Publisher Description

NEW EDITION, REVISED AND UPDATEDHarness the Science of Positive InfluenceJust as the Wright Brothers combined science and practice to finally realize the dream of flight, Ryan and Robert Quinn combine research and personal experience to demonstrate how to reach a psychological state that lifts us and those around us to greater heights of achievement, integrity, openness, and empathy. The updated edition of this award-winning book-honored by Utah State University's Huntsman School of Business, Benedictine University, and the LeadershipNow web site --includes two new chapters, one describing a learning process and social media platform the Quinns created to help people experience lift and the other sharing new insights into tapping into human potential.

Author Biography

Ryan W. Quinn is associate professor of management at the University of Louisville College of Business.Robert E. Quinn holds the Margaret Elliott Tracy Collegiate Professorship at the University of Michigan and serves on the faculty of Management and Organizations at the Ross School of Business.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Positive Force in Any Situation
1: The Fundamental State of Leadership
2: The Lift Metaphor: A Journey of Science and Practice
3: Seeking Comfort and Dwelling on Problems
4: Becoming Purpose-Centered
5: Falling Short of Our Values and not Realizing It
6: Becoming Internally-Directed
7: Seeing Others as Objects
8: Becoming Other-Focused
9: Fearing Feedback
10: Becoming Externally-Open
11: Positive Leadership
12: Where Leadership Matters
13: Learning the Fundamental State of Leadership

Review

"While it is commonly thought that influence is some political force that we exert upon others to get our way, the Quinns show how truly effective leadership begins with a selfless and positive influence that radiates from our inner core—our best self."
—Thomas Glocer, founder and Managing Partner, Angelic Ventures, LP, and former
CEO, Thomson Reuters

"The psychological state required for 'lift' encompasses the very essence of leadership in the public domain: a sense of being purpose centered, guided by values, caring for others, and focused on what can be done to improve programs, conditions, and services. Lift is all about making a difference—the spirit of public service in the 21st century."
—Mary Ellen Joyce, Executive Director, Brookings Executive Education

"Lift presents rigorous science in an accessible way and imparts practical wisdom that keeps the title's promise: it will lift you and the people around you."
—R. Edward Freeman, Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Long Description

The best leaders make everyone around them better--and this kind of pervasive positive impact is something we all aspire to. But often, despite our best intentions, we're tripped up by subtle psychological states of which we are not even aware. It does not have to be that way. Just as the Wright Brothers combined science and practice to finally realize the dream of flight, Ryan and Robert Quinn combine research and personal experience to demonstrate how to reach a psychological state that elevates us and those around us to greater heights of achievement, integrity, openness, and empathy. It's the psychological equivalent of aerodynamic lift, and it is the fundamental state of leadership. Lift draws on recent advances in positive psychology and organizational science to describe four questions that, when asked in any situation, will help us experience the fundamental state of leadership. Engaging personal stories illustrate how the Quinns and others have applied these concepts at work, at home, and in the community. This updated edition includes two new chapters. Chapter 12 describes a learning process and a social media platform the Quinns created to help people experience the fundamental state of leadership. In chapter 13 the Quinns share new insights into tapping into human potential. More than ever, this is a book that will enable anyone, in any position, to rise to the call to leadership.

Review Quote

"While it is commonly thought that influence is some political force that we exert upon others to get our way, the Quinns show how truly effective leadership begins with a selfless and positive influence that radiates from our inner core--our best self." --Thomas Glocer, founder and Managing Partner, Angelic Ventures, LP, and former CEO, Thomson Reuters "The psychological state required for 'lift' encompasses the very essence of leadership in the public domain: a sense of being purpose centered, guided by values, caring for others, and focused on what can be done to improve programs, conditions, and services. Lift is all about making a difference--the spirit of public service in the 21st century." --Mary Ellen Joyce, Executive Director, Brookings Executive Education "Lift presents rigorous science in an accessible way and imparts practical wisdom that keeps the title's promise: it will lift you and the people around you." --R. Edward Freeman, Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Promotional "Headline"

Leading scholars Ryan W. Quinn and Robert E. Quinn marshal both scientific research and personal experience to show how you can achieve the fundamental state of leadership--lifting up both yourself and those around you. This second edition (first edition had sold over 10,000 copies) has been revised throughout and includes two new chapters.

