared Services Authority

  Like any relationship, trust is the key to implementing
  change.  The leader’s responsibility is
  to build a team or organization where management trusts the employees to do
  their job and the employees trust management’s leadership and direction.  In many cases, employees worry that
  productivity increases might adversely affect them personally (e.g. reduction
  in force) so they are hesitant to make changes.
  This is simply human nature and therefore very understandable.  It’s management’s responsibility to ensure
  that everyone understands why change is needed and how it fits with the overall
  strategy of the enterprise.  If
  productivity increases can lead to possible layoffs, employees should be aware
  of this, conversely if productivity is needed because the company is preparing for
  growth, employees should know this is well.
  Understanding “Why” and “What’s In It For Me” will help build the trust
  needed to succeed.  You are only as good
  as those you are surrounded by so hire the best and brightest and give them the
  latitude to use their talents.   

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 08:27 AM
  • 1 Like
• 
  Bruno Van Cauwenbergh

   Spot on Daniel !

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 03:28 PM
  • in reply to Daniel Melchior
• 
  Cmiller446

  Great post and very timely for me since i am contemplating taking over a big change process at the private school I work at in a senior management position. How do you create a culture that supports risk taking which would empower people to act?

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 07:20 AM
• 
  Sanjiv Bhamre

  By the way, just like to remind you, that teachers, parents and even 'students' are your stakeholders in a school depending on the kind of change you are initiating. Because i work in school, i have found that i have a tendency to avoid 'parents'. 

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/21/2013 12:41 AM
  • in reply to Cmiller446
• 
  Andrew

   Also you reinforce the position that change will never solve all challenges, but is an ongoing process in life and business.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/20/2013 09:01 AM
  • in reply to Cmiller446
• 
  Manuel Ruano

  In the word of Jack Welch, you let them know it's ok to fail and make mistakes. You accept your mistakes, not in a somber, but almost in a "laugh at my self kind of way". The only way people know its ok to take risks is showing them it is ok to make mistakes, as long as it is not part of a hurried, not even thought of action

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 11:28 AM
  • in reply to Cmiller446
• 
  Chery Gegelman

  Powerful Post! - Thank you for more evidence that when we engage the hearts and minds of all of employees from at all levels, and when we pay them to think instead of just following directives.  We all win!  

  Love this quote, "Research shows that there's actually a decrease in cognitive function when people feel as though they lack control over their work environment. Moreover, repetitive change initiatives — particularly ones that include layoffs — inevitably lead to cynicism and often to a kind of learned helplessness."

  The Toyota example at the end of the post resonated loudly!  "Toyota doesn't have change management consultants driving those changes; the workers themselves make them."

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/18/2013 12:00 AM
  • 2 Likes
• 
  Heather Stagl

  Personally, I think if you are doing change management right, you are involving people in the process. I don't see these paths as mutually exclusive.
   

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 04:50 PM
  • 1 Like
• 
  Dan

  Heather --

  Fair enough. But in my experience, most change management initiatives don't involve people in the process. And perhaps not surprisingly, 70% (or more) of these initiatives fail. So there's room for improvement.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 05:37 PM
  • in reply to Heather Stagl
  • 1 Like
• 
  Avril Riley

  I agree with Heather. In some cases if you wait on employee to make the change it will never happen as there are those who are satisfied with status quo. In the case of high performance teams I can see where this would work to have the employees drive the change.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/20/2013 04:47 PM
  • in reply to Dan
• 
  Guest

  Do your clients contact you after their employees have reviewed all available process improvement methodologies and decided that lean is the way to go?  As a consultant yourself who works to change the way business is done, by your argument, deciding upon using lean should be an employee empowered decision.  I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but it appears you haven't been exposed to good change management practices.  While you're correct, it shouldn't be housed in HR, there needs to be someone accountable for making sure the messaging gets out to the right people at the right times, that any additional training needed is developed and offered, any job aids that are necessary are created, that a feedback loop is created and acted upon. Any good consultant, change or lean or otherwise, should involve the employees in the process to the extent that they work themselves out of a job rather than leaving a big notebook for the client to implement.  Nimble organizations, one where innovation and continuous improvement are embedded within the culture are probably more likely to have employees willing to be involved in changes.  However, a company that hasn't fostered those things may have a hard time even having that first conversation about whatever is causing a need for change.  

