Something broken? Stop and look at what’s working.

Are you trying to fix something broken? 

Here’s a great video from Dan Heath for you.  I watch it whenever I’m stuck.  And when report cards come home!

I’m a big fan of the concept of positive deviance, also known as “bright spots.”  Here’s the idea: instead of asking yourself why giving is down, look at which donors gave more this year and find out why. Instead of agonizing over why your latest marketing campaign failed, look at the last one that worked and discover what made it a winner. Instead of asking people in your office why they aren’t hitting their numbers, ask who is succeeding and why.  As I’ve said before and will say again: Spend more time on duplicating what works rather than dwelling on what is broken.

Here’s Dan Heath saying this far more eloquently.

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