Eating Fruit on Empty Stomach

This will open your eyes ! Read to the end and then send it on to all on your e-list. I just did !

Dr Stephen Mak treats terminal ill cancer patients by an "un-orthodox" way and many patients recovered.

Before he used solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients, he believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses. See his article below.

It is one of the strategies to heal cancer. As of late, my success rate in curing cancer is about 80%.

Cancer patients shouldn't die. The cure for cancer is already found - its in the way we eat fruits.

It is whether you believe it or not.

I am sorry for the hundreds of cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments.

EATING FRUIT

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.

It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat the fruits.

What is the correct way of eating fruits?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS!

FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

If you eat fruits on empty stomach, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.

Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit.

The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so due to the bread taken before the fruit.

In the meantime the whole meal of bread & fruit rots and ferments and turns to acid.

The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals !

You have heard people complaining :

Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc.. etc..

Actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach.

The fruit mixes with the putrefying of other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat !

Greying hair, balding, nervous outburst and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter.

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the  SECRET of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only  fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans, packs or bottles.

Don't even drink juice that has been heated up.

Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all.

You only get its taste.
Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice.

If you should drink the fresh fruit juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse or detoxify your body.

Just eat fruits and drink fresh fruit juice throughout the 3 days.

And you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look !

KIWI fruit:
Tiny but mighty.
This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE:
An apple a day keeps the doctor away?
Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY:
Protective Fruit.
Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging and free radicals.

ORANGE :
Sweetest medicine.
Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON:
Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system.

They are also a key source of lycopene the cancer fighting oxidant.
Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA:
Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content.

Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation.

Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Drinking COLD water or drinks after a meal = CANCER

Can you believe this ?

For those who like to drink cold water or cold drinks, this article is applicable to you.

It is nice to have a cup of cold water or cold drinks after a meal.

However, the cold water or drinks will solidify the oily stuff that you have just eaten.

It will slow down the digestion.

Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food.

It will line the intestine.

Very soon, this will turn into FATS and lead to CANCER !

It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says:
if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.

What Can We Do About Climate Change?

 

From a science education perspective, one major thing that can be done about climate change is to support education efforts that help individuals and societies make informed decisions about climate change. Climate science must be integrated as practical knowledge into society so that understanding the complex physical and biological interconnections are relevant to decision-making in social, economic, political, cultural, and educational systems. While information alone is not enough to prepare society for the immediate and long-term challenges of human influences on climate, without a scientifically informed understanding of the causes and effects of climate change, it will be difficult or impossible to reduce vulnerabilities or enhance the resilience of communities and ecosystems affected by climate change.

Changing our own behavior can limit climate change: By switching to energy sources that don't release greenhouse gases, increasing the energy efficiency of our homes and offices, and driving less, we can reduce our effect on the climate and limit climate change.

The two most important strategies for addressing climate change are mitigation and adaptation. The two strategies are related and overlap to a degree, but the basic distinction is that mitigation means limiting the amount of climate change which occurs, primarily by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations, while adaptation means changing the way we as a society live in response to the changing climate.

Mitigation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions entails the reduction and conservation of oil, gas, and coal, the fossil fuels that are used in transportation, heating and cooling, agriculture, and electricity generation. Replacing carbon-intensive fuels with renewable and alternative energy sources is key to “decarbonising” the current energy infrastructure, which will require transforming the global economy that is currently fuelled primarily by carbon-based energy sources. In order for mitigation to be successful, it is necessary to understand how humans currently consume energy and how that impacts the climate, and then make appropriate decisions to minimize that impact. There are already a number of energy sources which produce electricity at costs comparable to coal and natural gas, and improving the efficiency and availability of those technologies is a major area of research. Many private homeowners and schools generate their own electricity with solar panels or wind turbines, showing students and their neighbours that these technologies are available and affordable. Simple measures to increase household energy efficiency, to drive less by biking, carpooling, and riding public transit, and to ship our food shorter distances all play important roles in averting future climate change.

Adapting to climate change is also crucial since, no matter how successful mitigation efforts are; the changes already occurring are predicted to increase in the years and decades to come, requiring serious planning to minimize risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts. Adaptation strategies that communities are already implementing include:

• Building sea walls and moving away from vulnerable coasts in order to avoid sea level rise and storm surges
• Diversifying crops and using drip irrigation for agriculture
• Building new public works such as sewers, bridges and aqueducts to handle changes in rainfall and flooding
• Training public health professionals for increased health impacts and emerging diseases
• Developing wildlife conservation plans and new migration corridors to protect endangered species
• Designing buildings to conserve and even generate energy, and
• Demonstrating strategies and lifestyles for increased sustainability and resilience

Because there is a lag between increased greenhouse gas emissions and increased warming, even if all greenhouse gas emissions stopped today, it would take decades before temperatures, rainfall, and other effects of human-caused climate change would begin to abate. So adaptation and mitigation will inevitably proceed in parallel.

