“I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.”

Jonathan Winters

In a lot of my executive coaching we discuss performance, effectiveness and success.  Some executives perceive they are wildly successful using only a narrow way of defining their life–with work being the most important factor despite having poor health, broken family relationships and a sense of not really knowing if they are making a real contribution to anything meaningful.

Merriam-Webster defiines “success” as one that succeeds, the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence or outcome/result.

How successful are you?  How do you define success in your own life?

Personal Success Scorecard

In working with so many senior executives that might be described as “successful” in their chosen careers, it became pretty obvious that they were a success but in a very narrow way.  It would appear to be much more valuable to have a “scorecard” that could describe domains outside of work and career as a way to define, measure and strive for personal definitions of success.  I conceptualize “success” as having at least four overlapping pillars or domains that include:

1. Achievement: What have I done that I am most proud of?

2. Relationships: What Impact have I had with those who mean the most to me? What are my core values and reasons for living?

3. Happiness: What brings me the most pleasure and contentment?

4. Legacy: What are my core values and reasons for living?

Each of these have specific definitions and metrics that help us to define just how “successful” we might be from our own perspective and as experienced or seen by others.

In fact, we can create a set of objectives and “metrics” for each of these domains that give you an idea of how to maximize your overall success both personally and in the eyes of others you interact with.

I’ve discovered that introducing this personal success scorcard early in my executive coaching intervention provides an interesting model for my clients to think about even if our primary contract is around cultivating their “leadership effectiveness” directly leading to enhanced individual, team and organizational effectiveness.  This scorecard also allows me to openly discuss “balance” and what it means to be at least actively cognizant and aware of how we are spending our time and energy.

If a client is completely unbalanced (e.g., a Type A workaholic with total focus essentially on the career domain) but isn’t dissatisfied, are they unsuccessful?  Perhaps the answer lies in what is valued by the client but I’ve yet to see senior level executives that can sustain a high degree of effectiveness and performance in their chosen occupational field without some time and attention in the other three success domains.

And just how happy should we be?  Does it really matter?  In fact, recent research suggests that if career success is an important goal, that being moderate or moderately high in self-reported happiness appears to be the most desirable level.  However, if we are looking at relationships, being as happy as possible is indeed the goal.  Even with a large genetic “set point” we now know that approximately 10% of our happiness level is situationally determined (e.g., we get a speeding ticket or we receive wonderful unexpected feedback from someone we value) and 40% is based on the behaviors, thoughts and feelings we can actively control each day.

Perhaps it isn’t possible to be totally balanced in each of these success scorecard domains but it’s something we should at least be actively reflective and conscious about each day. At least with the few executives I’ve worked with that have made the most progress in their careers, they have also attempted to focus some time and attention to one of the other domains.  I don’t have any research data to support this hypothesis but it seems that attention to the three domains other than work/career might actually have an unintended side effect of facilitating success in that one as well.

Maybe the lesson for leaders can be summed up by Sloan Wilson who said, “Success in almost any field depends more on energy and drive than it does on intelligence. This explains why we have so many stupid leaders.”…Be well…..

Technorati Tags: success, balanced scorecard, resilience, signature strengths, volunteering, positive psychology, pay it forward, success, resilience, positive affect, positive emotions, envisia, envisia learning, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: 5 Traps of Performance Measurement

Competencies: performance management, performance appraisal

Who benefits: executives, managers, hr professionals

Consultant Usage: extremely important for consultants working on issues of organizational development, organizational design, employee performance, performance measurements

What’s it about? Oh how I love to rant against performance appraisals.  Give me any excuse and I am off to the races to bet a sure thing.  For most people in most organizations, performance appraisals are not worth the time and the effort.  For many people and some organizations, the performance appraisal “system” actually backfires and makes the employee and the organization worse off.  And the supervisor is exasperated and exhausted.

Who gave that financial guy at Exxon his performance appraisal?

How is the performance appraisal system working at AIG?

In my dreams I see the Captain of the Titanic in his office giving a performance appraisal to some poor yokel when that little accident happened.  All the while he is saying to the poor yokel “You have got to stop being so negative.  All you ever do is bring me bad news.  I’m not giving you a raise this year.”

Historically, and I am tempted to add hysterically, performance appraisals measure what is easily measured not what is essential.  And with good reason.  Measurement of performance is difficult as Andrew Likierman points out in the October 2009 Harvard Business Review (see link above). 

