Why Transformation Efforts Fail While Leading a Change; Persuasion is the Key

Here we come to the last in the series of The Change Management discussion. It is important to realise that while leading organisational change, transformation efforts may also fail. Identifying and taking precaution is of prime significance for a leader while treading the path. Businesses hoping to survive over the long term will have to remake or reinvent themselves into better competitors, once a while. These efforts may be either to do with total quality management, reengineering, rightsizing, restructuring, cultural change, or business turnarounds, et al.

In 1995, John P. Kotter, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at Harvard Business Schoolcompleted a ten-year study of more than 100 companies that attempted organisational transformation. He shared the results of his observations outlining the eight largest errors that can doom these efforts and explained the general lessons that encourage success. He explained that the change process goes through a series of phases that in total usually require a considerable length of time. Skipping steps creates only the illusion of speed and never produces a satisfying result. Critical mistakes in any of the phases can have a devastating impact, slowing momentum and negating hard won gains. Perhaps because we have relatively little experience in renewing organisations, even very capable people often make at least one big error.I reiterate here the errors as Kotter ably crystallised. As ‘Change’ usually takes long time following his lessons may help improve chances of success:

ERROR #1

Not establishing a great enough sense of urgency: A close analytical watch is a must for all organisations most of the times. Most successful change efforts begin when some individuals or a group looks hard at company’s market position, competitive scenario, technological trends, market -competitive realities, potential crises or major opportunities and its financial performance. Timeliness and communication is very important aspect here. As a first step, it is essential as just getting a transformation program started requires aggressive cooperation and motivation of many individuals. ‘Change’ by definition, requires creating a new system. Phase one in a renewal process typically goes nowhere until enough real leaders are promoted or hired into senior-level jobs.

ERROR #2

Not creating a powerful enough guiding coalition: It is important that a leader manages to assemble a group with enough power to lead the change effort and encourage the group to work together as a team. As per the scale of business and size of operations the starting team can vary from 2 to 15 or more, but in most successful cases the coalition is necessarily powerful always, in bigger companies the figure may go from 20 to 50. Senior managers are the core of the group but board members, a customer representative or even a union leader may be a part of this group, not forming a typical organisational hierarchy. It may be awkward but necessary to get desired results of transformation by stretching boundaries and doing things out of routine or protocols. Efforts that do not have a powerful guiding coalition may sooner or later be overpowered by the opposition and stop the change, hence the second phase cannot be ignored or underestimated or left to functional heads like Human Resource, should ideally be lead by a key line manager.

ERROR #3

Lacking a vision: A well drafted vision helps clarify the direction in which an organisation needs to move. It will direct the change effort when strategies are developed to achieve milestones as per the vision. The first draft usually comes from an individual, bit blurry initially, but after the coalition works on it for a year or so, something better emerges through thorough analytical thinking. Without a sensible vision, a transformation effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusing and incompatible projects that can take the organization in the wrong direction or nowhere at all. In failed transformation you often find plenty of plans, directives and programs but no vision. A useful rule of thumb: lf one cannot communicate the vision to someone in five minutes or less and get a reaction that signifies both understanding and interest, this phase of the transformation process is not yet done with.

ERROR #4

Under communicating the vision by a factor of ten: Simply put, it means to use every possible vehicle to communicate the new vision and strategies, teaching new behaviours by the examples of the guiding coalition. Transformation needs hundreds or thousands of people who are willing to help, even offer short term sacrifices to help change the status quo. This needs a strong believe in the new system and without credible and enormous amount of communication, hearts and minds of the troops are never captured. In more successful transformation efforts, executives use all existing communication channels to broadcast the vision. They replace company’s generic management education with courses that focus on business problems and the new vision. Most of the executives in successful cases of major change are known to have learnt to “walk the talk. They consciously attempt to become a living symbol of the new corporate culture.

