QBQ!

Time Management: 6 Reasons To Have Deadlines

When I was 15, my sister, Lucy, older and wiser by seven years, said something that didn’t make sense to my teen brain:

“If you want something done, give it to a busy person.”

More than forty years later, I recall how that statement confused me—but I get it now.

People with a lot to do already have momentum, vigor, and the systems and tools in place for efficient living. They’re the best candidates for handling a task, solving a problem, or assisting a person, team, or organization in achieving a new goal.

And, busy people also have …

Got Anger? How Anger Prevents Accountability

I’ve noticed something about people who day in and day out practice PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY:

They’re in control.

They don’t fly off the handle or overreact. They don’t allow anger to take root, shaping their behaviors.

Being human, though, we can have anger that prevents us from being accountable. Here are three anecdotes:

Parenting the QBQ Way: The Financial Piece

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money

Note: John shares about this blog on Periscope/YouTube here:

When Miller Child #5, Charlene, landed her first job ever (at Target), she went online to view her first paycheck:

$146.09.

If I recall correctly, she shrieked, “I’m rich!”

Well, no, but if you manage your money well, you may be someday—especially if you avoid asking Incorrect Questions or “IQs” (visit here for a quick tutorial) such as these:

Not Just My Dad’s QBQ! Anymore

For as long as I remember, my dad (John G. Miller) has been the creator and main purveyor of this thing called “QBQ!”

Twenty years now—since 1995, when I was only 12!

When people ask what it was like to grow up in “The QBQ! Home,” I tell them I’m not sure I can even answer the question. It was …

It’s a NO EXCUSES Moment For Management

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The subject line in the email from Mandy’s manager said “Whereabouts?” and abruptly began with, “Where are you?”

Mandy, a 25-year-old shared employee, works for two organizations. The two entities—each with less than 50 staff—have financial connections and mutual marketplace interests. They collaborated in Mandy’s hiring and split her salary.

She began her employment two months ago—and now’s there’s a problem …

Only People With Careers Can Answer YES! to these 5 Questions

Only People with Careers Can Answer YES! to these 5 Questions

QBQ, career, ownership, career path, love your work

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: