Feel an Afternoon Slump at Work?

Do you look forward to lunches with clients? I'm talking bistros with ambiance and fantastic menu selections. Client or not, business lunches undoubtedly highlight many of your work days. But, when you return to the office, do you find yourself slumping in your chair?

Afternoon slump begins with your menu choices. Do you fall into one or more of these categories?

Too many carbs or sugars – cause an immediate spike of energy and a resounding crash since insulin, a hormone which clears sugar out of the blood floods to your body’s cells to be used for fuel.

Too much to eat – “Nutrient composition and size of the meal have slight effects, but eating a larger meal than usual can increase the magnitude of the lunch effects. Álertness is usually reduced after a hefty lunch and performance of sustained attention tasks is impaired, according to Andrew P. Smith in the British Food Journal.

Too little to eat -- skimpy salads for lunch, leave you with a loss of nutrients required for optimum energy.

Too little water - Mild dehydration is a common and often overlooked cause of fatigue. Dehydration can reduce blood volume and diminish blood flow to the organs, slowing down your brain -- and you along with it.

If so, here are tips to bolster your afternoon acuity:

Opt for a combination of carbs and proteins at lunch: Dr. Judith Wurtman, MIT nutrition researcher says that protein contains precursors of serotonin, the neurotransmitter which promotes a calm, relaxed feeling and helps to fight emotional fatigue. Protein rich foods also contain tyrosine, a precursor to neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine that elevate alertness, attention, and motivation. Wurtman suggests adding just a few carbs boosts the brain's intake of tryptophan.

Select protein rich foods from lunch menus: Seafood, poultry and lean meat supply the richest sources, as well as dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds. Veggies and grains have protein too, though in lesser amounts, without the fat.

Drink plenty of water at lunch since it helps you eat less. And, take a few extra trips to the water cooler at your office – you’ll not only relieve stiffness from too much sitting, but movement helps raise the oxygen level in your brain.

Take a brisk ten minute walk during your break – a fast pace boosts blood flow and raises oxygen levels in your brain.

Select fast paced music on your Ipod to move your brain waves. Your body then quickens pace as well.

Drink coffee or Diet Cola for a quick fix, but don’t make it a habit.

Enjoy your business lunch and tackle afternoon tasks with more gusto!

Super Nutrients for Memory Power

Leaders often ask us what supplements help maintain a healthy brain into old age – especially the nutrients that can help keep the brain’s memory system in tact. You may want to try Acetyl-L-Carnitine [ALC], Alpha Lipoic Acid [ALA], Ginkgo Biloba and Phosphatidylserine [PS] described below. But you need an underpinning for these super-nutrients to do their thing!

Look at the checklist below to see how firm a foundation you have. Do you currently

____ Maintain a high bran diet along with plenty of fresh fruits and veggies?
____ Select virgin olive oil over butter?
____ Participate in invigorating weekly exercise that forces deep breathing?
____ Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily?
____ Embrace spiritual well-being?
____ Add plenty of daily laughter?
____ Participate in life-long learning activities?

At the same time, check off the killer foes -- do you avoid

____ Heavy-metal toxins?
____ Homocysteine?
____ Excessive animal fat consumption?
____ Free Radicals?
____ Passive activities with no challenge to your mind?
____ High stress overload?
____ Negative people?

Perhaps you found gaps and see areas to strengthen. Where will you start? With a great foundation in place, memory nutrients generally work well.

Specific vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients that work to help sharpen your memory are detailed in Part One of this series, Nutrients to Turbo-Charge Your Brain!

Memory Nutrients Known to Boost the Brain

Acetyl-L-Carnitine [ALC] - nutrient that prevents premature brain aging

• Boosts production of dopamine and acetylcholine which enhances learning, memory, and emotional stability


• Inhibits accumulation of lipofuscin in the hippocampus by its antioxidant activity. [Lipofuscin accumulation opens the door to erosion of mental faculties.]

Alpha Lipoic Acid [ALA] – powerful antioxidant that protects cell membranes

• Binds to heavy metals rendering them harmless


• Protects the mitochondra [present in living cells, takes charge of respiration and energy production] from the effects of free radicals

Ginkgo Biloba – an herb – has the ability to enhance mental functions and behavior and is frequently prescribed for memory loss. Here’s how it works.

• Boosts the brain’s capacity to use glucose for energy


• Enhances blood flow to the brain


• Helps cut down stress and anxiety


• Insures safe flow of oxygen to brain cells


• Protects red blood cells from free radical damage because of its antioxidant capability

Phosphatidylserine [PS] a derivative of soy lecithin and one of the brain super-nutrients. Reserach shows phosphatidylserine is effective for some folks, but more research is needed. For some people, PS

• Accelerates short-term memory and focus, as well as long term recall


• Controls nerve-growth regulation, and reverses decline of nerve growth in the hippocampus, our memory center


• Enhances acetylocholine and dopamine, which boosts memory and sense of well being


• Prevents premature brain aging by protecting cell membranes


• Protects cells against free radicals with its antioxidant properties


• Suppresses the hormone Cortisol, which helps reduce effects of stress

The ball is in your court. Building an overall healthy lifestyle is key. Here’s to a full functioning brain throughout your life!