PERSUASION IS CRITICAL. IT IS IMPORTANT TO COMMUNICATE VISION, PROCESS TO CHANGE AND DESIRED RESULTS IN EVERY POSSIBLE PHASE OF THE CHANGE. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WHILE CONNECTIONS TAKE PLACE EMOTIONALLY BUT RATIONALE MUST NEVER BE COMPROMISED.

ERROR#5

Not removing obstacles to the new vision, not empowering others: The more people involved, the better the outcome. A guiding coalition empowers others to take action simply by successfully communicating the new direction. But communication is never sufficient by itself. Renewal also requires the removal of obstacles. Getting rid or eliminating obstacles would mean any system or framework that undermine the vision or do not allow the new change to come in be replaced or altered. It also means empowering or encouraging not just the coalition group but as many towards risk taking, non-traditional ideas, activities and actions. Progress may halt if there are mental or real blockers. Behaviour change is another important aspect, flexibility allows changing and it must be across all departments and functions to make it seamless. A blockage or hindrance to one area may stall the entire chain process.

ERROR#6

Not systematically planning for, and creating short term win: Planning for visible performance improvements, creating those improvements, recognizing and rewarding employees involved in the improvements is the crux of this phase. Real transformation takes time, short term goal setting and celebrating those milestones is important to keep the momentum of the renewal efforts going. Even the fire will spread; people who had resisted change will note the celebrated wins. Overall quality and unambiguous performance will go up notches. When it becomes clear to people that major change will take a long time urgency levels may drop. Commitments to produce short term wins help keep those urgency levels up and force detailed analytical thinking that can help clarify further or revise visions.

ERROR#7

Declaring victory too soon: Using increased credibility to change systems, structures and policies that don’t fit the vision, hiring, promotions and developing employees, reinvigorating process with new project themes or change agents is the focus of this phase. After a few years of hard work, managers may be tempted to declare victory with the first clear performance improvement. While celebrating a win is fine, declaring the war won can be catastrophic. Until changes sink deeply into a company’s culture, a process can take five to ten years to be adopted completely. New approaches are fragile and subject to regression. Ironically, it is often a combination of change initiators and change resistors that creates the premature victory celebration, in their enthusiasm over a clear sign of progress the initiators go overboard. They are then joined by resistors who are quick to spot any opportunity to stop change.

ERROR#8

Not anchoring changes in the corporate culture: Articulating the connections between the new behaviours and corporate success, developing the means to ensure leadership development and succession is the essence of this very important phase. Until new behaviours are rooted in social norms and shared values they are subject to degradation as soon as the pressure for change is removed. Sufficient time from the management makes sure that the next generation of top management really does personify the new approach. For a change in culture to sink in, rules and policies must be the first priority for goal-setting and to measuring milestones against achievements. An enabling physical environment and organisation structure is the core of an enduring corporate culture.

Not all success stories are error free. A clear vision is needed to guide people through a big change. A fewer error rate however is what corporates must strive for to stay away from tilting towards failure in their transformation efforts. Persuasion is critical. It is important to communicate vision, process to change and desired results in every possible phase of the change. It is very important that while connections take place emotionally but rationale must never be compromised. Credibility about the merits of the change takes time to be built, hence wider explanations in regard to social – cultural context, short term and long term gains must be spelt out to employees time and again. Goals must be framed after detailed discussion of processes and outcomes. It is a long journey and together it must be taken.

Why You Should Learn to Cook

At the point when your stomach begins to grumble, do you go after a take-out menu or move down to the closest fast food joint to get yourself a meal?

Amid a frantic day with your children do you toss some microwave-fresh chicken nuggets at them and hope that they will eat them and give you room to go back to your day!

In the past, cooking in families was the standard. It would be passed down from parents to youngsters as a method for survival and a method for sharing a social and enlightening ancestry, starting with one era then onto the next. However, by one means or another, we have put some distance between our cooking roots and cooking pots.

How did that happen?