I would like summarize those five traps and if you are in the PA business, urge you to read it.  It is a high level discussion, not the easiest read, but boy is it important.  The traps:

• Measuring Against Yourself
• Looking Backward
• Putting Your Faith In Numbers
• Gaming Your Metrics
• Sticking To Your Numbers Too Long

If you are looking for more, or are new to this Blog, I previously reviewed a book that is now about 10 years old and still as good as the day it was published: Abolishing Performance Appraisals: Why They Backfire and What to Do Instead.

On this topic I enjoy feedback.  If you have a strong opinion on this topic, would you comment please…either way…I will consider it my PA!

Catch you later.

Technorati Tags: performance appraisals, performance reviews, performance feedback, performance management, performance measurement, performance metrics, stop doing performance appraisals, abolish performance appraisals, andrew likierman, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley

“Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That’s why we call it the present.”

Babatunde Olatunji

I’ve often been criticized as “speaking” to our seeing eye dog puppy in training as if he truly understands what I am telling him (I guess it is the psychologist in me).  I’ve learned that what works best is the combination of his name (Ajax)  and single command (e.g., “sit”, “down” etc.). 

I’ve often wondered if Ajax “lives” in the past (avoiding the things that have caused reprimands or scolding), in the future (he sure seems to get excited about dinner time and almost appears to have a secret biological clock anticipating his meal) or in the moment—focusing on what is just happening in front of him.

Maybe we all can be characterized as living in the past, present and future.

Stanford University emeritus Professor Philip Zimbardo and co-author John Boyd even wrote a book about how our orientation to “time” can influence how we live and what we focus on each day.  Coaching, counseling and therapy often comes down to addressing the time orientation one has over an issue or problem and moving the client towards either closure (e.g., forgiveness), increased control of options for the present (e.g., new coping skills like mindfulness) or hope/meaning for a better future (e.g., giving gratitude).

Do you live more in the Past, Present or Future?

Living in the Past

I often see myself at times intensely analyzing things I have done in the past (often when I misplace things!) but since this time has long gone it rarely is productive to spend much time dwelling on what has occurred.  It is normal and healthy to reflect on what we thought, how we felt and what we did about things in the past so we can learn to develop better and more productive ways to cope in the future.  However, some of us seem to focus too much energy on what has occurred in the past and appear to be unable to let go of the “past” at the expense of the present or future.

Many clients I coach are literally “stuck” in the past and emotionally “handcuffed” with strong emotions of loss, anger, frustration or guilt about something that has already happened.  Some things you can do to create greater “closure” for past situations  and events include:

• Writing a letter of apology and forgive the behavior of others that have caused you pain
• Using “thought stopping” to force yourself to change your perspective about dwelling too much on what has already occurred
• Ask what can be learned from the past situation or event in an attempt to grow from it
• Using emotional expressive writing to get out our inner most feelings about the past out
• Finding a trusted advisor to reveal your thoughts and feelings about the situation

Living in the Future

It sure seems that my entire family focuses too much on tomorrow at time–what will be our agenda, plan and what activities that will take place?  There is certainly nothing wrong with being organized and having a vision for the future—in fact, all great leaders do this everyday.  However, to be too focused on what might be or what could occur in the future sure takes some of the fun out of living in the present.

The clients that I coach that are “stuck” in this future time orientation tend to almost always be those “Type A” achievers who seem to focused on the “next thing” whether it is accomplishments at work, success in their careers or activities that will be new and different for the future.  These clients seem to be overly immersed in tomorrow, rather than, the “here and now” and rarely seem to notice the joys of a beautiful sunset, the tastes that accompany their meals or to really hear the people they are interacting with. They often are worried, concerned or preoccupied with what has not yet occurred. Some things you can do to become less focused on exclusively living in the future and being more present centered  as well as making sure you have put closure to unfinished business in the past include:

• Carve out a small amount of  time each day to plan on what is the best use of your time for tomorrow
• Take time each week to rejoice in what you have accomplished and celebrate successes in the past
• Manage your energy and not your time—identify the things that are “energy zappers” to ensure you don’t resent where you are going
• Define the gap between your “ideal self” and your “present self” to clarify your personal and professional mission statement and goals
• Define and use your personal and professional “board of directors” to help you maintain your “balance” when you appear to be too future oriented
• Ask yourself, how likely is it that the “worst case scenario” will actually occur to minimize energy used in non-productive worry
• Analyze your “signature strengths” (things you are good at and also enjoy) to capture some of the joys of what you have done in the past

Living in the Present

It is neither desirable to always be in the moment or be entirely rooted in the past or future.  I have many coaching clients that almost seem disconnected from the past (they have avoided spending any time moving through their life challenges, acknowledging them or putting closure to things that have been stressful or painful) or appear to be concerned at all about their future (these are those risk takers that can appear to others to be irresponsible).  For these clients, it is about giving them a sense of micro-skills and techniques to increase their concentration, focus and awareness of their current thoughts, affect and behavior.