Note: take any supplements with the consent of your physician or medical practitioner.

A Modest Proposal for Business to Subsidize Arts in Schools

Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way. Edward de Bono

Businesses are increasingly searching for new hires who appoach problems differently than most. But how are talented new hires developed? It makes sense that developing student creativity, problem solving, and ability to transfer skills from class to real life is the responsibility of schools. But are enough brilliantly skilled graduates out there to meet the needs of 21st Century business?

For many years Bloom’s Taxonomy, in which levels of cognition are assigned to a variety of tasks, was and frequently is the standard to assess levels of skills and learning. Here's how Bloom's works -- lower level cognitive skills include memorization of facts to gain knowledge. In contrast, high level abilities require interpretation, organization and evaluation of information and principles. And now, Bloom’s New Taxonomy places creativity at the top of the scale. But how exactly does one “acquire” creativity?

Not surprisingly, creativity is cultivated over time. And, creativity can be nurtured in our schools through the arts. You might be surprised that the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities indicates in their Executive Committee report,

As a result of their varied inquiries, the Champions of Change researchers found that learners can attain higher levels of achievement through their engagement with the arts. Moreover, one of the critical research findings is that the learning in and through the arts can help ‘level the playing field’ for youngsters from disadvantaged circumstances.

Specific research studies in Champions of Change show students in schools with arts programs score higher on standardized tests than students who do not have these programs.

More than ever, U.S. businesses seek bright hires with brilliant creative minds to keep pace in the global market place. Business depends on schools to nurture minds of future employees. However, the means to nurture creativity is squelched too often. For example, in New York State, most schools are fighting for funds to meet budget demands. Some districts cut programs drastically so budgets are aligned with less money available. Have you noted many programs axed are music and art? Do you see the irony here? In the Rochester area and rural New York State area more than a few schools have cut back on music and art teachers.

Business leaders, what about subsidizing the arts in your local school? What if you were to pay an instrumental teacher's salary or support an artist-in-residence? Businesses can surely find tax breaks for subsidizing arts in schools. Leaders, what possibilities do you see? And, how would you begin?

Step Past Control and Status Quo

Why is it that most people stick with the status quo? What are the results when someone at your workplace wants to try something edgy? You’d enjoy a cartoon at Scientific Integrity. Do you see your workplace here?

Seth Godin provokes our thinking about status quo in 50:1, a current snapshot of employees as they fit in to a workplace. Just think about it. Seth says that only a tiny number of people get fired for attempting to do something great. Interestingly, Seth contends that Carly got fired for challenging the status quo…Thousands of employees embraced comfort zones and got laid off.

Though Seth’s mailbox is full, he says that only about once a day does he get mail from a person worrying that she is too edgy, too willing to cause change and growth…or risk getting fired. He concludes, “I almost never get mail from people who figure if they keep doing the same boring thing day in and day out at their fading company that they’re going to lose their jobs in a layoff.”

Ellen Weber counters mediocrity as she considers results when organizations reward high-performance minds. Weber wonders why leaders say they hire for talent, and yet some facilitate and reward mediocrity. Does mediocrity result when folks are treated as if they have no contributions to make, or their ideas do not count, or expectations are part of a conservative status quo? How do mediocrity and status quo develop?

In some cases, a control culture leads to mediocrity and status quo. When you consider the feudal system or the advent of manufacturing in the industrial age, a few folks at the top made all the decisions and controlled every detail. Though today's workplaces are not that extreme, control cultures are still in place in many organizations… the Baron or boss’s way or the highway. Employees
suggestions are generally ignored. Why is that?

Two reasons…most frequently fear of the unfamiliar and a basal ganglia deeply embedded for hierarchy. Since your brain’s basal ganglia stores everyday routines, people know what is expected and easily fall into everyday patterns. Over time, routines are just plain comfortable…

When change comes, and you engage new tasks, you dip into working memory, that part of your brain which holds only a small amount of information… and the new easily spills out. For example, how well do you remember all the details when first using new software? To use working memory requires deep focus, problem solving and doing tasks in new ways. The more you do it, the easier it gets because you are rewiring your brain for the new. At times “living change” may seem burdensome and frustrating. It's so easy to push your feet into comfortable slippers rather than break in new shoes! Good news is breaking old routines helps you dance past the status quo.

Consider five MITA steps as a way to revitalize your organization in roundtables where all voices are heard.

QUESTION: All are free to ask hard questions…Questions to which the asker is connected.

TARGET: Employees consider possibilities and target improvements that bust barriers

EXPECT: Negotiate expectations together

MOVE: Move innovation using employees' gifts and talents

REFLECT: reflect to adjust and change.

Folks work together over time to renew. As a result, an organization builds a system for on-going change through collaboration, life-long learning and problem solving processes. Innovative processes replace former routines in employees' basal ganglia.

What is driving your workplace today – status quo or invention? What possibilities do you see?