Excerpt from Book

CHAPTER 1 THE FUNDAMENTAL STATE OF LEADERSHIP Ron, a colleague of ours, became a bit of a legend in his company after only a few months of working there. Like many of the executives in his company, Ron got projects done well and on time. Unlike many of these executives, Ron''s employees loved working together and were excited about their projects, even if they began the projects disagreeing with each other. Some executives managed to push their projects through in spite of problems and disagreements; some executives managed to work well with people but did not accomplish quite as much. In contrast, Ron''s leadership always increased harmony while bringing exceptional results. He became one of the most influential people in his company. One day Ron walked out of a staffing meeting and said something that surprised his coworkers. The meeting had occurred in a stuffy, windowless room at the end of a long week; Ron and everyone else in the group had felt grumpy. They had discussed whether or not people from other units in the business should be moved into Ron''s department. He did not want anyone else transferred in, so Ron argued his point and won; it seemed like a normal business meeting. Yet when Ron walked out, he told his coworkers, "I have given away my power." Ron''s coworkers did not believe him. He was one of the most influential people in the company, and he had gotten what he wanted out of the staffing meeting. How could he have given his power away? Even Ron could not answer this question, but he could tell that something had changed and that his ability to lead had changed as a result. A Different Kind of Power When Ron was one of the most influential people in his company, his leadership did not depend on a position of authority. And when he "lost his power" his formal authority had not changed. Leadership may be exercised by a CEO who is trying to implement a strategic change in a multinational corporation, but it could also be exercised by a player on a soccer team who inspires his teammates to play less selfishly, a teacher who motivates the children in her class to exceed all standards of academic proficiency, a father who stirs a desire in his children to cooperate with each other, or an employee who convinces her boss to change a policy that impedes her colleagues from giving their best performance. Many scholars agree that leadership does not depend on position. They define leadership as a process of social influence that involves determining collective goals, motivating goal pursuit, and developing or maintaining the group and culture.1 We agree that leadership is a process of social influence and that it often involves setting goals and motivating people to pursue those goals. However, we also propose one implicit difference and one explicit difference from this definition. Implicitly, this definition of leadership suggests that leadership is intentional. In this book we show how leadership also involves motivating people without intending to, and sometimes even involves motivating them to do things that we never intended to motivate them to do. Sometimes our leadership is intentional, but it may not always be so. For example, Ron sometimes took action in which he intended to create productivity and harmony, but other times the people he inspired came up with ideas of their own that were much better than what Ron thought they would do. We also propose an explicit difference from the standard definition of leadership. In particular, we propose that leadership occurs when people choose to follow someone who deviates from at least one accepted cultural norm or social convention. If a person complies with accepted norms, that person is not blazing a new trail but is simply following convention. And even if the person breaks cultural norms, if no one follows that person there is no leadership. Leadership challenges convention and inspires others to follow. The impact of such leadership is most positive and effective when cultural deviations inspire people to enhance their ethical contributions and the welfare of the people who hold a stake in the situation. We often saw this in Ron--before the grumpy staffing meeting--when he would take action that defied what people accepted as possible, appropriate, or real. Defying accepted conventions can offend or alienate others, but when people understood the intentions and effects of Ron''s actions, they often contributed to his efforts, rather than feel offended or alienated. Most of us, when we want to lead, use rational arguments, appeals to duty, rewards, punishments, or any number of other tactics to try to persuade others.2 Sometimes these approaches succeed, and if they succeed we often feel satisfied. But most of us have also experienced moments of exceptional leadership--moments such as Ron''s--even if these moments were fleeting. And because of these experiences our intuition tells us that more is possible even if it feels elusive. This elusiveness is the feeling Ron experienced at the end of the staffing meeting. Ron got what he wanted in the staffing meeting, but he did not feel satisfied. He struggled to explain his feelings. The tactics he used in