Tag Archives: The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs that Energize Great Performance

Energy (Schwartz, et.al.) and Positive Deviance – Coming for the October First Friday Book Synopsis

We had a wonderful gathering this morning for the September First Friday Book Synosis.  Karl Krayer presented the best-seller, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh (of Zappos fame).  I presented the provocative book The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity by Richard Florida.  Both of these synopses will be up soon on our companion web-site (with audio + handout) at 15minutebusinessbooks.com.

For next month, October  1 (the First Friday of October), we have chosen these two books:

The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance by Tony Schwartz, Jean Gomes, Catherine McCarthy Ph.D. (synopsis to be presented by Karl Krayer).
and
The Power of Positive Deviance: How Unlikely Innovators Solve the World’s Toughest Problems by Richard Pascale, Jerry Sternin, Monique Sternin.  (I will present this synopsis).

In his review of the Schwartz book on our blog (read his full review here), Bob Morris wrote this:

Schwartz suggests that there are four categories of energy needs that must be accommodated for people to work at their best: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Only by fulfilling these generic needs can we fulfill corresponding needs: sustainability, security, self-expression, and significance. The illustration of all this on Page 9 bears at least some resemblance to Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs.”

And in his review of The Power of Positive Deviance (read his full review here), Bob Morris wrote this:

As for “positive deviance,” Richard Pasquale, Jerry Sternin, and Monique Sternin explain it as an awkward, oxymoronic term. “The concept is simple: look for outliers who succeed against all odds…The basic premise is this: (1) Solutions to seemingly intractable problems already exist, (2) they have been discovered by members of the community itself, and (3) these innovators (individual positive deviants) have succeeded even though they share the same constraints and barriers as others.”

We have a wonderful community of learners gathering on the First Friday of every month.  If you are in the DFW area, come join us.  (You will be able to register for this event from this web site soon).