At first glance, it may seem not too real to believe that cooking could simplify and improve your life. Who has the time, right? OR why spend the whole day in the kitchen when one can just grab a bite at the next available eatery without stress OR maybe you do not think you can cook good enough to produce something edible.  Well, you would be surprised to know that there are many benefits to food preparation for yourself and others.

Why Cook?

We don’t have to be slaves to the industries that provide our families with food with empty nutritional value. We can learn to cook and cook for many reasons. Here, I present some ways cooking can be beneficial to your health and why you should learn to cook.

Health benefits- When you eat out you have no influence over what you consume. Another person is dictating your portion sizes, food quality, and trust me when I let you know that they are more agitated with the bottom-line than your waistline.

The easy to grab food like junks (i.e. meat pie, sausage, hot dogs and the likes) are filled with additives, hydrogenated oils, sugar, sweeteners, and trans-fats which most people if not everybody is running from. Also, most of these foods are failing in fundamental nutrients.  Individuals who set up their own meals have a tendency to have more advantageous weight control plans since they eat more vegetables and organic products. Also, they tend to buy higher quality fixings than you would discover at an eatery.

Financial Benefits- When you cook your own particular meal, your body is by all account, not the only thing that gets more advantageous. Your ledger improves as well. Setting up your own particular meals permits you to abstain from paying for the work to set up your meal.

Social Benefits- I have yet to discover a treat formula that just makes one treat or a cake formula that just makes one cut. It can be amusing to impart your demonstrations to others. Convey a cut of pie to a companion and light up their day. Cooking can be a sentimental date when you set up a dinner together and share it by flame light or even before the TV.

Taste- They says there is not at all like home cooking. Who doesn't have a relative or companion who cooks amazingly well? Figuring out how to cook can help us accomplish season significance by realizing what works and what doesn't work in the kitchen. Furthermore, how certain nutrient cooperate with each other (and in our own particular bodies). Cooking can make the to some degree tasteless and uninteresting fixings and leftovers transform into debauched and tempting meals.

Experience- We can expand our perspectives by cooking from various ethnic foods. Diverse nourishments can take us to better places and experience distinctive tastes than what we are familiar with, thus we can find out about various societies through sustenance.

Quality-When we cook for ourselves we pick what goes into our body. We have a definitive control over the nature of the fixings.

Convenience-However some may deviate, I accept when we cook for ourselves we can make our meals more advantageous by setting up extra food materials ahead of time, then we can have dinners for on-the-go occupied times.

Pure and Genuine Fixings- Cooking for yourself gives you a chance to pick the fixings you need to utilize and you can make them as synthetic free and simulated as you prefer!

Food Unites Individuals- It's no big surprise such a variety of occasions are revolved around or are praised with nourishing food. That brings us to the reason behind everybody loving parties.

Independence- Figuring out how to cook can give us an awesome feeling of opportunity and freedom. Knowing you can cook for yourself can give you the confidence that you can take care of not just only yourself but your immediate family and friends inclusive.

Food materials when purchased pre-bundled cost significantly more. It's stunning how much less expensive it is to make your own particular renditions of specific nutritious meals.

Cultural Lineage- Showing your family and friends the way and manner to cook your family and ethnic recipes or your most loved food making styles can be an approach that will live on through generations and people of other society will learn from it( just the way everybody wants to learn how to make Chinese dishes). This can give your friends and family methods for a healthy lifestyle.

Expression of Affection- One of the best advantages of cooking, particularly for others, is that it is a way to express to them your adoration and show how you will look after them. You should inquire more from the stay home moms. Guess they have testimonies.

So, what are you sitting tight for? It is the ideal opportunity for you to begin cooking in different styles and ethnicity. You can go for the American, Chinese, African, Indian, Italian, African-American meal making styles or any other one of your choice but have it at the back of your mind that 'YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT'.

How Modern Lifestyle Is Ruining Our Health

Lifestyle is a way used by people, groups, and nations and is formed in specific geographical, economic, political, cultural and religious text. Lifestyle is referred to the characteristics of inhabitants of a region in special time and place. It includes day to day behaviors and functions of individuals in job, activities, fun, and diet.