the staffing meeting worked, but he also began to see that he had created "collateral damage." In contrast with his usual experience in the company, at the end of the staffing meeting people felt hurt and relationships had suffered. People felt weighed down rather than lifted up, and because they did not feel committed to the decisions made in the meeting, the same problems may reemerge. Although Ron had wielded influence successfully, he wanted to be a leader again. He wanted the kind of social influence that comes from challenging a cultural norm in a way that inspires others to want to participate in pursuing a meaningful, collective good. He could tell that he had "lost" the ability to do this because something had changed inside him, but he could not explain why. All he could think to say was that he "was in a different place." Psychological States Ron learned later that the different place he was in was a different psychological state. A psychological state is a current, temporary condition of our mind. It is the pattern of thoughts and feelings we experience at a given point in time. A person''s psychological state can be simple or complex. A simple psychological state, for example, could be described by a single emotion, such as "happy" or "sad." A complex psychological state can include many thoughts and emotions at the same time. For example, if a teenager receives an invitation to take the last spot on the school soccer team but received the invitation because a good friend was kicked off the team, then that teenager''s psychological state might involve a complex blend of happiness about the good news, a resolve to succeed, concern for her friend''s feelings, fear of the challenge, and guilt for accepting the position. Scientists who study psychological states seek to understand what kind of states people experience, what leads people to experience particular states, and how these particular states influence other people. This last question is particularly important; as researchers come to understand the answers to it, they are discovering that our psychological states can influence other people in surprising and sometimes even dramatic ways. Bill, a colleague of ours, told us a personal story that is a good example of this. Bill and his mother did not get along, let alone enjoy each other''s company. It had been this way for a long time. In any situation Bill knew what his mother would say, he knew how he would respond, and he knew how the argument would unfold. He hated it, but he could not stop himself. Bill went to a retreat and ended up working with a counselor. The goal was to improve his relationship with his mother. After much effort he began to feel more positively toward his mother. By the end of the retreat he was anxious to see her. He reports the following experience: I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. I saw her before she saw me. I thought about the sacrifices she made and how much I loved her. She turned and looked at me. She opened her mouth. My stomach tightened and I thought, "Here it comes." She paused and smiled. Then she went on with what she was doing. I was stunned. That was not what she was supposed to do. I was different and now she was different. From then on the relationship totally changed. I had not said a word, but I was different, and somehow she sensed it.3 Bill''s relationship with his mother changed without his saying a word because Bill was in a different psychological state. At the retreat he had worked hard to consciously appreciate her positive characteristics and the sacrifices she had made over many years. This less angry and more loving orientation was probably communicated in his facial expression, his posture, and other nonverbal ways. These nonverbal signals of love and appreciation provided Bill''s mother with a new set of cues to interpret. When people receive unexpected cues from others--particularly unexpected emotional cues--they have to make sense of them in new ways.4 Thus, without saying a word to his mother, Bill had begun to construct a new relationship. The change in his relationship began with a change in his psychological state. Our psychological states, whether they influence others positively or negatively, do so in at least four ways: 1. Our facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice send new and unexpected cues that people interpret and react to in new and different ways. 2. The emotions that are part of our psychological states are contagious. In other words,

Description for Sales People

STRONG RESEARCH BASE: This book is solidly based on the latest research in positive psychology and leadership TOP AUTHOR TEAM: Robert E. Quinn is a bestselling author (Deep Change, 90,000 copies sold), a distinguished scholar, and one of the founders of the Positive Organizational Scholarship movement. Ryan Quinn is a rising young scholar whose work has been widely published. UNITES THE PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL: Cultivating the fundamental state of leadership will not only help you professionally, but will also pay dividends in your personal life as well.

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