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 06:28 PM
  • in reply to Dan
  • 1 Like
• 
  Ian Brownlee

  A few more thoughts on Change:
   Language, Psychology & a Humanistic Perspective on “Change Management".
  Short link: http://wp.me/p2guX2-5s   

  PART 2: Linguistics, psychology and a humanistic perspective of change management: 6 Common Errors. Shortlink: http://wp.me/p2guX2-8S

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 04:25 AM
• 
  Dan

  Ian -- thanks for these links.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 09:52 AM
  • in reply to Ian Brownlee
• 
  Sanjiv Bhamre

  Very beautifully put. Change has to be incorporated as part of work, not a patch to work. Toyota example is perhaps the best example of how to do this. But i am still surprised, why companies still refuse to learn from it.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 11:50 PM
• 
  Kate Stull

  I love these thoughts on autonomy and control in the workplace; I think giving power to the individual to make the right choice is a major factor in excellent leadership. Thanks for sharing these case studies about empowering teams to change themselves for the better. They are spot on!
  Kate
  http://recruitinghacks.com

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 09:08 PM
• 
  Anbu Muppidathi

  While I like the idea of challenging the actual workforce to arrive at a change implementation plan, it is very important to prepare them for the challenge. Otherwise it will end up ineffective. The preparation, in my opinion should not be a one time activity. Constant preparation and establishing guidance, just like what we should do when the team faces an unexpected incident, should be the key. How many of us review the change management procedure with our team constantly? We should do that first, before we challenge them to propose ways to manage them

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 08:12 PM
• 
  dougom

  I think a big issue that feeds this problem is that of pay:  To make Big Money in the U.S., you have to be in management.  This creates a push for smart people who want to make decent money to go into management, whether they want to manage or not.  Once *in* management, they want to do *something*.   In my experience in high tech, that means "reorgs", i.e. reorganizing the workforce to be "more efficient", "boost synergy", or whatever other spurious reason you're given.  But the bottom line is, more smart people in management who have to show that they're "doing something".  So they do.  Whether it makes sense or not.  If you're not "doing something", how can you justify your job and therefore your high pay?

  To solve this, there is the classic carrot and stick approach to pay.  On the "carrot" side, an obvious solution is to create alternative work "tracks" where people can keep doing what they love--engineering, hardware design, whatever--and receive the high pay of a manager without having to *be* a manager.  Some high tech companies do this (not many).

  The "stick" solution is to reduce management pay from its current absurd levels to something more in line with Europe or Japan.  I'm not holding my breath about *that* one, though; once people grab money, they're not going to give it up.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 07:09 PM
• 
  Jay Oza, We help companies bring their innovation to market within 90 days to increase their market valuation. We do it by using 5 Tool Methodology that integrates sales. marketing, partnerships, customer development and agile/lean methodology.

  The reason we have schools is that it takes a long time to unlearn and learn.  After that it is experience which takes even longer.  

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 05:50 PM
• 
  Jon Youd

  This article raises an interesting dilemma: how does management let control of the change trickle down to lower level managers and employees, while at the same time trusting that these will achieve the correct big-picture changes at the desired pace? I believe the responsibility lies with leadership in providing the correct incentives, measuring the right metrics, and instilling the right vision in the minds of those under their direction. If these factors aren't in place, the status quo will ultimately win out and the desired big-picture changes won't be implemented.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 01:11 PM
• 
  Dan

  Jon,

  Leadership must paint a clear picture of where the organization is trying to go, and then help lower level managers and employees figure out what change is necessary to get there. They can also cooperate in defining the relevant metrics to help monitor progress.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 09:51 AM
  • in reply to Jon Youd
• 
  Katherine Gudgel

  Dan and Jon have hit upon the heart of why organizations fail to change successfully.  Leaders need to clearly articulate what future they expect for their organization and then trust the content experts, the front line workers to suggest ways to get there.  In my experience both of these factors have been missing, resulting in confusion, paralysis and lower morale.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 01:12 PM
  • in reply to Dan
• 
  Hemanta Chandra Bhatt, Hemanta Chandra Bhatt

  Changes are constant and inevitable and since they cannot be avoided they need to be managed for smooth transition to the changed state. In that sense change management is a very positive and powerful management tool. Changes that are forced by difficult circumstances on an organization ("the boat is leaking, we are going to drown") are accepted more easily as there's no choice but to change the status quo. However, changes that are for the betterment of an organization ("can we make the boat go faster?") are generally not accepted easily as people have a choice to continue with the status quo. It is very true that no one likes to be changed however the very nature of human existence is about change and more change. Human beings change constantly from the time of taking birth to growing up, then aging till the time of finally departing from this world.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 12:25 PM
• 
  Dan

  You're exactly right: human beings change constantly from birth. And most of that change is self-driven, not externally imposed -- which is why I believe "change management" is a waste of time. 

