Flipping the Switch...: Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ! [Hardcover]

John G. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 2005

In his bestselling book QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, John G. Miller revealed how personal accountability helps to create opportunity, overcome obstacles, and achieve goals by eliminating blame, complaining, and procrastination. The result? Stronger organizations, more dynamic teams, and healthier relationships.

Now Miller takes readers to the next level to show how they can use the power of the QBQ! and personal accountability every day.

When a light switch is flipped the flow of energy that is released reaches the lightbulb in an instant, bringing it to life. Similarly, asking the right kind of question-a QBQ-is the first step to empowering what Miller calls the Advantage Principles-five essential practices that will lead to a richer experience in every aspect of life:

- LEARNING: live an engaged and energized life through positive personal growth and change
- OWNERSHIP: attain goals by becoming a solution-oriented person who solves problems
- CREATIVITY: find new ways to achieve by succeeding "within the box"
- SERVICE: build a legacy by helping others succeed
- TRUST: develop deep and rewarding relationships

With compelling real-life stories and keen insights, Miller demonstrates how anyone can find success and satisfaction by "flipping the switch."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Leadership guru Miller expands on the anti-buck-passing principles of his QBQ: The Question Behind the Question in this winsome volume of business homiletics. The QBQ methodology aims to replace plaintive, querulous thoughts of "Why is this happening to me?" and "When will others do things right?" with more constructive questions like "What can I do to contribute?" This shift in perspective, he contends, short-circuits the unhelpful behaviors of blaming, complaining, procrastinating and "thinking like a victim," and empowers people to solve problems themselves instead of whining about them. The ethos of personal accountability, he continues, reinforces other virtuous habits, including learning, creativity, service and trust, and imbues organizations with a cheerful, cooperative, can-do spirit. The author conveys these truths in a plainspoken style, replete with business anecdotes on such topics as great (or sullen) customer service, the importance of delegating and the demoralizing effects of e-mail flame wars. Miller's credo of personal accountability is not a sufficient moral code; sometimes it licenses unreasonable-and somewhat ironic-demands for customer pampering, as when Miller wishes a hotel clerk would make himself personally accountable for shining his scuffed shoes. Still, Miller's call for active engagement instead of passive resentment is a useful one that readers will find easily digestible and mildly inspiring.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

John G. Miller is the founder of QBQ, Inc., an organizational development company dedicated to making personal accountability a core value for organizations and individuals. QBQ, Inc. has worked with hundreds of Fortune 500 and other companies and governmental and non-government organizations internationally. Miller, who appears frequently on national television and radio, is the author of the bestselling QBQ! The Question Behind the Question and Flipping the Switch: Five Keys to Success at Work and in Life. He lives in Denver.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1 edition (December 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399152954
• ISBN-13: 978-0399152955
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Decision-Making & Problem Solving
  • #64 in Books > Science & Math > Technology

More About the Author

My newest book is titled "Outstanding! 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional"! Check it out at: www.OutstandingOrganization.com

And visit our main site here: www.QBQ.com

Grew up in Ithaca, NY. Father Cornell U. wrestling coach for 26 years and a Christian pastor for 40. Mom was a homemaker. I am a Cornell University grad: 1980. Five years with Cargill as a commodity trader (grain).

Started in the training business selling leadership and sales
management training in 1986.

Have lived in UpState NY, MN, MT, MO, MN again, and now CO. Moved to
Denver in 1997 after 12 years in Minneapolis. Why? THE WEATHER!

Karen and I have been married since 1980 and have 6 daughters and one son. Poor boy! :-)

Karen and I have just completed the new "Parenting the QBQ Way" ebook, which will be out in March 2012

I keynote about 90 meetings/conferences each year on PERSONAL
ACCOUNTABILITY ... AND THE QBQ!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transformational Shift, April 12, 2008

By 

Isabelle (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flipping the Switch... : Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ! (Hardcover)

Flipping the switch is a very enjoyable read in which the author John Miller is basically asking the question: Would you rather be part of the problem or the solution? To be part of the solution, all it takes, according to him, is a shift in perspective. Instead of asking "why me?" switch to "what can I do?". It is a simple shift, which takes you from the victim's chair into the driver's seat and allows you to experience satisfaction and transformation in all areas of your life.

In this respect the book reminded me very much of the work of Ariel and Shya Kane Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation , How To Create a Magical Relationship and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. The Kanes also present the idea that a shift in perspective can transform your life instantaneously and take you from the realm of working on yourself and thinking, to the realm of being yourself and being enlightened. Instantaneous Transformation is accessible when you flip the switch and choose to be present in the moment rather than lost in your thoughts.

I highly recommend both the work of John Miller and Ariel and Shya Kane to anybody looking to live a "bright" life!

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Harnessing Your Own Strength, August 15, 2007

By 

J. Nariman "Jules" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flipping the Switch...: Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ! (Hardcover)

"Flipping the Switch" is a small but muscular tool. It helped me to get out of a cycle of complaining, pushing me to ask "What Can I do about this situation?" rather than "Why is this situation so annoying?" As a teacher, I have found I can sometimes dwell too much on the faults of the school system, or my colleagues, blaming them for the way things are, rather than truly trying to make a situation better myself. When I catch myself doing that now, I remember the QBQ, or the question behind the question: rather than saying "Why is the bureocracy preventing me from getting things done?" I ask, "What can I accomplish right here, right now?"

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear path to personal accountability-- no question about it, October 3, 2006

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flipping the Switch...: Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ! (Hardcover)

If you like your self-help advice in a quick-to-read, easy-to-digest format, you'll enjoy this sequel to the book, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question. In his first book, author John G. Miller explained that instead of whining, "Why does everything bad happen to me?" you should take responsibility and ask yourself, "What can I do to improve my situation?" That's the QBQ, and asking it stops you from blaming and complaining, and empowers you to find your own solutions. In this book, Miller takes personal accountability up a notch, and teaches you how to improve your relationships at home and at work by adopting the five "Advantage Principles: learning, ownership, creativity, service and trust." At times, the book can get a bit preachy, but the examples are entertaining and the advice is simple, clear and solid. If you're looking for a fast shot of effective, feel-good self-help advice, we recommend Miller's accessible program. Or to pose the question his way: if your QBQ is, "What can I read to learn how to solve my own problems?" this book is your answer.