QBQ!

5 Questions Only People With Careers Can Answer YES!

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A tall, white-haired fella stopped, smiled, and pointed at the center seat to my left. As I looked up at him—way up—I decided Tall Man was my inverse. I’m 5’ 6” and he had to be 6’ 5”.

Someone else may have offered this gent the roomier seat. However, with a 4-hour flight on the horizon, I decided to maintain ownership of my exit-row, aisle spot. Selfish me.

Tall Man signaled me to stay put and then stepped over me with ease. Moments later, the “Why were you in NYC?” conversation began …

Kristi of L.L. Bean Saves the Day!

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***Excerpted from the QBQ! companion book: Flipping the Switch

My friend, Michael DeVito, had a problem. For months, he and some friends had been planning a weekend hiking trip to the Adirondacks. The Wednesday evening before they were to go, Michael was in Chicago on business when he suddenly realized he had forgotten one very important detail: boots. The Adirondacks in March promised to be cold and wet. Michael had meant to order some new hiking boots but hadn’t gotten to it, so here he was, two days before the trip, with no boots. And he was out of town.

Then my wife said, “You should travel more!”

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Longhorn Steakhouse Event, Red Rock Resort, Las Vegas

Old old joke:

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

“Practice!”

A similar question:

“How do you get to Las Vegas to be the closing speaker for a Longhorn Steakhouse (a Darden company) event for 540 managers?”

The answer comes with a backstory:

17 Things a Good Friend Does Not Do

A light and fun QBQ! blog with a practical message. Enjoy the metaphor!

Hopkins is the third oldest member of the Miller clan, predating even Kristin, my QBQ! speaker colleague.

Hopkins has lived with us in Mankato, MN; Great Falls, MT; St. Louis, MO; Brooklyn Center, MN; Plymouth, MN; and Denver, CO—since …

Personal Accountability: 9 Questions To Ask As Seasons Change

In June of 1991, at age 33, I made a sales call on Munsingwear, a Minneapolis-based clothier. During our discussion of his team’s training needs, the fifty-something executive made a comment I’ve since quoted often:

Is Personal Accountability On YOUR Radar?

I lunched with David, a representative of an outstanding organization. He is one of thousands of field reps with the title of “coach” and he’s quite high up—in the field.

He had read the QBQ! book and told me its message of PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY is perfect for their world.

This fast-growth and dynamic company sells products like Shakeology meal-replacement drink and Insanity, P90X, and TurboJam workout DVDs.

Excellent stuff!

Coaches such as David help customers lead healthier lives through those products, as well as Facebook exercise “challenge groups” and personal consultation. They also support their “downline” recruits in achieving financial freedom.

In our time together, David said, “We need to get some QBQ! books to the execs at the headquarters!”

So I shipped ‘em out.

Meanwhile, I talked with three other field coaches. Their comments:

15 Things You Don’t Need College To Learn

I make one statement in my “How to Be An Outstanding Organization!” speaking engagements that generates spontaneous applause—and it’s this:

“Outstanding organizations hire and promote character over credentials and college degrees.”

I suspect those who clap have been passed over for a pay increase and bigger title—or didn’t get hired somewhere—because they skipped college or didn’t attend the “right” school. Sadly, they’ve felt the pain of watching someone else win the opportunity they sought. Also sadly, the employer possibly missed out on the person of character desperately needed.

You know, the person who does crazy, unusual, and abnormal stuff like this:

What We Have Here Is a Failure to Practice PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Amanda – Tony’s bride – thumbing for a ride!

Tony, a QBQ! training distributor for ten years, just retired. We were proud to have him on our team for many reasons. One of those reasons is … he gets it.

Enjoy his “lousy customer service” story!

John, on my son, Tony’s, big day, the wedding party of 11 was picked up in a stretch limo for the hour ride to the ceremony location. Right away we noticed the vehicle’s air conditioning wasn’t working well and within minutes the driver pulled over to the shoulder of the busy 4-lane highway because …

If We Can’t Earn Your Business, Hire Mark Sanborn

I’m a supply and demand, “free market,” capitalistic sort of guy.

I know, I know—for some people, words like “capitalism” drip of stratospheric CEO pay and “Wall Street greed” images.

I get that.

However, I don’t quite get this:

Formula for Powerful Personal Growth: 2 – 1 = 3

Pruning: “to remove unneeded branches or limbs; to trim; to clear the undesirable”

It might be the most common metaphor of all time, but it works. In the collage above:

Image One: Our upside down Mulberry tree, appearing dead.

Image Two: Two days after intense pruning.

Image Three: One month later, we have the healthiest Mulberry tree evah!

Pruning trees works. It also works for people—if we let it.

So often, though, the “undesirable” in us doesn’t get trimmed away because when someone tells us, “You really need to change!” we respond with …