Climate change will affect every part of society. The response to climate change — through mitigation and adaptation — has to involve individuals and families at home, students and educators in schools, leaders and workers in organizations, and local, state, national and international governmental bodies. The actions we take and decisions we make can create opportunities or limit the options for the next generation. Ideally, by reducing the effects and adapting to climate change, the present generation will improve its own condition, with benefits such as a higher quality of life and public health, while helping future generations through its foresight and planning.

 

Thank you!

 

Mitigating Climate Change

                                               Climate Mitigation and Adaptation

Climate mitigation is any action taken to permanently eliminate or reduce the long-term risk and hazards of climate change to human life, property.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines mitigation as: “An anthropogenic intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.” Climate Mitigation and Adaptation.

Climate adaptation refers to the ability of a system to adjust to climate change (including climate variability and extremes) to moderate potential damage, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with the consequences.
The IPCC defines adaptation as the, “adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment. Adaptation to climate change refers to adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Various types of adaptation can be distinguished, including anticipatory and reactive adaptation, private and public adaptation, and autonomous and planned adaptation.”


Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
The terms “adaptation” and “mitigation” are two important terms that are fundamental in the climate change debate. The IPCC defined adaptation as adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderate harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Similarly, Mitchell and Tanner (2006) defined adaptation as an understanding of how individuals, groups and natural systems can prepare for and respond to changes in climate or their environment. According to them, it is crucial to reducing vulnerability to climate change. While mitigation tackles the causes of climate change, adaptation tackles the effects of the phenomenon. The potential to adjust in order to minimize negative impact and maximize any benefits from changes in climate is known as adaptive capacity. A successful adaptation can reduce vulnerability by building on and strengthening existing coping strategies.
In general the more mitigation there is, the less will be the impacts to which we will have to adjust, and the less the risks for which we will have to try and prepare. Conversely, the greater the degree of preparatory adaptation, the less may be the impacts associated with any given degree of climate change.

For people today, already feeling the impacts of past inaction in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation is not altogether passive, rather it is an active adjustment in response to new stimuli. However, our present age has proactive options (mitigation), and must also plan to live with the consequences (adaptation) of global warming.
The idea that less mitigation means greater climatic change, and consequently requiring more adaptation is the basis for the urgency surrounding reductions in greenhouse gases. Climate mitigation and adaptation should not be seen as alternatives to each other, as they are not discrete activities but rather a combined set of actions in an overall strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


Mitigation Strategies
Climate change involves complex interactions between climatic, environmental, economic, political, institutional, social, and technological processes. It cannot be addressed or comprehended in isolation of broader societal goals (such as equity or sustainable development), or other existing or probable future sources of stress.

In the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) three conditions are made explicit when working towards the goal of greenhouse gas stabilization in the atmosphere:
1. That it should take place within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change;
2. That food production is not threatened and;
3. That economic development should proceed in a sustainable manner
To eliminate or reduce the risk of climate change to human life and property, both policy instruments and technology must be used in the context of sustainable development.


Adaptation Strategies
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change refers to adaptation in several of its articles: Article 4.1(f): All Parties shall “Take climate change considerations into account, to the extent feasible, in their relevant social, economic and environmental policies and actions, and employ appropriate methods, for example impact assessments, formulated and determined nationally, with a view to minimizing adverse effects on the economy, on public health and on the quality of the environment, of projects or measures undertaken by them to mitigate or adapt to climate change.”