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 09:46 AM
  • in reply to Hemanta Chandra Bhatt
• 
  Hemanta Chandra Bhatt, Hemanta Chandra Bhatt

  The thought that "most of that change is self-driven, not externally imposed" - is perhaps true, to a certain extent, for the physical changes to human body but not entirely for the non-physical changes (intellectual, spiritual, etc.)

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/20/2013 12:55 PM
  • in reply to Dan
• 
  Guest

  I wouldn't say that most change is self-driven.  We are constantly changing to adapt to our parent's wishes, school's norms, outside influences by peers, the need to make money to support oneself, living in society.  And, if change management is a waste of time, how do you propose that businesses evolve in relationship to changing competitive environments, disruptive innovations, regulatory changes?  Many change practitioners advocate exactly what you've proposed - so it's not that change management is a waste of time, but instead what you've experienced as change management needs to change.   

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 04:43 PM
  • in reply to Dan
• 
  Hemanta Chandra Bhatt, Hemanta Chandra Bhatt

   Agree completely with your thoughts.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/20/2013 12:50 PM
  • in reply to Guest
• 
  Richard Melrose, Advisor to business leaders re: enterprise health and value, purpose, strategy, risk, operational excellence, talent management, thinking, knowledge and innovation.

  To accelerate purposeful value creation, shift the focus from 'problem solving' to opportunity conversion'.

  “It is more productive to convert an opportunity into results than to solve a problem – which only restores the equilibrium of yesterday.  …‘maximization of opportunities’ is a meaningful, indeed a precise, definition of the entrepreneurial job." ― Peter Drucker

  Purposeful thinking process designs, which target desirable business developments, apply relevant domain expertise, multiple thinking disciplines and time to think, in order to systematically generate creative ideas, which, in turn, fuel continuous improvement and breakthrough innovation. Commit knowledge worker resources, accordingly.

  The most welcome business results constitute purchases that delight customers with utility, value and leadership, time and again.

   "It is always futile to restore normality; "normality" is only the reality of yesterday. The job is not to impose yesterday's normal on a changed today; but to change the business, its behavior, its attitudes, its expectations – as well as its products, its markets and its distributive channels – to fit the new realities." ― Peter Drucker

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 11:51 AM
  • 2 Likes
• 
  Guest

  This article really strikes home for me. I am working in a role that is driving change at my organization and central to all our change is the thought of instilling "problem solving" within each layer of the organization to allow the workers to solve problems for themselves.

  However, one of the biggest challenges we face with this approach is getting the workers to take ownership and accountability for their problems/solutions/work environment. As the organization continues to put an emphasis on productivity (which the workers are in turn recognized and rewarded on), workers feel that "problem solving" detracts from their time to be working on measurable and reportable "productive" tasks.

  This leads me to think that a key factor in making this approach successful is to directly link/tie in problem solving into a worker's pay/bonus/other incentive program. What are some other tactics that we could use in our organization to help instill the problem solving culture at every layer of the organization?

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 11:43 AM
• 
  Dan

  At Toyota, they say that improving the work is part of everyone's daily job -- it's not just something people do when they have some free time. Opher's point below is part of the answer: add problem solving or improvement or change to people's job description. 

  More importantly, however, leadership needs to be out on the floor (of the shop or the office), asking people what they're doing to change, reviewing the changes they've made, and asking what they can do to help. Unless there's DAILY involvement by leadership, people will see that the "change" is just the flavor of the week. 

  dan

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/17/2013 09:44 AM
  • in reply to Guest
• 
  Opher Ganel

  I'd suggest building into the workforce tasks (and thus the resources they can use, especially a portion of their work time) a specific line item related to innovation, whether it's in their work processes, features of products and/or new products.

  If management makes it clear they consider innovation to be something that workers are not just encouraged to engage in, but are expected to engage in, great things can come out of it.

  Depending on how far management wants to push things, they can tie bonuses, raises and/or promotions to success in this task.

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 02:29 PM
  • in reply to Guest
• 
  Carl Medley II

  Agreed! Don't be change managers...be change facilitators. Help "them" make change happen!

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 11:23 AM
• 
  David Kaiser, Executive Coach, Workshop Facilitator, Tarot EnthusiastCollapse

  I'm a big fan of management setting realistic targets and letting the people doing the jobs figure out how to get there. Lack of autonomy / control is a great way to kill morale and lose the best people. Giving people control, to the extent possible, goes a long way to alleviate this. 

  David Kaiser, PhD
  Executive Coach
  www.DarkMatterConsulting.com

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 05/16/2013 10:38 AM
  • 1 Like
  • F
• 
  Faten Alshehri

  Agree!
  Making changes with unempowered employees is quite challenging

://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/05/no_one_likes_to_be_changed.html?goback=%2Egde_2568529_member_245877441