Robert E. Quinn 
Building the Bridge As You Walk On It 
A Guide for Leading Change

Building the Bridge As You Walk On It tells the personal stories of people who have embraced deep change and inspired author Robert Quinn to take his concept one step further and develop a new model of leadership–‘the fundamental state of leadership.’ The exploration of this transformative state is at the very heart of the book. Quinn shows how anyone can enter the fundamental state of leadership by engaging in the eight practices that center on the theme of ever-increasing integrity–reflective action, authentic engagement, appreciative inquiry, grounded vision, adaptive confidence, detached interdependence, responsible freedom, and tough love. After each chapter, Quinn challenges you to assess yourself with respect to each practice and to formulate a strategy for personal growth.

Table of Content

Preface vii

Part One: An Invitation to the Fundamental State of Leadership 1

1 Building the Bridge As You Walk On It 3

2 The Fundamental State of Leadership 14

3 Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership 28

4 Personal Revitalization 40

5 Becoming More Aware and Authentic 50

6 Transforming Others by Transforming Self 62

7 A New View of Leadership 77

Part Two: Eight Practices for Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership 95

8 Reflective Action 97

9 Authentic Engagement 110

10 Appreciative Inquiry 122

11 Grounded Vision 136

12 Adaptive Confidence 148

13 Detached Interdependence 159

14 Responsible Freedom 171

15 Tough Love 184

Part Three: Developing Leaders 195

16 The Stages of Self-Change 197

17 Inviting Others into the Fundamental State of Leadership 216

References 235

The Author 237

Index 239

About the author

THE AUTHOR

Robert E. Quinn is the author of Deep Change and Change the World, both from Jossey-Bass. Quinn helps business and government leaders understand and manage organizational life through his teaching, consulting, books, and numerous published articles. He holds the Margaret Elliott Tracy Collegiate Professorship of Business Administration and is Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the Graduate School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.