We live in a time and land of abundance. Our life expectancy has increased, while birth rates and rates of infectious diseases have decreased. Agricultural advances see our food and water at our table without much personal contribution and technological advances have had us surrounded by gadgets and labor saving devices.

Unfortunately, today's world has been adapted to a food consumption system that has several adverse effects on human health. Changes in lifestyle have compelled us so much that we hardly think about what we eat a healthy diet! Globalization has seriously affected eating habits and has forced many people to consume high-quality fast food (meals that can be arranged quickly and effortlessly and is sold in eateries and lunch rooms as take-out), popularly known as junk food and processes food (canned, frozen or packed fruits vegetables and food material).

With most foods, the closer they are to nature the better. You can have processed foods that are still healthy; For example, frozen green beans, butter, minced meat or freshly prepared almond butter have been "processed".

How Do They Affect Our Health?

Processed Foods Are High in Sugar

These are not just a matter of "empty calories" that make you gain weight without getting proper nutrition. Excessive intake of sugar is associated with insulin resistance, high triglycerides, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

It is important to realize that the added sugar (usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is not limited to snacks or sweet marmalades. It is also common in tasty processed foods.

Processed Foods Are Designed to Make You Overeat

Your body is naturally designed to regulate the amount you eat and the energy you burn. But food manufacturers have discovered how to overcome these intrinsic regulators, designing processed foods that are designed to be "hyper-rewarding."

According to "food reward hypothesis of obesity," processed foods stimulate the response so strong in our reward brain that makes it very easy to supercharge.

Processed Foods Contain Artificial Ingredients

Processed foods can contain dozens of artificial chemicals that by no means are "food." These include: preservatives, artificial colors, artificial flavors (the long-term artificial flavor on a label can include more than 10 chemicals) and texturing (chemicals that add texture to foods)

Food manufacturers often claim that artificial food additives are safe, but research indicates the opposite. Conservatives, for example, have been linked to health problems such as cancer, allergic reactions, and others.

You Can Get Addicted to Processed Foods

Addicted? Yes, this is a genuine fact that is backed up by science. Processing adjusts or evacuates vital components of food, similar to fiber, water, and supplements, changing the way they are processed and absorbed in your body.

Unlike whole foods, which contain a mixture of carbohydrates, fats, protein, fiber, and water to help you feel satisfied, processed foods stimulate dopamine, a neurotransmitter that feels good, make you feel good even though the food lacks nutrients and fiber. This artificial stimulation of dopamine can lead to excessive cravings and ultimately addiction to food.

Processed Foods Are Usually Rich in Refined Carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, bagels, waffles, pretzels and most other processed foods quickly decompose into sugar in your body. This increases your insulin and leptin levels and contributes to insulin resistance, which is the main underlying factor of almost all known chronic diseases and conditions of humans, including weight gain.

Most Processed Foods Are Low in Nutrients

Processed foods often have actual nutrition processed right out, and sometimes added again in form of synthetic vitamins and minerals. This synthetic will not deceive your body, however, and will not provide complete synergistic nutrition, to eat whole foods.

It Requires Less Energy and Time to Digest Processed Foods

You can not only eat these processed foods faster (think about the difference between chewing a potato chip or a piece of broccoli) but also takes less energy to digest. Twice as many calories are needed to digest a raw food compared to the transformation. Those who regularly eat processed foods can reduce the number of calories burned during the day because of it.

Processed Foods Are Often High in Trans Fats and Processed Vegetable Oils

Synthetic trans fats are common in foods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, such as crackers, chips, the most cooked store of purchased items and all fried foods, to name but a few examples. Synthetic trans fatty acids are known to promote inflammation, which is a feature of most chronic diseases.

