QBQ! the Question Behind the Question : Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life

by Miller, John G. (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780399152337
• ISBN10: 0399152334
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-09-01
• Publisher: Tarcher

Summary

Who Moved My Cheese?showed readers how to adapt to change. Fish!helped raise flagging morale. Executionguided 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?" Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Questionprovides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change.

Author Biography

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. Miller gives some one hundred keynote speeches a year and, along with a nationwide network of QBQ-trained consultants, has brought his message to countless corporations including American Express, Blockbuster, Wells Fargo, Verizon Wireless, Merck, and ConAgra.

Table of Contents

Introduction What Ever Happened To...	1	(35)
1. A Picture of Personal Accountability	6	(8)
2. Making Better Choices	14	(3)
3. QBQ! The Question Behind the Question	17	(3)
4. Don't Ask "Why?"	20	(4)
5. The Victim	24	(2)
6. "Why Is This Happening to Me?"	26	(2)
7. "Why Do We Have to Go Through All This Change?"	28	(4)
8. "Why Don't They Communicate Better?"	32	(1)
9. Don't Ask "When?"	33	(3)
10. Procrastination: The Friend of Failure	36	(3)
11. "When Will We Get More Tools and Better Systems?"	39	(2)
12. "When Are We Going to Hear Something New?"	41	(2)
13. Don't Ask "Who?"	43	(5)
14. A Poor Sailor Blames the Wind	48	(2)
15. Silos	50	(3)
16. Beat the Ref	53	(3)
17. "Who Dropped the Ball?"	56	(3)
18. Ownership	59	(2)
19. The Foundation of Teamwork	61	(2)
20. Making Accountability Personal: All QBQs Contain an "I"	63	(3)
21. I Can Only Change Me	66	(5)
22. "He Didn't, I Did"	71	(2)
23. "When Will Others Walk Their Talk?"	73	(3)
24. An Integrity Test	76	(1)
25. The Power of One	77	(2)
26. A QBQ Twist	79	(1)
27. Will the Real Role Models Please Stand Up!	80	(1)
28. Practicing Personal Accountability:
All QBQs Focus on Action	81	(3)
29. The Risk of Doing Nothing	84	(2)
30. "Thanks for Shopping at the Home Depot!"	86	(5)
31. Leaders at All Levels	91	(3)
32. The Cornerstone of Leadership	94	(2)
33. Leaders Are Not Problem Solvers	96	(2)
34. A Great List of Lousy Questions	98	(8)
35. The Spirit of the QBQ	106	(3)
36. Wisdom	109	(1)
37. We Buy Too Many Books	110	(1)
38. A Final Picture	111	(4)
39. The Motor of Learning	115