Great Quicknotes from John Miller

Five Fabulous QBQ! QuickNotes

A note on how to best use these QBQ! QuickNotes:

Each of these five QBQ! QuickNotes contain inspiring content on personal

accountability. Do not read them all at once. After enjoying one, ask The Question

Behind the Question (QBQ)—"How can I apply this message in my life?"—and put it

into practice. Then, the next day, read another and ask the same life-changing

question!

Meanwhile, stop by QBQ.com and spend some time with us. Thank you for believing in

QBQ!

John G. Miller

Author of these books

Info@QBQ.com

About QBQ!

Download the QBQ! App

Denver, Colorado USA

This QBQ! QuickNote™ PDF may be forwarded by email to others or printed in its entirety

for personal and group use. © QBQ, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved.

QBQ! QuickNote #1: Take the QBQ! Challenge

by John G. Miller

Does my organization have an accountability problem? The best way to answer this

outstanding question is to take The QBQ! Challenge.

At my organization ...

 When mistakes are made, do people ask, "Who dropped the ball?"

 When change happens, do people ask, "Why do we have to go through all this

change?"

 When others don't follow through, do people ask, "When will that department do

its job right?"

 When there is much to do, do people ask, "Why don't others pull their own

weight?"

 When the team is struggling, do managers ask, "Why aren't my people

motivated?"

 When resources are tight, do people ask, "When will we get more tools?"

 When the job is difficult, do people ask, "Who's going to train me?"

 When competitors surpass us in technology, do people ask, "Why don't we have

better systems?"

 When communication suffers, do people ask, "Why don't they communicate

better?"

 When recruiting, do managers ask, "When are we going to find better people?"

Now, since this isn't a science, I would just say if you answered YES to even a few of

these questions, there is most likely a need for making personal accountability a core

value. But what does that mean?

People speak often about organizational "culture." A working definition of this well-worn

term might be: Shared values and acceptable norms of behavior. It's the way we as

individuals—collectively comprising the organization—think, feel, and act. Culture is

about how we treat each other, respond to each other, and support each other—or

how we don't. It's characterized by behaviors that are allowed and considered normal

and those that aren't.

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If we pass The QBQ! Challenge above, then we've already made Personal

Accountability (PA) a cultural core value. This means we've embraced PA as an idea

or principle to the extent that we utilize it to shape our behavior and thinking.

Organizations that pass The QBQ! Challenge are outstanding because they're made

up of individuals who have decided to exhibit accountability in all they do. People

working together as teams, departments, branch offices, districts, and organizations

have consciously committed to the essential discipline of accountability. Said

differently, during those precious times they interact with colleagues, staff, and

superiors, as well as the paying customers—we call them moments—they think and

act accountably. When the ball is dropped, a peer commits an error, a random event

blocks a goal, miscommunication takes place, or change happens, accountable people

pause in the moment and ask The Question Behind the Question (QBQ), "What can I

do to contribute?" and "How can I make a difference?"

If your culture is like this, I say outstanding! When we each choose to ask questions

like the two above—over time—we create a culture where personal accountability is

valued, honored, and practiced.

That is when personal accountability has become a core value.

However, organizations that fail The QBQ! Challenge have a culture characterized by

Blame, Victim Thinking, Entitlement, Complaining, and Procrastination—but probably

don't even know it. And that lack of awareness is a costly problem. But unawareness

can be penetrated simply by taking The QBQ! Challenge.

So bring The QBQ! Challenge to your team. Work through it and decide where your

organization stands. Don't worry if your organizational culture fails today. That's okay,

there's always tomorrow.

With the right tools and training—and time—any organization can

make personal accountability a core value!

This QBQ! QuickNote™ PDF may be forwarded by email to others or printed in its entirety

for personal and group use. © QBQ, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved.

QBQ! QuickNote #2: Be a Blame Buster!

by John G. Miller

I suppose we all have a phrase or two that we can't stand hearing. Here's one for me:

There's plenty of blame to go around!

Often spoken by someone in the media, it's a phrase that has become prevalent.

Possibly because blame has become popular!

 Parents blame the schools, churches and Hollywood for how their kids turn out.

 Spouses blame each other (sometimes with their attorneys present).

 Employers blame the employees.

 Workers blame management.

 Voters blame the politicians they elected.

 Politicians blame ... their predecessors.

 Coaches and players blame the officials.

 Manufacturing blames R&D who blames HR who blames Marketing who blames

Sales who blames ... the customer!

And everyone blames the economy. Why not, it's so easy!

In our DVD-based QBQ! training program, I list some costs of blame in a work context.

Blame:

• Indicts people

• Destroys morale

• Reduces creativity

• Lowers productivity

• Increases fear

• Drives wedges between

colleagues

• Breaks down teams

Blame also hurts us at home, not to mention in our communities, churches, and

schools. You see, at the very least, when pointing fingers, we're not using our time,

energy and creativity to solve a problem. And all organizations have problems! And

since schools, families, nonprofits, government agencies, and businesses are all

"organizations," there are problems everywhere! Remember this:

Nothing gets fixed when we are fixated on who's at fault.

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The truth is, outstanding organizations do not "seek culprits." When there is a Culture

of Culprit Catching, we actually create more problems than existed in the first place. If

you don't believe me, see costs of blame listed above.

