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QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life (Hardcover)
by John G. Miller
| Category:
Personal accountability, Problem-solving, Personal development |
| Market price: ¥ 250.00
MSL price:
¥ 218.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
This awesome and life-changing short book advocates personal accountability in work and life. You'll see your life change for better if you learn and apply the principles. |
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Author: John G. Miller
Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
Pub. in: September, 2004
ISBN: 0399152334
Pages: 128
Measurements: 8.3 x 6 x 0.6 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00120
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0399152337
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Rate this product:
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- Awards & Credential -
A management bestseller on Amazon.com. |
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- MSL Picks -
This is an exceptionally short and interesting book. I finished it within an hour. Ironically that's the beauty of it which is just so straightforward and well written that I can remember some stories/teachings long after I closed it, especially the story of the waiter asking his manageress to buy the author a diet coke in a restaurant that served only Pepsi (dare you challenge the company policy to satisfy a customer?), and the one of a Cinderella cashier in Home Depot who bought a $2 stuff for a rich man (the prince who would marry her) who got only $100 notes to keep customers from waiting too long. In short, well worth the price and the time, though QBQ and personal accountability to you (and me) may just be another marketing name, similar to the "5 Whys?" (asking "why?" at least five times for every problem engaged) that Toyota, the excellent auto maker, had adopted for decades.
Below please find some passages I like the most for your reference.
I saw the angel in the marble and I chiseled until I set it free. - Michelangelo
Focusing on what we don’t have is a waste of time and energy... Let's ask the QBQ "How can I achieve with the resources I already have?" P. 40
"When are we going to hear something new?" is the wrong question. The right one is "How can I apply what I'm hearing?" - even if I've heard it before. P. 42
What can I do today to solve the problem? How can I help move the project forward? What action can I take to "own" the situation? P. 46
God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know... it's me! P. 79
Leadership, more than anything else, is about the way we think. It's a moment to moment discipline of our thoughts. It's about practicing personal accountability and choosing to make a positive contribution, no matter what our role or "level." A receptionist, an engineer, a sales person, a temp worker, a cashier: They all can be leaders... Parents? Absolutely. Parenting may be the most important leadership role there is. P. 93
"Servant leadership" is the QBQ way, and it requires a humble spirit combined with a servant's heart. Humility is the cornerstone of leadership. P. 95
We attend too many seminars. We take too many classes. We buy too many books. We play too many audios in our cars. It's all wasted if we're unclear on what learning really is: Learning is not attending, listening, or reading. Nor is it merely gaining knowledge. Learning is really about translating knowing what to do into doing what we know. It's about changing. If we have not changed we have not learned. What have you learned today? P. 110
This book is not only good for individuals looking for ways for personal improvement, but good for employee training. We highly recommend managers and Human Resources Development professionals use the book to enhance employee competitiveness and teamwork.
(From partly quoting an American reader)
Target readers:
Managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, HDR professionals, corporate trainers, consultants, parents, and anyone else long for continuous personal improvement.
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John G. Miller is the founder of QBQ, Inc., an organizational development firm dedicated to making personal accountability a core value for companies and individuals. Through his writing, speaking, and a nationwide network of certified QBQ! consultants, Miller has brought his message to countless organizations, including Bausch & Lomb, Blockbuster, Wells Fargo, Verizon Wireless, Applebee's, Boeing, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Miller is the author of QBQ! The Question Behind the Question.
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From Publisher
Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change.
Fish! helped raise flagging morale.
Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done.
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability.
The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization - or individual - can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability.
The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, "Who dropped the ball?" "Why can't they do their work properly?" or "Why do we have to go through all these changes?" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: "How can I improve this situation?" "What can I contribute?" or "How can I make a difference?"
John G. Miller believes that pointing fingers and blaming others cannot solve the troubles that plague organizations. Rather, the real solutions are found when each of us recognizes the power of personal accountability.
In QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, Miller explains how negative, inappropriate questions like "Why do we have to go through all this change?" and "Who dropped the ball?" represent a lack of personal accountability. Conversely, when we ask better questions-QBQs-such as "What can I do to contribute?" or "How can I help solve the problem?" our lives and our organizations are transformed.
The QBQ! Promise
This remarkable and timely book gives a practical method for putting personal accountability into daily action, with astonishing results: problems are solved, internal barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change more quickly. QBQ! is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to learn, grow, and change. Using this tool, each of us can add tremendous worth to our organizations and to our lives by eliminating blame, complaining, and procrastination.