Nicholas Stern on Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
For developing countries, good adaptation and good development policy are very strongly intertwined, and it is right that climate change should now become central to national planning processes and to development assistance. International support for adaptation will come in large part through the delivery of the commitments made by rich countries to double aid by 2010 and the commitments made by many countries to meet the target of 0.7% of GNI by 2015. This will deliver an increase of hundreds of billions of dollars.
But there are limits to adaptation. Small island developing states threatened by sea level rise have fewer options to adapt. Sea defences are particularly costly for low-lying islands , and may do little to protect the tourism and fisheries that sustain the local economy.
Development and diversification are still important strategies wherever possible, but ultimately the international community will have to find ways to support alternative responses, including the managed resettlement of some people in these states. This will bring many challenges, particularly for those people that must move. There will be much greater pressures if unabated climate change leads to sea level rise that threatens much larger populations in low-lying coastal areas. (from the Stern Review postcript, Janauary 2007)


Issues
Running counter to the technological and economic potential for greenhouse gas emissions reduction are rapid economic development and accelerating change in some socio-economic and behavioral trends that are increasing total energy use, especially in developed countries and high-income groups in developing countries. Dwelling units and vehicles in many countries are growing in size, and the intensity of electrical appliance use is increasing. Use of electrical office equipment in commercial buildings is increasing. In developed countries, and especially the USA, sales of larger, heavier, and less efficient vehicles are also increasing.
Some adaptation is occurring now, to observed and projected future climate change, but on a limited basis. See the IPCC page on current climate mitigation and adaptation.

Definition of Success: The World vs. The Word

Definition of Success: The World vs. The Word

As the world sees success, it is the achievement of a social status, completing a goal, reaching an objective or the achievement of an action in a specified set of time. The way God defines success is so much different than the way the world does. Success to those in the world means achieving something that is useful in this life on earth. Success as God sees it is something that is achieved that is of infinite, eternal value in this life and in the life to come. That is a huge difference indeed. The Bible describes success in a much different way than the world does.

Twenty Bible Verses About Success

Notice in the following passage that success is tied to the Lord being with us. When we have the Lord with us then we will prosper. That does not mean that everything will go perfectly because Joseph was later unjustly thrown in prison. Even with this, Joseph was faithful to God and God blessed all those around him and even a pagan ruler’s household was blessed as a result.

Genesis 39:2-6 “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.”

Walking in Success

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

If you are not walking with the counsel or advice of the wicked nor standing in the way of sinners or the way that sinners are going and are also not sitting in the seat of scoffers which means they scoff at God, then God will bless you. To be blessed means to literally “make happy.” Your delight will naturally be in God’s law and you will meditate day or night (all the time) and this means that like a tree planted by a stream of water, you will never whither or die but will always produce godly fruit and everything you do will prosper.

Reading and Writing Success

Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

If the Book of the Law, the Bible, doesn’t cease from being spoken and read by you and again, as in Psalm 1:1-3, you are meditating on it, and you’re careful to observe what it says, you’ll be prosperous and have success, as far as God defines success. And the way God defines success is the only definition that counts.

…take the Word of God and write the words onto the tablet of our heart.

Proverbs 3:1-4 “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.”

What God is saying here is to take the Word of God and write the words onto the tablet of our heart. The heart, in the Jewish language, was the seat of intellect. In other words, memorize some of the Bible. If you do this you will have “length of days and years of life” and “you will find favor and good success.” What more could a man or woman want?!

Prayer of Success

Nehemiah 1:11 “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cupbearer to the king.”

Success is more readily achieved if you are in prayer as Nehemiah was and God used Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s humility is evident as he said that he was God’s servant and feared (or respected or revered) God’s name which assured him of success…even in the sight of a pagan king.

Blameless Success

Proverbs 2:7 “He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.”

Notice that success and walking blamelessly are tied together. James said that we cannot be near to God in prayer unless we have clean hands and a pure heart (James 4:8). This is why success comes to those who are blameless. Keep short accounts with the Lord by confessing your sins daily.

Prosperity and Success

Genesis 24:40 ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way. You shall take a wife for my son

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/20-bible-verses-about-success-study-from-scripture/#ixzz3SIC6A1ke

How to prepare and become a wife material before marriage

How to prepare and become a wife
material before marriage

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good
thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
(Proverbs 18:22 KJV)

It is interesting to note that the scripture
above says, He that findeth a wife, not a
sister, not a girl, but a wife! In other
words, you must be a wife material before
being found.

You see, the scripture cannot be broken.
It is the wife material that would be
found, not any other thing! So the next
question is how does one become a wife
material?

First of all, we will attempt to answer that
question by looking at what a wife
material is not. Sometimes, you find out
what something is by studying what it is
not.

You are not a wife material when
1. You are lazy
When you read through who a virtuous
woman is in the scriptures, you will know
that laziness is not part of the virtue
being described there. If you have doubts,
go through Proverbs 31: 10 – 31. Listen
to me, if you are lazy, you need to start
working on that now, so that it will not
affect your marriage eventually after
marriage. A good wife should now how to
cook. A good wife is a homemaker.
Women are usually multipliers. Start to
discipline yourself and learn the basic
things.

