Why We're Here

Leading with Lift is a collaborative effort of the Quinn family: Shawn, Robert, and Ryan, each with a contribution to make—through business consulting, publishing books and research articles, writing a blog that is followed by thousands, and developing practical tools for transforming leadership.

Clients who apply the principles of Lift not only wield positive influence, but by their very nature become a positive influence.

Shawn is here to help companies get to the core of their purpose and mission in business. He is thought of as the practitioner of positive organizational scholarship in the world.

“Are you up for it?” When Shawn challenges leaders of Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric, Coca-Cola, American Express, and Reuters, and the U.S. Army on their readiness to embrace change, and then lead it, it’s not usually a comfortable place for them to be. But he sees it as a critical first step. That’s why he devotes entire courses on answering the question, “Are you up for it?”

Creativity unleashed. He believes individuals and organizations can be creative in many ways—devising an innovative solution to a problem, for example, or coming up with systems or processes that achieve greater efficiencies. When Shawn works with change agent teams, creativity is unleashed, positive energy abounds, transformation happens…and it’s sustainable.

Walk in apprehensive, walk out energized.  Shawn conducts classes, workshops, and training programs through both the University of Michigan’s Executive Education Program and Lift Consulting.  Participants may enter into work with Shawn feeling a little apprehensive, but they walk away from it feeling energized: to embrace possibilities, inspire positive transitions, and effect lasting change.

Ryan Quinn—Scholar. Communicator. Conversationalist.

Ryan is here to help people talk their way into new worlds of possibility and impact. He researches and teaches change management, presenting bold concepts such as high-impact communication, innovation, organizational learning, energizing the workplace, high-performance experiences, power, and courage. Ryan has been heavily involved in the positive organizational scholarship movement, focusing many of his research questions on understanding what makes organizations and the people within them flourish, excel, and exceed expectations.

Releasing the findings. His research on these topics has led to well-respected books such as the Quinn family and Lift Consulting’s latest offering, Lift: Becoming a Positive Force in Any Situation (Berrett-Kohler, 2009), cowritten with father Robert Quinn and featured in many scholarly publications such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Annals, Organization Science, and Human Resource Management.

The art of conversation. As a consultant, Ryan helps people understand the building blocks that make up the messy issues they face as individuals and in business and find causes rather than symptoms in the way human beings communicate with and relate to each other. He firmly believes that if we want to change the world, we have to change how we communicate. From his perspective, it’s in the art of the conversation.

Coordination, change, influence, and motivation.Ryan sees these issues as the most fundamental ones business leaders wrestle with. He brings them into focus on the Lift Blog, where thousands of followers return regularly to learn best practices and tools and receive guidance—continuing what they have learned through reading his book or working with Lift Consulting.

Ryan has a B.S. in statistics from Brigham Young University, a Ph.D. in Management and Organizations from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and a graduate certificate in the study of complex systems from the University of Michigan, he has studied international business and corporate strategy at Japan’s Hitotsubashi University. He has taught at the University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business and contributes to the Darden-Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education’s Turnaround Specialist Program. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife and three children.

Robert Quinn—Prolific Writer. Inspirational Speaker.

Bob is here to spread the word about positive change in organizations—through the classes and workshops he teaches at the University of Michigan, the nearly 20 books he as written, and the talks he presents to audiences around the world. He is one of the founders of the positive leadership movement.

Deep Change. It’s not just the title of Bob Quinn’s most impactful book, it is what happens to individuals, teams, and organizations when they work through the Deep Change Field Book, attend a workshop he leads, or listen to a keynote speech he gives.

A Ripple Effect. Bob creates personal accountability, challenges your assumptions about leadership and personal success, and empowers you to realize your potential. He takes you down a path where you feel change happening deep within yourself, and you gain the confidence to replicate that change in your team or your organization. Ask the U.S. Army!

A Positive Organizational Scholar. In 2002, Bob and his University of Michigan colleagues Kim Cameron and Jane Dutton founded the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship, dedicated to growing this important new movement in organizational research. He is a frequent presenter at the center’s Positive Links Speaker Series events, inspiring future leaders.

Watch an interview with Robert Quinn , featuring clips from a Lift workshop.