How to fix a diet and an Employee that is broken!

In my world of exercise and nutrition I come across so many different diets that do not work. People get caught up with the idea that somehow nutrition is a belief and you can jump on a trendy diet because you believe it works because your buddy in the cubicle next to you swears by it. When it comes to our bodies, they are amazing machines, but when we experiment with different diets and keep fueling it in different ways we can be causing more damage than we know. There is science and research that has been proven to show what works and what doesn't, mind you that science can change over time based on sound research and practice, not just a belief that your overweight pal has that lost 5lbs, probably which was water weight and muscle mass. With my nutrition coaching, I just love the company I am certified with called Precision Nutrition. They have come up with 3 ways in which we can fix a broken diet. I have decided to play with it a little and also turn this into how we can fix a broken employee, because the steps can be universal.

Step 1. Identify and Remove deficiencies:

Most people, even those who they think they are getting all they need from their diet, are actually deficient in so many vitamin and minerals, and even the macros that their body needs. So in order to fix what is broken, you need to go add more of those to your diet. Do not do it ALL at once or else you will set you self up for failure. We see that when anyone attempts to switch everything about their diet at once, they tend to stick to it for a day or two and then come crashing down back to earth. Focus on building the right habits that will help you become efficient in those areas you are lacking in, 1 or 2 at a time. Think of it this way in the employee scenario. You have an employee that is just not firing on all cylinders and is struggling to get the work done. You can do all the motivational chatter you want, but until you identify areas they may be deficient in, they will continue to struggle with the work. You need to train them in a few areas at a time until you see improvement and then add on more responsibilities. If you overwhelm them with to much, then they too will crash and burn. Set them up for success, just like nutrition, they need to bite off as much as they can chew. Be patient with them, just like you should with your nutrition. What do we learn from this step: Find what is lacking and slowly improve,....Baby steps, What about Bob Style! :)

Step 2: Adjust food amount and food type:

I am sure you are thinking how the heck does that step resonate with fixing a broken employee. I am super excited about this one! So once you have found all the deficiencies and what needs to be improved upon, now is where the rubber meets the road. In nutrition people get so caught up in counting calories. In the employee's situation, they may be in a position where their manager is a major micro manager that it becomes hard for them to work. They have so many dashboards, reports, and metrics that they focus on doing activities that make them look good rather than what creates the best ACTUAL results. To many people/employees get caught up in making things more complex than they need to be with nutrition/work. On the nutrition side, focus on science based approach and what has been shown to work for many people. Rather than counting calories, which can have a variance of up to 25%, (waste of time because of lack of accuracy and because it makes you want to stab your eye with a fork), focus on your body type nutrient needs and eat the amount of macros for whatever your goal is. Do not be super strict with your approach or else you will talk yourself out of it. With an employee, focus on the activities and the timing of them to help them succeed. Every company or industry has best practices because simply they have been proven to work and get results. Rather than wasting time trying to look good on the dashboard so the employee doesn't get fired, team them up with someone that has had success and have them copy them to get better results. Simple! Lesson: Adjust your diet to your body type and eat the right type of food, MACROS, and portions for them. Simple! Employee, have them do what the best employees are doing and do activities that drive results, not just some numbers on a dashboard. You liked how I tied that all together, didn't you! :)

Step 3: Fine Tune the Details:

So we have really simplified how to fix the broken diet and employee. So what is next you ask? Once things have gotten consistent, you continue to tweak your diet based on goals, whether it be for weight loss, muscle gain, some kind of activity, or the good old figure shows that people like to get up in front of crowds in a speedo or thong in. It's not my thing, but whatever makes them happy right! The body is a cool vehicle that we can fuel in many ways to help reach our goals. Once the simple things have become common practice or habit, then you can add in meal frequency, timing, and workout nutrition. You do not need to overhaul your diet, but you can take a stricter approach in some ways or you can keep things manageable, or shred or bulk, whatev....You get the picture, this is when you can experiment as long as you still follow step 1 and 2. As an employee, this is where you continue to build upon their base of experience and skill set. Once they are consistently hitting their numbers or finishing their work on time, whatever the job description, continue to tweak and improve their performance. Give them goals that will stretch them to grow and continue to get better. Again, always focus on steps 1 and 2, and you will have yourself a pot of gold for employees.

Hopefully my allegory of how to fix a diet and employee that is broken has been inspirational to you and has given you something you can bite off and chew in your journey of nutrition and business.

Please leave me some feedback.

Reference: 3 steps to fix a broken diet...................Precision Nutrition: