Qbq Quotes

There’s not a chance we’ll reach our full potential until we stop blaming each other and start practicing personal accountability.

Ownership: 'A commitment of the head, heart, and hands to fix the problem and never again affix the blame.

Here’s a QBQ twist for all of us: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know—it’s me!

Let's take care of the little things while they're still little.

It's better to be one who is told to wait than one who waits to be told.

Remember: The answers are in the questions.

The definition of integrity is this: "Being what I say I am by acting in accordance with my words.

If we have not changed, we have not learned

Accountable people look for solutions, not scapegoats. They blame no one—not even themselves. If a “self-critique” is warranted, they ask QBQs like “What could I have done differently?” and “How can I learn from this experience?

I saw the angel in the marble and I chiseled until I set it free. —Michelangelo

We attend too many seminars. We take too many classes. We buy too many books. We play too many audios in our cars. It's all wasted if we're unclear on what learning really is: Learning is not attending, listening, or reading. Learning is really about translating knowing what to do into doing what we know. It's about changing. If we have not changed we have not learned.

Effective communication is not someone else’s job, nor does it begin with being understood. Rather, it’s about understanding the other person.

Humility is the cornerstone of leadership.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know—it’s me!

Don't get me wrong, loyalty is an admirable quality. But the number of years one has been around does not automatically equate with being a good leader, any more than does merely having the title of manager or vice president. And certainly the things we acquire- fine cars, nice homes- are not measures of our leadership ability. Leadership, more than anything else, is about the way we think. It's a moment-to-moment disciplining of our thoughts. It's about practicing personal accountability and choosing to make a positive contribution, no matter what out role or "level".

Anyone who’s ever heard or asked questions like these: “When will that department do its job right?” “Why don’t they communicate better?” “Who dropped the ball?” “Why do we have to go through all this change?” “When is someone going to train me?” “Why can’t we find better people?” “Who’s going to give us a clear vision?” These questions seem innocent enough, but they indicate a lack of personal responsibility—I prefer the term “personal accountability”—and go right to the heart of many of the problems we face today. Conversely, turning our thinking around and asking more personally accountable questions is one of the most powerful and effective things we can do to improve our organizations and our lives.

How much better things would be if we all tried to mold and shape our own thoughts and actions rather than those of others.

Action, even when it leads to mistakes, brings learning and growth. Inaction brings stagnation and atrophy. •   Action leads us toward solutions. Inaction does nothing and holds us in the past. • Action requires courage. Inaction often indicates fear. • Action builds confidence; inaction, doubt.

Blame and “Whodunit?” questions solve nothing. They create fear, destroy innovation, inhibit teamwork, build walls, and prevent people from engaging.

The best thing we can do to get rid of victim thinking in our world is to get rid of it in ourselves. The first QBQ guideline says all

Stress is a choice.

A client once said: “Long-range, strategic planning is a great tool, but we need to get some things done before lunch!

Procrastination also increases stress. As things pile up, we begin to feel overwhelmed, which takes the joy out of our work. Bottom line: Procrastination is costly to all involved.

The truth is, different people have different reactions to the same situation. Stress is a choice. Stress is also the result of our choices.

Putting things off means precious time is lost. Productivity suffers.

(Quick point: If you’ve been trained on the “Five Whys” of problem solving or selling, that’s not what we’re talking about here. Those are useful and appropriate. What we’re referring to are questions that begin with “Why” and have the “poor me” tone that leads straight to the classic pity party.) Anyone

Questions that begin with “When” lead to procrastination.

Focusing on what we don't have is a waste of time and energy. To really make a difference, let's instead focus out energy on succeeding within the box.

No matter what we're trying to accomplish, there's always a barrier of some kind to overcome, and it's often something over which we have no control. Instead of focusing on the barriers, let's work to become so good that we'll succeed no matter how many bad calls the ref may throw at us.

The reality is if a strategy or tactic is working now, the odds are high that it won’t work in the future. There is just too much change taking place in our world for it to be any other way.

The organization that proudly declares on the lobby wall its guiding value, “People are our greatest asset!” yet the training dollar is the last one budgeted and the first one cut.

You may already be familiar with the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Here’s a QBQ twist for all of us: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know—it’s me!

if someone’s worked and been paid for twenty-two years, wasn’t that the agreement? Don’t get me wrong—loyalty is a good thing—but I have a hard time understanding why we feel we deserve something more

Selling is not complicated. If salespeople consistently practice the fundamentals—getting up early, contacting prospective clients, sharing their belief in their products and services, following up with customers—they’ll be successful.

The practice of personal accountability: We discipline our thoughts. We ask better questions. We take action.

no public figure is a role model for our kids. That’s our job—yours and mine. It’s a humbling realization at times, but it’s the truth. It’s equally true for all of us. No matter what our role, someone is watching and emulating our behavior and we may be influencing them through our choices and actions. Modeling is the most powerful of all teachers. The QBQ for each of us is “How can I set a better example?” Who’s watching you?

When you think, I really know someone who needs to hear this, stop and think... We tend to teach each others what we need to hear ourselves.

Trust is a delicate state that can be shattered in an instant by a single hurt or disappointment.

Careful. The easiest thing to spot is gaps of integrity in others.