Ryan Quinn's Page

Lift (Audio)

Leading scholars Ryan W. Quinn and Robert E. Quinn marshal both scientific research and personal experience to show how y...

  • How to Transform the Collective Mindset: Cultural Change and Moral Power

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    How to Transform the Collective Mindset: Cultural Change and Moral Power

    By Robert E. Quinn Sometimes I will ask a group, “Did you know that organizations are political?”  This always brings a knowing laugh.  The laugh suggests a question, Why would I ever ask about something so obvious?  The laugh also demonstrates a fact.  People have a natural understanding of hier...

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    March 6, 2015

  • “Make This the Best Day of Your Life”: Robert Quinn Speaks at TEDxUofM

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    “Make This the Best Day of Your Life”: Robert Quinn Speaks at TEDxUofM

    By Amy Lemley “When we tap potential that is untapped, we see things in new ways, and a whole new world of possibility opens up to us,” says Lift blog cofounder Robert E. Quinn. How do we tap that potential? Bob answers that question in a 13-minute talk at a conference modeled after the famed TED...

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    March 6, 2015

  • The Generosity Family Project: Do Good and Feel Good

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    The Generosity Family Project: Do Good and Feel Good

    By Ryan W. Quinn I posted a review of Adam Grant’s new book, Give and Take, a few weeks ago on this blog. The timing of this book’s release was fortuitous for me on a personal level. It was good timing. Just when the book came out, my wife approached me to let me know that we needed to help our c...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Empathy versus Perspective-Taking and Personal Change

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    Empathy versus Perspective-Taking and Personal Change

    Ryan W. Quinn One of the stories that Adam Grant tells in his book, Give and Take, which I have been discussing in recent blog entries, is the story of a businessman from Australia named Peter Audet. Peter had built up his business with the help of his partner, Rich. The two men worked well toget...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Solving the Authenticity Puzzle: What Many CEOs Cannot Do

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    Solving the Authenticity Puzzle: What Many CEOs Cannot Do

    By Robert E. Quinn I met a consultant from another part of the world who works with senior business leaders.  In their country’s culture, he said, there is an extreme emphasis on hierarchy and seniority, with strong norms to defer to.  Because of that, someone such as a CEO may get little honest ...

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    March 6, 2015

  • From Manager to Leader: Accelerating the Process

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    From Manager to Leader: Accelerating the Process

    By Robert E. Quinn A former executive MBA student came to see me.  He was scheduled to be in another part of Michigan, but said he wanteto make a special trip to Ann Arbor because he had something important to share it with me. He is an executive in his early forties.  Prior to attending our prog...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Discovering What You Love To Do: Overcoming the First Barrier to Success

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    Discovering What You Love To Do: Overcoming the First Barrier to Success

    By Robert E. Quinn During the graduation season, National Public Radio aired a highly provocative broadcast.  It began with short clips from three graduation speeches in which well-known speakers told students the key to their future success was for them to go forward doing what they loved.  Then...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Engaging Again and Again

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    Engaging Again and Again

    By Ryan W. Quinn My common refrain when talking about teaching and working with teachers is “to love the people you teach.” I believe that’s what we, as teachers, should do. And I also believe that expression can be a platitude: It is so true that we ignore it or take it for granted. As a result,...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Pollyanna and the Prisoner’s Penetrating Question: A Reflection on the Positive Perspective

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    Pollyanna and the Prisoner’s Penetrating Question: A Reflection on the Positive Perspective

    By Robert E. Quinn Despite a demanding professional schedule, a friend of mine volunteers to work with prisoners. He has a surprisingly high rate of success in helping them turn their lives around.  How does he achieve this? Through authentic conversation. We often talk about his unusual voluntee...

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    March 6, 2015

  • Becoming a Leader: A Positive Lesson from Failing CEOs

    Ryan Quinn posted a blog post

    Becoming a Leader: A Positive Lesson from Failing CEOs

    By Robert E. Quinn Some CEOs become so focused on profit that they cannot generate it. This fact is of great importance to you because it means you can acquire capacities unavailable to many executives. It means you can lead more effectively than the people above you. It means you can assure your...

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    March 6, 2015

  • ryanquinn

    Ryan Quinn is now a member of Berrett-Koehler Community

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