Becoming a
Positive Force
Each month, we review a book selected to both engage and challenge leaders as they seek to make a difference in their organizations.
Our pick this month is Lift b
y Ryan and Robert Quinn. This father and son team begin by grounding us in the science of aerodynamic lift as discovered by the Wright brothers and other pioneers of early flight, and then demonstrate how each of us can achieve the psychological equivalent of aerodynamic lift.
The authors focus on four questions that can empower anyone to become purpose centered, internally directed, other focused and externally open.
Sharing their own personal examples and stories, the Quinns help demonstrate how easy it is for all of us to act in ways that prevent us from achieving the requisite lift to become a positive force in the lives of others.
By consistently asking and answering the following four questions, the book claims that we can experience lift ourselves, and become a positive force in any situation.
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What result do I want to create?
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What would my story be if I were living the values I expect of others?
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How do others feel about this situation?
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What are three (or four or five) strategies I could use to accomplish my purpose for this situation?
Because we must experience lift ourselves if we hope to lift others, the authors present us with practical ways of moving outside of our natural states in which we seek comfort and react automatically to the world around us.
In so doing, they help us see how we can improve our leadership and increase our influence.
For our current reading list, please click here. | 
