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QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life | 
 enlarge | Author: John G. Miller
Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $6.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  184 reviews
Sales Rank: 1838
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 0399152334
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.83
EAN: 9780399152337
Publication Date: September 9, 2004
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Amazon.com Review
QBQ! by John G. Miller is a motivational primer aimed at purging the "blame, complaining, and procrastination" from the workplace. Miller believes that one of the hallmarks of today's business culture is a lack of personal accountability; he prescribes the cure in this series of short stories and personal observations drawn from his years of experience running his organizational development firm. His main point is that positive change begins with individuals changing themselves: "Instead of asking, 'When will others walk their talk?' let's walk our talk first." The result is choppy (39 chapters in 115 pages), and at times Miller's advice boils down to truism and clich. Nevertheless, managers whose workplaces demand remedial, straightforward advice should find a useful tool here. --Harry C. Edwards
Product Description
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?"
Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 179 more reviews...
 Small book, big impact December 6, 2004
40 out of 45 found this review helpful
After reading a few pages, I'm hooked. This book takes about an hour to read and has a lifelong impact. The title implies exploring other questions based on the original question. However, the real story is about personal accountability in work and life.
Rather than doing what comes naturally for many of us and becoming defensive and pointing fingers, the book changes your mode of thinking from "It's his fault" to "How can I fix this?" For example, in a restaurant, a diner is waiting for his waiter to come to the table. He catches the attention of a waiter who says, "This isn't my table" and walks off. The diner can only hope the waiter went to alert the person who is responsible for his table.
A waiter who uses QBQ thinking would help the diner rather than dodging the table just because it's not his table. Such action has positive results on both the waiter and the customer.
In another story, a cashier pays for the customer's under $3 purchase as her register didn't have enough to provide change. This action resulted in the store getting 100 percent of the customer's business.
The book grabbed me and I applied QBQ thinking the day after reading it. It feels much better to take the QBQ route instead of responding defensively. Check the QBQ site for more examples and details (http://www.qbq.com).
Another great simple book with high impact August 18, 2005
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
This book was recommended to me by a new friend Rini from BP, and i love it. I read it just in a two hours flight ( i am not a fast reader!), finishing it right when the plane landed, and i kind of feel very motivated and enpowered!
In the simple similar tradition of One Minute Manager, Fish, and other simple to read business book, this one has one great idea about how we should ask questions.
In a nutshell:
1. Begin with "WHAT" or "HOW", and not "Why", "When, or "Who".
2. Contain an "I"
3. Focus on Action.
So, instead of: " When are we going to be more competitive?", use: " What can i do today to be more effective?".
Or, instead of " Who will care as much as I do?", use "How can I communicate better?"
QBQ is a simple powerful technique that will improve the way you see life. John Miller has a whole organisation build into training it.
Even that the way they write is way different, i would like to compare the idea of QBQ as such similar power with One Minute Manager. It's easy to teach, easy to implement, and have great return if people start using it.
So, for 2 hours easy reading that might change your life for the better, you have nothing to lose, get a copy.
A subtle change in language makes a big difference November 22, 2004
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
This was a fascinating read because, as other reviewers have said, the change that comes over you when you read this book is gradual but decisive. It is true that a change in the language used often coincides with a change in attitude and action, and it was so with this book.
I found as I read furthur on, I recognized myself in the negative questions or comments posed, and when I thought about what I could say differently to pose the questions or comments usefully rather than complainingly, I had trouble rephrasing them myself, but then said "Aha!" as I read the author's suggestions.
This is almost more of a New Age/ self-help book than a business book in some ways, because it is working to subtly change the way you pose questions to yourself. If you find yourself feeling powerless in any part of your life, I'd recommend this book as a way of taking positive action and taking charge of your reactions to the world.
Includes some useful tools for success November 6, 2002
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
In The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Business and in Life, John G. Miller presents an alternative way to look at our problems (or challenges) and encourages us to ask different, but better questions about them. Miller starts off by illustrating incorrect questions (IQ's). IQ's focus on things or people outside or external to us. Some examples might be "When will he learn to manage better?", "Why can't they see my point-of-view?", "Why can't they hire better workers?". IQ's tend to sap our energy and deflate our spirit. IQ's do, however, seem to come naturally, perhaps as a result of human nature. Miller often asks groups of people what's the one thing they would like to change in their organizations. The answers always follow the external P's: that is, change the policies, procedures, prices, and other people. "Nobody ever says me." As an example, look at the following questions and see what is the first response that comes to mind.
-A poor subordinate blames the _____.
-A poor executive blames the _____.
-A poor driver blames the _____. Although these thoughts or questions may be natural, they lead us into blame, complaining, and procrastination. Miller's solution is to discipline our thoughts and to look behind our initial questions to come up with better questions-or, as he terms it, the question behind the question (QBQ). These are Miller's three guiding principles for better questions or QBQ's. Better questions: 1. "Begin with what or how (not why, when or who)."
2. "Contain I (not they, we, or you)."
3. "Focus on action." A perfect example of a QBQ is "What can I do right now?" The essence of the QBQ system is that "the answers are in the questions". If you ask the right question you can make positive moves toward achievement and a rewarding life. The book concludes with a list of lousy questions and the better QBQ's or questions behind the questions. A brief sample follows. The sales department:
"When are we going to get some new products?"
"Why can't we get better customer service support?"
QBQ's:
"How can I add value for my customers?" The management:
"Why aren't my workers more motivated?"
"Why do they keep making the same mistakes?"
QBQ's:
"What can I do to help them do their job better?" To summarize, "The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Business and Life" presents some basic, yet powerful ideas about creating a more rewarding and fulfilling life.
How to experience life fully February 20, 2004
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
In my opinion, this book is the definitive guide for personal accountability. If you are prone to viewing yourself as a victim, this book will shake you forever of the habit. Wonderful and useful questions to help you take responsibility for creating your own life. A definite must read. I also recommend Optimal Thinking--How To Be Your Best Self as the definitive guide for personal and professional optimization. Optimal Thinking provides the best questions to help you make the most of the present moment, the most of your personal life and the most of your career. With personal accountability and optimization, you have all you will ever need.
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