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Book excerpts:
I saw the angel in the marble and I chiseled until I set it free. - Michelangelo
Focusing on what we dont have is a waste of time and energy... Let's ask the QBQ "How can I achieve with the resources I already have?" pg 40
"When are we going to hear something new?" is the wrong question. The right one is "How can I apply what I'm hearing?" - even if I've heard it before. pg 42
What can I do today to solve the problem? How can I help move the project forward? What action can I take to "own" the situation? pg 46
God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know... it's me! pg 79
Leadership, more than anything else, is about the way we think. It's a moment to moment discipling of our thoughts. It's about practicing personal accountability and choosing to make a positive contribution, no matter what our role or "level." A receptionist, an engineer, a sales person, a temp worker, a cashier: They all can be leaders... Parents? Absolutely. Parenting may be the most important leadership role there is. pg 93
"Servant leadership" is the QBQ way, and it requires a humble spirit combined with a servant's heart. Humility is the cornerstone of leadership. pg 95
We attend too many seminars. We take too many classes. We buy too many books. We play too many audios in our cars. It's all wasted if we're unclear on what learning really is: Learning is not attending, listening, or reading. Nor is it merely gaining knowledge. Learning is really about translating knowing what to do into doing what we know. It's about changing. If we have not changed we have not learned. What have you learned today? pg 110
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| View all 6 comments |
K. Lowenstein (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
I happened upon this little gem strictly by accident, or was it divine intervention. QBQ is a straight-to-the-point, no-fluff and tremendously relevant book no matter who you are. While reading you think, 'Wow, it's really that simple to change my outlook and the way I go about my daily activities?' The reality of personable accountability hits home, and it hits home hard. John backs up his insights with examples that we can all relate to. It's not a magic pill or mysterious tonic. What QBQ is, is a set of guideline for living your life to the fullest based upon the conscious choices you make and asking better questions that focus on the “how and what I can do” and not the victimization questions that begin with “why, when and who.” The book is a quick read, but the changes are up to you to implement. John goes beyond the book by providing his readers with a website the supports the QBQ way. I've already seen positive changes in how I deal with family, friends and business associates. |
R. Klinger (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
So many books miss the point when it comes to accountability/responsibility. But author/speaker John G. Miller QBQ! in QBQ! it with a practical "how to" method to live it each day. Rarely do you find a book so small with such a "hands on" approach. It is specific in every way because:
1. QBQ! tells us WHY personal accountability is important and WHAT it is.
2. QBQ! teaches us what accountability is NOT. This is critical because without this, we don't really "get it."
3. QBQ! shows us HOW to do it by eliminating bad questions we ask and how to ask excellent questions of ourselves. The three step technique taught is effective and easy to apply. A gem of a tool.
4. QBQ! changes one's thinking instantly so you view problems, frustrations and your daily work differently right away .... and in a better light.
5. QBQ! helps us realize that accountability is about ME and not others
6. QBQ! provides excellent stories about people who practice personal accountability and it is these stories that live with me long after I've read the book.
And just like the author recommends, QBQ! is to be read over and over so it becomes part of our daily walk. I keep my copy right on my desk as THE resource to help me stop blaming, whining, and procrastinating and begin each day with an accountable mindset.
I also give 5 stars to Miller's new book Flipping the Switch... Unleashing the Power of Personal Accountability. An absolutely terrific companion piece to QBQ! More wonderful stories and additional practical content.
We had Mr. Miller (QBQ.com) in to keynote our conference and he is a fantastic speaker... so that is another way to bring QBQ! and the message of accountability into an organization.
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Dave (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
This book contains a lot of common sense guidance on how to practice personal accountability. Like all books like this, your first instinct is to say "I need to give this book to my employees, spouse, brother, etc." However, this book isn't about changing others, but about changing yourself, the one person whom you have any control over.
I especially enjoyed the direction given on asking the right questions, often substituting "I" for "we", "you", "they", etc. This book gives good guidance on common sense leadership principles that I find especially useful which redirects you from the natural tendency to look for scapegoats rather than search for solutions, a common problem in many organizations.
A very good little book that gives sound advice regardless who you are and what responsibilities you are faced with.
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Andrea Alhsen (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
I've read this book at least five times now. As a career professional ranging from higher education to corporations, no one is immune to the "blame game" of he did it/she did it or better yet, "they" did it.
Much time and emotional energy is spent on blaming others for problems, frustrations, and anger. This also spans into our personal lives.
QBQ address the crux of the matter or what I feel is truly choice. Many people do not feel that they have choice or that they need to deal with the deck of cards they've been handed. The reality is that all of us have a choice on how to act or react in any given situation.
QBQ takes the premise of choice and places into a framework that takes blame language into positive, actionable language where one can take charge of a situation. Instead of who did it or why did "they" cut our budget, an appropriate rephrase might be "how can I help this situation?"
This book is a very easy read, half hour tops and is good to come back to again and again. No matter how positive one might be, even the best of us can fall into victim thinking to remove ourselves from the equation.
An excellent read for anyone, professionally or personally.
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