It is not exactly like a wife should become
the house help, and I am not advocating
that the husband should do nothing at
home. It’s so simple, a wife should not
be lazy. How do you know you are lazy?
Somebody would have told you! If your
mum or dad has ever told you that you
are lazy, it is true! Don’t argue, just say
mum, how can I make adjustments? Be
humble! Don’t wait for your husband to
confirm that!

2. You are sleeping around
You are not a wife material when you are
still sleeping around and you are generous
with your body! It is a direct violation of
God’s way of doing things and such
lifestyle will bring difficulties into your life.
The way of the transgressor is hard! A
wife material is not into “aristo!”

3. You are spiritually irresponsible
A wife material should develop her self
spiritually. You need that spiritual
maturity to help you balance your role as
a wife-to-be, mother-to-be and
sometimes combining that with a vibrant
career.

4. You are not accountable
Accountability is powerful. As a young
lady, who are your mentors? Who are you
accountable to? Who can you call on
phone when you have issues and you will
get good counsel? Are you a tither? Do
you honour God with your time and
service? Are you serving in your local
assembly?

5. You are selfish
A wife material is selfless. You don’t
consider yourself alone! Marriage is about
being selfless. Two people who are
married and are selfish will soon crash
their marriage. Marriage can only survive
when the two people involved love
themselves genuinely and are not selfish.

6. You are already living with him
You are not a wife material by living in
his house when you are not yet married.
One of the marks of being a wife material
is to respect your body and honour God
with it. But when you are already involved
in jeru trap repeatedly and without
repentance, you are not really honouring
your body! Don’t travel over to meet him
where he is and then spend days with
him. If you do that, you will be sowing
wrong seeds into that relationship and
you are not going to have God’s support
and favour doing that.

What if you are already doing that? Park
out of his house! You are not married!
What if I park out and he leaves me?
Then he is not your husband!

Your husband will be willing to wait for
you. That is how you carve some respect
for yourself.

When you look at the concept of a “wife”
in the scriptures, it says, you are a help
meet for him. Your entrance into his life
translates into favour for the family!

Are you preparing yourself in that regard?
You see God is not an author of
confusion, so He will not bring into your
life what you are not ready for! Are you
really ready for marriage? Do you love
yourself? Are you really single in the
sense of it? Have you gone past that
stage where you are looking for someone
to complete you?

It is a wife material that would be found.
Not any other thing, so my challenge to
ladies this morning is, are you a wife
material?

I pray for you this morning, that God will
open your eyes the more and help you to
be better prepared, and to be found by
your husband! You will be found in Jesus
name! I curse every operations of the
Spirit of delay in your life and declare that
God’s counsel over your life will stand in
Jesus name!

How much do you know the scriptures?

*Presido P: do you have a boyfriend?

*Sister Grace: No. I don’t want a boyfriend.

*Presido P: Genesis 2:18 “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him’.”

*Sister Grace: But I don’t love you.

*Presido P: 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.”

*Sister Grace: So how do I discern that your words are true?

*Presido P: Matthew 12:34 “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

*Sister Grace: But how can I be sure that you are faithful and honest?

*Presido P: Mark 13:31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

*Sister Grace: But why me? There are so many girls out there.

*Presido P: Proverbs 31:29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all!”

*Sister Grace: But what do you see in me, that makes you love me?

*Presido P: Song of Songs 4:7 " You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."

*Sister Grace: But really, I’m not that beautiful … you’re exaggerating.

*Presido P: Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

*Sister Grace: What will happen if I say yes?

*Presido P: Genesis 2:24 “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh."

*Sister Grace: How is it that you know so many Scriptures?

*Presido P: Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. "

*Sister Grace: Wooow, I can see you really love God.

*Presido P: Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!”

*Sister Grace: Hmmm. Ok please just give me some time to think about this.

*Presido P: Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things."

*Sister Grace: owwww I love you already

*Presido P: Revelations 22:21 "Amen."

5 Characteristics of a Change Agent

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by visualpanic

(change agents) – People who act as catalysts for change…

In my work through school and organization visits, I have been fascinated to see the correlation between the speed of change and an individual who is “leading” the change.  The schools that have someone (or a group of people) helping to push the boundaries of what can be done in schools seem to move a lot quicker with a larger amount of “buy-in” through the process.
As Malcom Gladwell describes in his book, “The Tipping Point“, he states:

The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.