It also contains large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids in form of processed vegetable oils. These polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) tend to stimulate inflammatory processes in the body, and are chemically unstable and subject to oxidation. The consumption of these excess oxidized fats has been linked to all sorts of health problems, such as atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Acrylamide-Causing-Cancer Is Another Major Risk of Processed Foods

If you are looking for motivation to stop eating processed foods, remember that this is an empty calorie or eating too much sugar. Processed foods contain many substances that are harmful to health, and Acrylamide is one of them. Acrylamide can form in many foods cooked or processed at temperatures above 212 ° F (100 ° C), but foods high in carbohydrates are the most vulnerable by-product to induced heat. As a general rule, the chemical is formed when food is heated sufficiently to produce a fairly dry and "golden" surface. Therefore, it can be found in large quantities in many processed foods, in particular: chips, fries, and other fried foods or roasted potatoes.

The Secret to good health is eating real food and having a balanced diet that contains all the necessary supplements needed.

Cooked Food Vs Restaurant Food

How often do you eat homemade meals compared to eating out?

Eating out has become the order of the day and more people are adapting to it, leading to a significant decrease in nutrient density and increased health risks.

A quick bite on your way to work, a working lunch, and take-out on your way home negatively affects your health. Eating fresh, homemade meals allows you to make healthier choices while spending less and supporting a healthy lifestyle.

Many of us like to eat outside, but when budgets are tight, is it an expense that we just cannot justify? Cooking at home can be fun and is certainly cheaper, but does it have the "threat" factor when compared to eating out? Let's look at some of the pros and cons of these two options and see if we can get to the bottom of it all!

 Pros of Cooked Food and Cons of Food from Outside

 Healthier Options at Home

Have you noticed the size of meals today at your favorite restaurant? Portions are simply out of control, leading to a higher occurrence of obesity, cholesterol and heart disease. Eating at home allows you to dictate the portion and quality of the food you eat and your family.

Unlike meals cooked at home, there are many health problems associated with restaurant food. Obesity is one of the highly occurring problems. Restaurants cause most of the problems of obesity. However, they are convenient and easily accessible at any given time. These foods slow down the metabolism due to unhealthy ingredients and calories. People who take this food are at high risk for heart disease due to extra saturated fat. Cholesterol in these fats is very harmful. Raw materials are not always good nutrition in the body. The ingredients are also innutritious. However, restaurants are convenient, the calories you consume while eating in a restaurant can be crippling. By preparing lean protein, whole grains and lots of fresh vegetables, you can lead a healthier life. 

 Save Cost

With home cooking, you spend less preparing your meals, which automatically makes a significant saving. The cost of eating in a restaurant not only incurs the cost of someone cooking your meal and tidying up after you but also - understandably, as they are running businesses and tend to come up with as much profit.

Not only will home cook meals improve your health by giving up high-calorie meals in restaurants, so your finances! Eating healthy meals at home can significantly reduce your food budget.

When you consider that a healthy and satisfying meal can be prepared for less than $ 30 for 4, it is hard to imagine that a run through a drive through the same cost is the best choice.

Foods high in fat / calories do not provide the physical energy or mental energy that you and your family need to thrive, and eating out takes a budget away. 

 Personalized Taste

Each person has his or her taste preferences that can only be prepared at home. While some people like to eat their spicy food, others like sweet and less spicy. When cooking at home, you can cook according to your wishes. When you eat at home, you can change the recipe exactly according to your taste and eat tasty food and nutrition. If there are ingredients that you would like to avoid at home, you can do it too. With restaurants serving common food bases for hundreds of customers, it is impossible to keep the tastes of individual customers in mind.

 Celebrate Your Friends and Family with Homemade Dishes

Homemade dishes contribute to a healthy relationship between family and friends. Instead of eating out, sharing special meals go a long way to strengthen bonds. 