Are You Taking Risks that Fly?

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors -- African proverb

Why are some CEO’s ready to take risks while others bask contentedly in a short-lived growth spurt? Risk-taking is discussed daily by business leaders and pundits. But, what separates ordinary risk-takers from those who are extremely successful?

Overconfidence and overgeneralizing may be key components of entrepreneurial success for those who take the plunge, according to a study by management professors, Jay Barney of Ohio State and Lowell Barney, University of Houston. They studied 124 entrepreneurs and 95 top business managers to test confidence as they revisited answers to questions. While both groups were overly confident, the entrepreneurs were even more so. But, is overconfidence enough?

Just for fun I considered three prominent business bloggers' suggestions about risk-taking. What do you think?

Smart, Hard Work, Not Providence Word of Mouth Marketing “is smart, hard work, not providence,” according to Steven Sibukin. “It’s an outcome that requires a convergence of smart risk-taking, unyielding focus on a well understood target, and a keen strategy for initiating a dialogue with willing influencers at the right time. And, of course, a brilliant product.” Steve garners wisdom from Judith Clark’s marketing plan for Baby Einstein.

To develop a Word of Mouth Marketing plan, Sibukin suggests we reflect on the following questions:

• Who are the small handful of influencers that I most need to target upfront – and what is my high-touch, unique plan for winning them over?
• How will my Word of Mouth Marketing strategy need to evolve as my product awareness grows, and as other elements of my marketing mix get refined?
• How will I prove and maintain a genuine and authentic voice as my business grows and communication points proliferate?

As you approch influencers and supporters do you have a plan?

Risk-taking involves “doing your homework,” Tom Belford, at The Agitator suggests to avoid being a Happy Loser. Consequently, by the time you go out the door to meet a prospect face-to-face, Belford asserts, “you should be looking at closing the deal… If not, why not?”

Belford suggests savvy fundraiswers ask these questions before approaching potential doners:

• How thorough was your research?
• How much sifting of the wheat from the chaff did you do -- did you set priorities in terms of likelihood to give?
• How well did you prep your prospect, both in terms of tailored material and references from within the prospect's own network?
• Was there a specific reason or cultivation scheme behind a face-to-face meeting that wasn't intended to win closure?
• Did you send the right messenger, and was he or she well-prepared?

How might you update your approaches in future?

Risk-takers must tolerate the uncertainty and chaos associated with choices and decisions that are unconventional. Mike Wagner at Own Your Brand opens a window to understanding as he shares Mary Minnick's story.


Transformation Is Easy to Talk about – Hard to Do! In There’s Something about Mary, Mike Wagner tells the story of Mary Minnick, Coca-Cola’s President for Marketing, Strategy and Innovation. Mike applauds risks Mary or any leader takes to grow a brand:

Leverage chronic discontentment for the good of the brand. Minnick told investors, "I tend to be quite discontented in general." And, “It will never be fast enough or soon enough or good enough."

Wagner contends, “Too many business leaders have lost their hunger. Not their hunger for more money, but the hunger for intellectual, emotional, and relational challenges of the marketplace. Brands stop growing when the hungry stop leading.”

Embrace the pain of a changing marketplace. Mary Minnick is more than aware that onsumers are flocking to a new breed of coffees, juices, and teas -- all categories where Coke has been weak. According to BusinessWeek, PepsiCo Inc. has blown past Coke in stock performance, earnings growth, talent development and buzz. Pepsi now has a market value equal to Coke. Ten years ago, Coke was three times bigger. Brands stop growing when their leaders stop listening, observing, and growing with their customers.

Don't “work around” the problem. Minnick doesn’t apologize for her direct approach: “Historically, we had a culture where putting the hard issues on the table made some people uncomfortable.” Mild-mannered people, talking in soft mild-mannered tones about wicked problems, will not save the brand. Brands stop growing when leaders prefer unity over brutal facts and accountability.

Know transformational innovation when you see it. Coke has been unusually prolific by launching more than 1,000 new drinks or new variations of existing brands worldwide in the past 12 months. Some, like the brisk-selling coffee-flavored Coca-Cola Blak, have been hits. But Mary knows that, in the long run, new flavors and brand extensions won't be enough to make Coke a growth company again. She’s pushing to transform Coke from a soda-centric organization offering "me-too" products, to an innovative organization creating categories while identifying consumer trends.

“Transformation is easy to talk about -- hard to do,” Mike Wagner asserts. “That’s why many tweak their brands rather than transform their brands. Brands stop growing when leaders let their organization suffer from ‘hardening of the categories’ rather than embrace real change.”

Risks that transform old ways of doing business are hard because we are forced to step out of our basal ganglia, the part of our brain that stores business-as-usual approaches. Leaders willing to tap into their working memory to overcome problems, face challenges with possibilities and create innovative work cultures and products soon learn it takes extra energy, extreme focus and flow, as they go beyond talking, to live change.

Is super confidence enough for successful risks? In light of Steven Sibukin, Tom Belford and Mike Wagner’s wisdom, what are your thoughts? What would add wings to your risks?