Being “mindful” is in vogue today and certainly something all of us could evaluate and consider doing more if we find out time orientation to be stuck more in the past or too much in the future.  Here are some things you can do to practice and increase your mindfulness:

• Focus on your breathing and truly tune in to how you are feeling at the moment
• Practice the “relaxation response” each day to slow your thoughts and try to clear your mind of things past and future
• Practice behaviors of compassion and giving towards others
• Give gratitude for what you currently have in your life
• Deploy your “signature strengths” to become more energized
• Focus on only one task at a time to quiet the brain
• Eat and chew slowly during meals and experience the food and flavors
• Take a “mindfulness” walk and tune into the sights, sounds and feelings around you
• Smile when you see and engage with others (it changes your brain chemistry, moves you away from your own presence and invites a supportive interaction).
• Engage in repetitive physical actions to sharpen your attention and mental focus (e.g., drumming, dancing, walking, running, etc.)

It’s time to get Ajax out for another guide dog lesson.  He’s currently a bit obsessed with distractions (e.g., other dogs he meets and food laying around on the floor when he goes into a restaurant) so I have to work on getting him to move a bit “out of the moment” when he becomes to mindful of his present situation….Be well….

Technorati Tags: guide dogs, seeing eye dogs, Guide Dogs of America, leadership, executive coaching, performance, layoff, social support, mastery, expertise, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack, Envisia Learning, deliberate practice

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: TED TV

Competency: self development

Who benefits: people in a learning mode

Consultant Usage: possible reference for clients

What’s it about?  Whatcha doing right now?  Got a break coming up?  Going out for a smoke?  To the fridge for some calories?  How about a change of pace?  How about a self-development break?  How about investing 15 minutes in brain stimulation?

I just came across a series of short TED TV educational videos (YouTube for thinking people) that are most interesting and well presented.  I watched them as much for the humor as the content.  I feel better educated for the 15 minute investments. 

My own personal favorite, although I don’t know what to do with what I learned, was Rebecca Saxe.  She absolutely and totally shatters my image of an MIT scientist.  And if you do watch it, stay for the few questions at the end.  How on earth does someone think that fast on her feet?  If I were still teaching oral presentations I would use her as the example of how to handle difficult questions. 

Anyway, give yourself a break—or if you will pardon this horrible pun: Mind, your own business:

Rebecca Saxe: How we read each other’s minds—“Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for humans. But how do we do it? Here, Rebecca Saxe shares fascinating lab work that uncovers how the brain thinks about other peoples’ thoughts — and judges their actions.”

Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation – “Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don’t: Traditional rewards aren’t always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories — and maybe, a way forward.”

Daniel Goleman on compassion – “Author of Emotional Intelligence, asks why we aren’t more compassionate more of the time.”

If you do watch and enjoy any of these, let me know in the comment section and I will try to find a few more. 

Catch you later.

Technorati Tags: rebecca saxe, dan pink, daniel goleman, brain research, motives, feelings, motivation, compassion, emotional intelligence, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley

“The leaders I met, whatever walk of life they were from, whatever institutions they were presiding over, always referred back to the same failure something that happened to them that was personally difficult, even traumatic, something that made them feel that desperate sense of hitting bottom–as something they thought was almost a necessity. It’s as if at that moment the iron entered their soul; that moment created the resilience that leaders need.”

Warren Bennis

Our second guide dog puppy that we raised named Elmo made a transition in his education from “special education” to “recreation” after he didn’t pass the challenging formal training program.  In learning the reason why we found out that he didn’t recover from “stress” and although the most loving, smart and well-behaved puppy he wasn’t cut out to be a guide dog for someone who was sight impaired.

Each of us in our lives have experienced “challenge” whether it is with our family, finances, health, work, children or other stressors.  Each of us moves through these life situations in three stages and sometimes we tend to get “stuck” on one of these for a very long time.