 All hands-on deck; Make a potluck, or indulge everyone on the task in the kitchen. Make cooking from the center of your home where food, family, and friends have celebrated. The food will stimulate creativity, camaraderie, and healthy eating practices.
Special Dietary Requirements

If you have particular dietary needs, you can only be satisfied when you eat cooked food at home. For example, people with hypertension are supposed to eat very little sugar, diabetics are expected to avoid all types of carbohydrates and sugars. Foods with or without certain ingredients that should be avoided in a person's health are better cooked at home. Another very important aspect is allergies. Not all of the restaurants itemized in the list of ingredients used in the dishes prepared. If you are allergic to certain foods, then you stand chances of eating foods with allergens and getting sick.

  Comfort

A restaurant can have the most extravagant lounge and meals plus luxurious dining patterns. But nothing is as comfortable as eating at home. You are not obliged to go through the trouble of dressing up just to quietly talk and eat with etiquette. Although, occasionally take-outs are nice, too frequent visits to the restaurant can also be a problem. In addition, when food is cooked at home, there is a personal touch, which makes the food special.

 Know What You Eat

Unlike food purchased at the grocery store, restaurants do not have to disclose the ingredients, calories, fat or additives in their food. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a hidden taste enhancer in everything from pizza to pasta sauce, meat and more. It is Classified as safe additive.

While your most loved eatery may reveal a few allergens, few reveal key nutrition information to help you settle on healthy choices.

 In conclusion, we know what is best for our health and we should consider keeping it a lifestyle to eat the right foods. Both restaurants and homemade dishes have their differences. Restaurants can seem more affordable and convenient, but a home cooked meal is made with a much better quality. Personally, I think that homemade food is much better than the restaurant food. 


Factful enough, It is up to you to choose the right foods to eat.

Creativity and Innovation

Creativity is what sets you apart from your competitors. Competition can kill your business, but if you are creative enough, you will not have to fear competition. Fortunes are often born in creative minds. A simple idea can become an uninterrupted stream of money. If you Innovate, there are no ends or boundaries for you. The sky is the limit.

Therefore, one can say that one of the most important factors a company can have is the ability to come up with new ideas, new concepts, sophisticated marketing techniques. People do like new things. Everyone wants to create something new. People struggle to be different on the market today.

If you do a simple search, you will discover that creativity is one of the things that make people get rich. Often, the more you create, the more money income you make. This requires effort and dedication. To see opportunities where nobody sees.

You can create anything. It can be an invention, an electronic book of information, art, scientific progress, etc. Just try to find a need and fill it. I guess you've heard it many times, but it's true. The best way to make money is to help other people make money or help them solve their problems and receive compensation for their efforts.

What else is capitalism all about? Getting rich by enriching the lives of others? You are not obliged to chase money or go after wealth. When you add value to the lives of others, generally, it receives compensation for it. The best way to add value is to come up with a creative solution that never thought before.

It's not always easy. Sometimes ideas come quickly and smoothly. Other times, you will have to think about the solution. Note that the more difficult is the problem and the better solution, the more money you can get from it.

In the end making money cannot be so difficult for you. Once you get used to it, you can do it often. Innovation in business has always been one of the most profitable companies in which it can participate. Creativity is something that comes from within. He is native in his mind.

I firmly believe that you can make a fortune. Quite simply, you have to define a problem and find a solution. Then use this solution. Problems are everywhere and the more the problem you find the solution, the greater the chances that you will make a lot of money from your idea.

This is certainly one of the most important factors that the business owner must take into consideration. You can make a big difference in their business. Remember there is no limit to what you can create. Therefore, you can make a lot of money by just adding value to the lives of others and finding solutions to complex problems that can be found everywhere.

The choice is yours. Most people work hard all their lives because they try to imitate what others are doing all the time. Work on these creative abilities and improve them. You'll be glad you did.

It does not take a genius to create something new. You do not have to be too smart. Sometimes the ideas come from your intentions or just come to you. You've probably been thinking about how to improve something or create something new that does not yet exist. You just have to polish that idea and give it a try. You might be surprised by the results.