Friday, May 24, 2013

Are You a Positive Deviant? (Updated June 1)



Update: I curated some resources for webinar attendees that others may find interesting. Due to the buzz this topic generated we're continuing the conversation in #lrnchat on Thursday, June 6, 8:30 pm ET, 5:30 PT. (Sydney? That's Friday June 7, 11:30 am.) 

"In every group there are a minority of people who find better solutions to the challenges at hand…even though they have access to exactly the same resources as the rest of the group, their uncommon practices or behaviors allow them to flourish.”—Jerry Sternin


You know one: the one manager of 30 in the building who never misses deadlines and consistently shows good results while retaining great staff. The one teacher who’s successful with technology integration, while 50 others don’t “have time.” The one state government classroom trainer of 500 who instead of saying, “We can’t do e-learning because it’s too expensive,” asked, “How can we do e-learning without much money?” 
Read the rest in this month's issue of Training Magazine.

And view the recording of the May 29 webinar (Training Magazine Network)  "Tips for the Positive Deviant"  . 

3 comments:

depatton said...

This entry gives me something to think about. For so long I thought I was just a rebel but after reading this I understand why I function in the manner that many people try their best to avoid. I ask what's different and why to find ways solve a problem or level the playing field as it pertains to higher education for disadvantaged and underrepresented students.

Jane Bozarth said...

I'm glad you found it useful. There's a difference in just being "deviant" and using that to make things better.

There was a lot of buzz about the webinar so I aggregated some resources at http://pinterest.com/janebozarth/positive-deviance/

If you're a Twitterer, join us on June 6, 8:30 pm ET, for #lrnchat for more conversation.

Anonymous said...

I thoroughly enjoyed this because it makes be feel good about going against the grain. There are times when we don't have the resources or the bandwidth to try new things or to be as innovative as we want to, but exploring the possibilities and finding a way to do it within your means makes it that much more rewarding.