RESILENCY STAGES

Understanding Stage
The Understanding stage is characterized as spending time, energy and tasks on gathering information, researching and learning more about the situation you are facing and taking time to truly understand more about your experience.  It might include researching on the Internet, consulting with others facing similar, if not, identical situations and consulting with experts who  are involved in the area.

This is an important stage that many individuals spend a great deal of energy and time to help get a more accurate perspective of what is affecting them or their loved ones.  Although one may continue to expend additional energy to gather more information over time, most individuals acquire enough at some point n their research to satisfy their “need to know more” and move on to the next resilience stage.

Managing Stage
The Managing stage is characterized as spending time, energy and tasks on learning new techniques, initiating and practicing new behaviors and trying new coping approaches to manage the specific situation facing you.  During this stage, individuals might employ a wide variety of cognitive, emotional and behavioral coping techniques to “get a handle” on managing the stress and unpredictability of their situation.

This is an important stage that many individuals will find helps them “rebound” and cope more effectively with the unqiue stressors of the situation they are facing.  Individuals in this stage may feel more confident, empowered and optimistic that they can handle more effectivley handle and manage their day-to-day challenges.

Growth Stage
The Growth  stage is characterized as spending time, energy and tasks on redefing what is important in life, identifying the benefits from coping with the difficult situation you are facing and giving gratitude for the positive aspects of your life. 

Individuals in this stage typically redefine their relationships and put more energey into those that are the most satisfying and enriching.  Individuals in this stage spend more time doing things that they are most passionate about and begin to explore and act on their “signature” strengths and interests as well as have an enhanced sense of self-efficacy (i.e., believing that they can deal with just about anything).  It is also a stage where individuals begin to reflect on the meaning of their lives and what is important to them (i.e., more spiritual).

How resilient are you?

If you want to find out how you handle life stress and challenge, we have a new assessment called the Resilency Stage Inventory.  Just contact me and I will be happy to send you a copy–it’s brief (10 questions) and self-scored!  Be well….

Technorati Tags: guide dogs, seeing eye dogs, Guide Dogs of America, leadership, executive coaching, performance, layoff, social support, mastery, expertise, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack, Envisia Learning, deliberate practice

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: Management Tip of the Day

Competency: self development

Who benefits: executives, managers, supervisors, professional employees

Consultant Usage: easy way to stay current, pass on tips to clients, use as references to more substantial material

What’s it about? Today’s posting requires almost no work on my part thanks to the good people at Harvard Business Publishing.  They offer a daily management tip of the day…and many of the tips aren’t just for management.  All you do is click on the link above and if you like the sample I picked, you can sign up by giving them your name and the email address you want to receive the daily tip.

There is a small down side.  Below and to the side the tip are multiple related items for purchase.  But hey, it’s free, so is that so much to ask?

The sample I selected was from October 26, 2009.  It is called “Ready for a Promotion? Promote Yourself”.  The tip itself was about one long paragraph.  At the bottom of the paragraph is a link to the author’s source, in this case, his Blog which gave a more lengthy answer.  So you immediately have more, if more is your thing.

At the Blog I found a link to a book the author has written.  While not necessarily on topic, this one wasn’t, it is possible to get even more information if you are in the mood.  By the way, the author in this management tip wrote a book with such a great title that I may try to get it for my own amusement: Typo: The Last American Typesetter or How I Made and Lost 4 Million Dollars.

If you are still wondering if you should clink on the link at the top of this post, here are several titles from recent tips of the day:

• 3 Tips for Making the Most of Social Media
•  Identify Your Employees’ Hidden Talents
• A Framework for Shorter, Better Meetings
• Need to Exercise Restraint? Distract Yourself
• Customer Experience Starts from the Outside
• 3 Ways to Spur Innovation to Meet Your Next Challenge
• Make Your Nightmares Productive
• 5 Traits of the New Creative Leader
• 3 Tips to Making Sustainability a Core Part of Your Business
• Make the Most of a Bad Job Situation

Should be easy now to decide if you want a management tip of the day.

Catch you later.

Technorati Tags: management tips, careers, leading, managing, self-development, Harvard Business Publishing, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley

“I’m not asleep… but that doesn’t mean I’m awake”

Unknown

We know that sleep problems create problems for both employees and organizations.  For individuals even a few hours less sleep than you normally require will contribute to impairment in memory, psychomotor functioning, mood and susceptibility to getting a cold.  For organizations, it affects the bottom line in terms of accidents, absenteeism, presenteeism (being there in body only) and health care costs.

