Jamie Oliver, a British chef, has come to the United States on a quest to start a “Food Revolution,” a quest to change the eating habits of Americans for the better.

Jamie is taking it to the streets in his show on ABC, he’s building an army of followers via Twitter, and he’s put together a petition to take to the White House.  He started with one family and one school, and is building from there!

The task is incredibly daunting; we’ve got an immense amount of inertia in our daily lives toward eating what is easy over what is good for us. In the end, our national diet is horrible for our national health. Numerous sources say we’re raising the first generation of children that will not live as long as their parents.  Diabetes and heart disease are running rampant.

This pattern is ubiquitous and far-reaching.  Not only is it present in our homes and rushed business dinners, it is prevalent in our schools as well. Jamie has documented children in schools eating pizza for breakfast, chicken nuggets for lunch, then chicken nuggets or pizza again for supper when they get home.

Sometimes a business process can become just as unhealthy and difficult to change as a nation’s eating habits!  The parallels between the two are closer than they may first appear.  Schools, like businesses,  have rules and regulations with which to comply, budgets to meet, and even customers to satisfy — the parents!

Whether in schools or in business, you first have to see there’s a problem before you can effect change.  Once you have identified a challenge, you need a champion to pursue the issue.  Even with a herculean champion, there are an astonishing number of challenges!  Difficulties range from simple organizational myopia (“I don’t see anything wrong with how we do this.”) to budgetary blockades  (“It will cost a lot of money to make that change!”) and even far beyond.

Changing your business may seem a grueling ordeal.  As you work through the obstacles, it may seem you are making no progress at all.  It may seem you will never reach your goal.  At the end of this path, if you are willing to push through and get things done the right way, it pays off.  Your health improves–whether physically or financially–and you can again grow and thrive.

Do you see an issue that needs fixed? Maybe you’re continually missing a chance for a discount or simply can’t provide information back to your customers in a timely manner.  Gather some supporters, do some research.  Find a colleague or two at your company to support your goal of doing business better.

Maybe you can even mention Jamie’s uphill battle as a way to break the ice!