Although Gladwell talks about the “Law of the Few” (connectors, mavens, salesman), I do not believe change is solely dependent upon their skills, but also the culture in which they exist.  You cannot be a connector if you are in an environment where people do not want to come together.  So although a change agent can trigger growth in an organization, the culture in which they exist or are brought into has a huge bearing on their success.  If a school embodies itself as a true learning organization, change will happen much quicker.
With that being said, I have noticed that the individuals that are really successful in helping to be a catalyst for change certainly embody some similar characteristics.  Below is a list of what I have seen consistently.

1.  Clear Vision – As mentioned above, a “change agent” does not have to be the person in authority, but they do however have to have a clear vision and be able to communicate that clearly with others.  Where people can be frustrated is if they feel that someone is all over the place on what they see as important and tend to change their vision often.  This will scare away others as they are not sure when they are on a sinking ship and start to looking for ways out.  It is essential to note that a clear vision does not mean that there is one way to do things; in fact, it is essential to tap into the strengths of the people you work with and help them see that there are many ways to work toward a common purpose.

2. Patient yet persistent – Change does not happen overnight and most people know that.  To have sustainable change that is meaningful to people, it is something that they will have to embrace and see importance.  Most people need to experience something before they really understand that, and that is especially true in schools.  With that being said, many can get frustrated that change does not happen fast enough and they tend to push people further away from the vision, then closer.  The persistence comes in that you will take opportunities to help people get a step closer often when they are ready, not just giving up on them after the first try.  I have said continuously that schools have to move people from their point ‘A’ to their point ‘B’, not have everyone move at the same pace. Every step forward is a step closer to a goal; change agents just help to make sure that people are moving ahead.

3. Asks tough questions – It would be easy for someone to come in and tell you how things should be, but again that is someone else’s solution.  When that solution is someone else’s, there is no accountability to see it through.  It is when people feel an emotional connection to something is when they will truly move ahead.  Asking questions focusing on, “What is best for kids?”, and helping people come to their own conclusions based on their experience is when you will see people have ownership in what they are doing.  Keep asking questions to help people think, don’t alleviate that by telling them what to do.

4.  Knowledgeable and leads by example – Stephen Covey talked about the notion that leaders have “character and credibility”; they are not just seen as good people but that they are also knowledgeable in what they are speaking about.  Too many times, educators feel like their administrators have “lost touch” with what is happening in the classroom, and many times they are right.  Someone who stays active in not necessarily teaching, but active in learning and working with learners and can show by example what learning can look like now will have much more credibility with others.  If you want to create “change”, you have to not only be able to articulate what that looks like, but show it to others. I have sat frustrated often listening to many talk about “how kids learn today” but upon closer look, the same speakers do not put themselves in the situation where they are actually immersing themselves in that type of learning.  How can you really know how “kids learn” or if something works if you have never experienced it?

5. Strong relationships built on trust – All of the above, means nothing if you do not have solid relationships with the people that you serve.  People will not want to grow if they do not trust the person that is pushing the change.  The change agents I have seen are extremely approachable and reliable.  You should never be afraid to approach that individual based on their “authority” and usually  they will go out of their way to connect with you.
That doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to have tough conversations though; that also builds trust.  Trust is also built when you know someone will deal with things and not be afraid to do what is right, even if it is uncomfortable.  Sometimes trust is built when you choose to do what is right for your community or organization, as long as it is always done in a respectful way.

Should every school/district administrator have these qualities?  Probably.  But with that being said, positive change is not reserved to be the responsibility of any position.  The best leaders may have all of these qualities but also empower others to be those “change agents” as well to build a culture of leadership and learning.  I can think of many people that I have encountered who have helped pushed their organizations ahead that have no formal “authority” over any individual.  That being said, some of them do it in spite of their principal or superintendent and often feel that they are in constant conflict.  Things would obviously move a lot quicker if they had the support of their leader.  With that support, change can happen in an organization quickly, but if the leader does not “clear the path”, improvement will take a lot longer than it should.
What is important to note is that being a “charismatic leader” is not something that is essential.  Often, charismatic leaders lack many of these qualities that I have listed above and although they can seemingly lead change, it is not sustainable and does not permeate throughout the school or organization; it becomes too dependent upon one person.  For example, was Steve Jobs a change agent, or a charismatic leader?  Apple is not doing as well since he has passed away and their innovation has seem to slow down.  Steve Jobs was known for being notoriously tough to deal with and the trust that is essential to building a strong culture was probably lacking to some degree.  I believe that change agents will help to create more leaders, not more followers.
What qualities from this list did I miss?  Do you think that there has to be at least one person or group to help permeate change and growth in an organization?