Are you a “night owl” with your greatest alertness, ability to concentrate and performance late at night or a “lark” that has a preference for getting up early to accomplish as much as possible?

You should know that sleep-wake cycles are guided by two basic principles: They are linked to the light-dark cycle of the 24-day (circadian rhythms) and are aimed at helping us get an average number of hours of sleep each night (sleep homeostasis). Early and late risers have different patterns of hormone production at different times of the day and even body temperature (also a circadian rhythm which peaks in morning people early than night people corresponding to performance). 

We also know that being a “night owl” or “lark” is genetically determined with early risers inheriting two long versions of a particular gene known as PER3.  Could this innocuous DNA sequence be associated with “the early bird getting the worm” more frequently?

A  survey by Gallup suggests that 55% of employees report they are at their personal best of performing in the morning, 15% in the afternoon, 20% in the evening (up until 11pm) and 5% very late at night.  In their survey, 70% of employees who earn at least $75,000 reported they do their best work in the morning compared to 40% who make under $30,000 (Results were based on telephone interviews with 1,019 adults in October 2007).

However, other research is a bit less convincing.  In one study, 356 people (29%) were defined as larks (to bed before 11pm and up before 8 am) and 318 (26%) were defined as owls (to bed at or after 11pm and up at or after 8 am). There was no indication that larks were richer than those with other sleeping patterns. On the contrary, owls had the largest mean income. There was also no evidence that larks were superior to those with other sleeping patterns with regard to their cognitive performance or their state of health¹.

Whether you are a “night owl” or “lark” new evidence is mounting that it is best to do your best to leverage your genetic strengths and try to avoid too much shifting of our sleep clock.

All of this research also assumes employees can choose to sleep in and get up as late as their body clocks let them each day.  In reality, we all affected by our work schedule and family situations that can create havoc with our biological sleep rhythms. In some industries, having three shifts are essential to providing basic services such as health care, transportation, and hospitality to name just a few. 

In an announcement published in the journal Lancet Oncology, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) will label shift work as a “probable cause” of cancer.  Shiftwork directly affects the production of hormones such as melatonin, which in turn plays an important role in our immune system making us more vulnerable to cancers.

Raising a new guide dog puppy has really shifted my own sleep clock.  I’m in need of another nap….Be well….

Technorati Tags: insomnia, sleep, fatigue, depression, sleep disorders, fatigue countermeasures, REM, NREM, circadian rhythms, stress, health, job burnout, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack

1. Gale, C. & Martyn, C. (1998).  Larks and owls and health, wealth and wisdom.  British Medical Journal. December 19, 317, 1675-1677 [↩]

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: Sikhona

Competencies: listening, interpersonal skills, oral communications,

Who benefits: everyone

Consultant Usage: great discussion topic for many types of training and consulting

What’s it about? Let me begin by giving full credit to today’s posting to my friend Joy Hawkins who gave a presentation that weeks later still has me thinking about it.

Forgive me Joy, but I am going to translate your presentation into my world and my interpretation…or was that the whole idea.  Take away something and make it work for you.  Now let’s see if I can “pay-it-forward”.

First, two short stories.  Story 1: Many years ago I frequented a particular Safeway Store for my food needs.  I became intrigued with a checkout clerk who always had the same greeting and the same responses to her customers no matter what they said to her.  Completely rote.  I decided to have some fun with it, so one day I went through her line and she said “Hello, how are you.”  I replied with a smile and calm voice, “Not so good.  I died on Monday and I am on my way to my funeral.”  And she replied with her customary response: “That’s great.  Have a nice day.”

That was the end of our exchange.  I don’t think my comments ever registered. 

That was many years ago.  Story 2 occurred just a few months ago.  I was talking with Joseph, a young man who works at a place I frequented.  I love his customer service skills and so over the past couple of years we began talking about things we had in common.  On this particular day he was telling me about his recent trip to Mexico.  Now let me be clear before the punch line: I like Joseph and love Mexico.  So what happened?  Out of seemingly nowhere Joseph said to me “You haven’t heard a word I said, have you?”

And he was right.  Where was I during this conversation?  Why wasn’t I there with Joseph? 

These two stories were in the forefront of my brain as I listened to Joy’s presentation.  She introduced us to two words with roots in the Zulu language. 

The first word is “Sawu bona” (sometimes spelled sawubona).  It is a greeting.  It translates into “I am here”.  It is obvious from my two stories that one person in each story wasn’t “here”.  I wonder how often it happens to you? To others you know?  It is so hard to be “here” anymore.  There are deadlines and phones ringing, emails and tweets, to-do lists that won’t fit on a page.  Interruptions from the right, distractions from the left…stuck in the middle with information overload.  Trying to keep up with the Jones, who are trying to keep up with someone else.

