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Personal Accountability Starts with the Question Behind the Question
In this episode, I talk with John G. Miller about Personal Accountability and his bestselling book entitled QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life. Miller has spent many years speaking to thousands of professionals on how they can become more accountable in their careers and lives.
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Here are the key points discussed on Personal Accountability:
- QBQ stands for The Question Behind the Question.
- There are 2 myths of accountability:
- Personal accountability is a group thing.
- Personal accountability is something we hold others to.
- Accountability begins with yourself and asking yourself what you can do to be your best, and how you can improve yourself.
- The three core human problems that QBQ solves is blame/finger pointing, victim thinking/entitlement/whining, and procrastination.
- We need individuals going the extra mile, so the organizations can have the extra edge in the marketplace.
- We need to have character in the mix and really try to understand a person’s character.
- The cornerstone of accountability is: “I can only change me.” It’s all about looking into the mirror and asking how you can change yourself.
- 99% of the time when an employee is failing, if the manager looks in the mirror, they realize there is something they have not done.
- Organizations that are outstanding show humility, make no excuses, get actions in line with stated values, allow people to speak up, they don’t speak in code, value ideas over politics, and they forgive mistakes.
More in this episode…
In the Take Action Today segment of the show, we will give you an actionable piece of advice that you can implement in your career and life.
About John Miller
John Miller is the founder of QBQ, Inc., an organizational development firm dedicated to helping 
people and organizations make personal accountability a core value. Through his writings, speaking, and a nationwide network of certified distributors, John has brought his message to countless organizations including Bausch & Lomb, Subway, Wells Fargo, Verizon, WellPoint/Anthem, Aramark, to name a few.
John invested a decade selling leadership and sales management training before becoming an author. His content was developed facilitating over 10,000 hours of training inside corporations from all industries.
A 1980 graduate of Cornell University, John lives in Denver, CO with his wife, Karen. They have 6 daughters, 1 son, and 7 grandchildren—with more on the way! John is the author of the million-selling QBQ! The Question Behind the Question book, as well as these titles:
Flipping the Switch … Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability
Outstanding! … 47 Ways to Make Your organization Exceptional
Parenting the QBQ Way (co-written wife, Karen G. Miller)
“You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.” Leonardo da Vinci
Resources and links mentioned in this session include:
The Engineering Mastermind
QBQ, Inc.
This episode is brought to you by PPI, the leader of FE, PE, or SE exam preparations. Use promo code TECC8 for 20% discount at ppi2pass.com
Books Mentioned in this episode:
We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you might share on personal accountability.
Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below.
To your success,
Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