As we say in QBQ!, leaders at all levels (that's you and me!) blame nobody—not even

themselves.

That last statement is not a way of escaping blame. Since everyone commits errors, it

simply means that if it's me that committed one, I don't have to beat myself up over it.

The right questions to ask are, "What can I learn from this experience?" and "How can

I now work to solve the problem?" Of course, it might mean having to say the words

“I’m sorry!” to someone you know, too.

Blame-busting questions like these—we call them QBQs—put me on the path of

personal accountability and that path is always the place to walk. And no matter who

caused a problem, QBQs always bust the blame.

Our society may constantly send the message that "there's plenty of blame to go

around," but we can resist the temptation to do what's popular, trendy—and incredibly

immature. Instead, each of us can rise above the urge to blame; each of us can be a

Blame Buster. And when that happens, our organizations can be Outstanding!

This QBQ! QuickNote™ PDF may be forwarded by email to others or printed in its entirety

for personal and group use. © QBQ, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved.

QBQ! QuickNote #3: I Am Not a Victim!

by John G. Miller

Kevin Brown, Director of Marketing for SERVPRO in Nashville, TN—a QBQ! believer

and Miller friend— makes me think when he says, “Life is fair … bad things happen to

all of us.”

How often, though, do we think life is not fair? Ever made statements like these?

 The bank got us a "no interest" mortgage we now can't afford. It’s not fair.

 My kids don’t ever listen to me. It’s not fair.

 My retirement account is way down. It’s not fair.

 I didn’t get the promotion/I lost my job/I was denied a raise. It’s not fair.

 Others don't work as hard as I do. It's not fair.

 My boss doesn’t communicate, coach, or seem to care. It’s not fair.

 My employer cut our benefits. It’s not fair.

 My staff doesn't seem to get what we're trying to do here. It's not fair.

 I’m buried in high interest credit card debt. It’s not fair.

 My home is worth less than I owe on it. It’s not fair.

 The neighbors have a new boat/car/pool and we don’t. It’s not fair.

 My co-workers are difficult to work with. It’s not fair.

 Professional athletes make more than teachers. It’s not fair.

 We’re going through a ton of change at work. It’s not fair!!!

My wife, Karen, has a favorite phrase. “It just is,” she’ll say. Meaning, sometimes stuff

just happens, circumstances just exist, and people simply act like people. The truth is

we were never promised “fairness.” Humans make hurtful comments, accidents occur,

events take a turn we don’t expect, others are blessed with talents we lack, things

happen out of our control—sometimes way out of our control.

Childhood friend, Philip Foltman, and I were both born May 28, 1958. I, though, am

three hours older and never let him forget it.

Growing up in Ithaca, N.Y., we graduated from Ithaca High in 1976, were pals during

our college years, and he served as my “best man” in 1980. And that he is: the best.

But in comparison to Phil, I am a victim! I have “the right” to be angry, hurt, and bitter.

It’s not fair!

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How come? Because for over 35 years Philip has had something that I have not:

A mom.

In fact, he still has his mom. I can barely remember mine.

I've not had a mother since Gerald Ford was President, the Bee Gees were hot, and

Star Wars was only in George Lucas’ imagination. It was May 20, 1975, while

attending a “ladies’ meeting,” Mary Miller, age 51, experienced a blinding headache,

slumped on a friend’s sofa, and was rushed to the hospital. Two hours later she was

gone. A quiet but deadly killer had taken her. “Aneurysm” is a word I wished I’d never

learned, and certainly not at 16.

It wasn’t fair.

But Philip, my buddy, was there that tragic day in 1975. Within an hour he was at my

house and five days later he and his mom—“Mrs. F”—came to my mom’s memorial

service.

Three and a half decades later, he still has his mom. Phil is a fortunate man.

But so am I, as I have many blessings ...

Karen is still my best friend, there are seven special people born between 1983 and

1998 who call me “Dad,” beautiful grandchildren, and I love what I do.

And just as I certainly would never hold it against Philip for still having his mom, I

shouldn’t hold it against anyone for having more of anything than I do. Envy doesn’t

wear well. Neither does the It’s not fair! We're all victims! mentality that pervades our

society today.

Now here's what's not fair:

Begrudging people their achievements, success, possessions,

financial status, and good fortune.

When I hold it against others that they have more of anything than I do, I have chosen

to be a victim. And victim thinking, self-pity, and envy eat away at my soul, destroy my

ability to contribute, and make me a lesser person. Maybe even a small person.

This QBQ! QuickNote™ PDF may be forwarded by email to others or printed in its entirety

for personal and group use. © QBQ, Inc. 2013. All rights reserved.

Bottom-line, when I play victim, I serve nobody—not even myself. It's far better to flip

the switch and completely eliminate victim thinking from my life.

Kevin Brown is right: Bad things happen to all of us. Sometimes those bad things are

tragedies beyond our control and sometimes they’re the result of our own mistakes.

Either way, the secret to life success is in how I respond, the choices I make, and how

I talk to myself.

And I—like you—will engage in healthy, productive, and truth-based self-talk saying:

 Success and happiness are based on choice not chance.

 My decisions have directed me to my destination.

 I am personally accountable for every choice I make.

 I am not a victim!

Thoughts like these enable each of us to be outstanding. It’s just as simple as that!