Who really is to blame?
Last week I finished the book “QBQ: The Question Behind the Question� by John G. Miller. I finished the book and felt like a heel.
This is a book about personal accountability, something everybody probably lacks from time to time. But I won’t talk about everyone else. I’ll just talk about me.
Miller bring up an interesting point that isn’t very original, but rather poignant for the times. When things go wrong, I often blame everybody else instead of looking to myself and asking “What can I do to make this better?� or “How can I improve this?� Here are Miller’s examples of IQs, or what he calls Incorrect Questions.
“Who dropped the ball?�
“When is someone going to train me?�
“When is that department going to do its job right?�
Rather, Miller suggests these answers:
“How can I help?�
“What can I do to develop myself?�
“What can I do today to excel at my work?�
Well crap. When you put it that way. …
This year has been once piece of work. Hurricanes, tsunami recovery, crazy gas prices, you name it — it’s been tough. But when things get tough, especially with the hurricane aid (I’m at fault, I know), it was very easy to point fingers and start up the blame machine.
But aren’t we all tired of hearing excuses? Are we tired of making excuses? Realistically, there’s only so much we can control. But each of us are given a certain amount of responsibility on this earth. We should strive to use that gift to the best of our ability.
This book has really made me step back and examine my attitudes about a lot of things. This isn’t just a book about work: whether you’re married, single, a volunteer worker or a CEO, it’s a quick read and well worth your time (and money if you choose to buy it).