I asked our twentysomething daughter, Molly, who has served as captain of soccer and basketball teams, “Molly, in your opinion, what makes an effective team?” I was honestly just curious what she’d say; it wasn’t like I was doing book research! But I loved her answer: “Everyone taking care of their own stuff, Dad. Everybody working hard at doing their job.”
Perfect. So her outstanding thought went into Outstanding! in the “Work!” chapter.
Can you imagine responding to Incorrect Questions (“IQ” vs. “QBQ” tutorial) with Molly’s simple message? A message that is succinctly stated in the photo above, taken by her thirtysomething sister, Kristin, when in New Orleans to speak on QBQ!
These three words may not seem very “politically correct” to you; maybe they even seem harsh, cold, and callous. But let me paint a picture that might help:
While watching TV, have you ever seen a character—calm, cool, and collected—slap a hysterical character who then responded, “Thanks, I needed that!”
I don’t know about you, but I could benefit from being metaphorically slapped on some days. Here’s how it might go when a blame-oriented, victim thinking based Incorrect Correct (IQ) is asked:
IQ: “When is someone going to give us the vision?”
DO YOUR JOB.
IQ: “Who made that dumb decision?”
DO YOUR JOB.
IQ: “Why aren’t my people motivated?”
DO YOUR JOB.
IQ: “When will others work as hard as I do?”
DO YOUR JOB.
IQ: “Why don’t they communicate better?”
DO YOUR JOB.
IQ: “Who dropped the ball?”
DO YOUR JOB.
IQ: “When are they going to tell us what’s going on?”
DO YOUR JOB.
IQ: “Why don’t I get a raise, promotion, and more benefits???”
DO YOUR JOB.
And the best way for me to do my job?
Practicing PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY by asking The Question Behind the Question or “QBQs” such as these:
“How can I excel in my work today?” and “What can I do to be my very best?”
Now that’s doing my job.
For Comment:
Are there any “IQs” you ask that keep you from doing your job?
What’s your takeaway from this message and how will you apply it?