All of this complicates simple interactions with everyone we know.  Listening is so much more difficult.  When is the last time you listened without multitasking?  We do it in the office, we do it in the kitchen, we do it walking down the street, and by golly we even do it in our head.

Which is where the second word comes in: “Sikhona”.  It is the proper reply to Sawu bona.  It means “I see you”.  For me it means “you are the most important person in my life right at this moment and you have my full attention.”  It means I am focused on you and our conversation.

Unlike all my previous postings, today’s posting isn’t about checking out something.  It is about checking in.  Checking in with yourself.  Take time in this complicated world to be present with those you interact with.  Show them that you value them.  Be “Sawu bona”. And for those who approach you, practice “Sikhona”.  It would make for better work relationships, friendships, romances and for a better world.

Catch you later. 

Technorati Tags: sawubona, sikhona, zulu greetings, listening, listening skills, interpersonal skills, oral communication, hawkins, joy hawkins, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
Jim Rohn

OK, in the interest of full disclosure I’ve added a few pounds in the last few years around the middle like many Americans.  So I’m entitled a bit to comment on the growing issue of the cost to organizations of leaders and employees who are overweight.

I also have to disclose that I’m married to a registered dietician who tells me everyday that are really are no bad foods–only poor diets. At least I still maintain my morning ritual of taking all my inflammatory protective vitamins with Yoohoo and heading out for my morning run at the beach.  Finally, Chief Financial Officers are now my friend when I talk about the cost of poor health habits to the corporate financial waist line.

Here are some things we know about the cost of overweight leaders and talent on absenteeism, presenteeism (being at work but not really being there mentally or physically), disability claims, and health costs:

1. Approximately 44 million American adults (20%) were considered obese in 2001, defined as having a body-mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention¹.

2. The average talent only stays at a job for about 4.5 years, and it actually takes quite a bit longer for health problems due to being overweight to really emerge.

3.  Obesity costs U.S. companies more than $13 billion annually in health care costs and is associated with 39 million days lost due to absenteeism, according to the National Business Group on Health.

4. Obesity-related claims for short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) indicates a growing health cost to employers. For example, most of the STD and LTD claims submitted to insurance companies in 2005 were directly due to obesity (e.g., gastric bypass procedures) and they were more than double those submitted in 2003.

5. Individuals who are overweight and obese are at much higher risk of chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Annual medical expenditures are $732 higher,, on average for overweight adults than for those with average or below average BMI, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs.

6. Obesity is estimated to account for 43% of all healthcare spending by US businesses on employees with coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and a range of other fat-related diseases, according to health coaching consultancy Leade Health.

7.  Obesity is a greater contributor to chronic health problems and medical spending spending (30% to 50% higher) compared to either smoking or drinking².

8.  A recent Duke University study analyzing 11,728 employees over eight years found that overweight workers had 2 times the rate of workers’ compensation claims as their more fit co-workers.  The most overweight workers had 13 times more sick days and work-related inuries³.

9.  The U. S. 6th District Court determined recently that morbid obesity is generally not a disability for employees and can’t be used as a claim for “reasonable accommodation” under the Americans with Disability act (ADA). This judgment came from a suit from 400-pound Stephen Grindle who claimed he was fired as a driver for Watkins Motor Lines because of his weight.

10. A recent meta-analysis by a group of researchers at John Hopkins University suggest that if the rate of obesity and overweight continues at the current pace, by 2015, 75 percent of adults and nearly 24 percent of U.S. children and adolescents will be overweight or obese.

It seems as if “shrinkage” is only something that really occurs consistently in the retail industry….Be well….

Technorati Tags: Obesity, wellness, health promotion, physical activity, disability, worker compensation claims, health claims, employee wellness, kenneth nowack, ken nowack, nowack

1. 1991-2002 Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, by Characteristics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [↩]
2. Roland Sturm, UCLA/RAND Managed Care Center for Psychiatric Disorders, The Effects of Obesity, Smoking and Drinking on Medical Problems and Costs, Health Affairs, March/April 2002 [↩]
3. Østbye, T, Dement, J. & Krause, K. (2007). Obesity and Workers’ Compensation: Results From the Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System .  Archives oof Internal Medicine. 167:766-773 [↩]