QBQ!

Be Bold By Practicing Personal Accountability! (with audio)

That’s me swallowing a live goldfish at Ithaca High School before my 1976 senior class.

That’s also me serving as the commencement speaker before Natasha’s 2017 senior class. “Tash” is the youngest of 7 Miller offspring.

In 1976, I’d heard that “fortune favors the bold”—so down went that fish!

41 years later, I didn’t swallow a fish, but I did tell the 103 graduating high school seniors to be bold. I never used the word “bold,” but did teach the QBQ! book’s message of PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY. If a young person chooses to practice that powerful principle, it would make him or her pretty bold in a society that does not support accountability, responsibility, and taking ownership for one’s life.

Do you agree that a person who practices accountability, responsibility, and ownership in today’s world is bold?

My brief QBQ! commencement talk recording is at the end of this blog. Before you dive into the short audio, though, allow me to share my “speaker prep” with you. When brainstorming ideas to share with these fine young Coloradans, I came up with a list. What do you think of it? …

Relationships: Success Is All About Me Changing Me

On the evening of July 3, 1979, Karen and I sat on the grass at Stewart Park in Ithaca, New York. I had just handed her my softball mitt. When she opened it and spotted the microscopic $395 “diamond” ring, I said, “You’re a great catch!”

It was her turn:

“Nope.”

“Uh-uh.”

“I’m not marrying you.”

Hmm, this was not going according to plan. Denied thrice by my 18-year-old quasi-girlfriend.

I say “quasi” because just weeks before, I’d broken up with her, which hurt her and her mom. I later learned that my kids’ future grandma uttered these words:

Winning and Losing Customers Is … a Choice!

Would you agree that some organizations seem to purposely choose to lose customers? It’s as if they go out of their way to do so.

While other organizations (the excellent ones) choose to win/keep customers by simply following the advice of Maj. Frank Burns of M*A*S*H 1970s fame who said, “It’s nice to be nice to the nice.”

Not a bad customer service philosophy, eh? 🙂

Let’s look at two customer service paths organizations—and people—can choose. These real stories come to us from real people who are real customers. Thanks to Eli and Kelly for their stories!

How To Lose A Customer

Immature vs. Mature Thinking: 3 Common Reactions To This List

When we posted the content below on our QBQ! Facebook page, it generated a huge response, not to mention an intense reaction. So, I decided to send it to you (and post it on QBQ.com) so that you can comment.

Based on the reality that we are what we think about most often—and how we think drives everything we do and become—we created this list of two types of thoughts.

Here we go …

Immature or Child-like Thinking

I deserve!

I’m entitled!

Pay my bills!

Take care of me!

Do not offend me!

Everything is about me!

Mature or Adult-like Thinking

I must earn.

It’s about others.

Challenge my views.

I will buy my own stuff.

Nobody owes me anything.

I’m accountable for my success.

3 Common Reactions

When people read the material above, they quickly go to one of three places:

Interviewing: 3 Ridiculously Obvious Traits to Hire

The content below works for those interviewing and those being interviewed. Enjoy!

If you recruit, interview, and select people, here’s our counsel: Hire CHARACTER over CREDENTIALS.

In the Outstanding! book, we share a client’s response to this philosophy:

“You know, John, we do hire based on perceived skills, background, and education, but come to think of it, we almost always fire on the basis of character, or should I say, the lack of it. We have it backward.”

Yep. Most organizations do.

So let’s explore three ridiculously obvious—but often overlooked—character traits to bring into your organization …

Personal Accountability: Needed Then—and Now

Trust me on this: The old stuff is the good stuff.

QBQ! History

It was 1995 when the cover of this VHS tape was produced. My first “speaker demo video” ever. No laughing, please! Mustaches were in.

That year, I decided to go out and speak on personal accountability. I’d been selling and implementing leadership and sales training for a decade and had conducted more than ten thousand hours of training with clients. This is where I began to notice that people—including me—tend to ask lousy questions beginning with “Why” “When” and “Who” that not only solve no problems but lead us into victim thinking, procrastination, and blame. Bad stuff.

The Original QBQ! Story

Then one Monday morning Jim, a client, phoned and asked to meet. He’d lost his job as vice president of human resources for a telecommunications firm. Over lunch, he shared that while he was on vacation, three of his five-person staff held a meeting with the CEO to complain about how Jim was running the department. When he returned to work that day, the CEO called him in and, with little to no discussion, fired him.

Feeling protective of a guy I liked, I said, “But, Jim, the question is, why didn’t he give you a chance to explain—you know, to defend yourself?” Nodding in solemn and total agreement, he said, “Yes, John, that’s the question.” An hour later …

Outstanding Customer Service: Ace Is The Place Where Rob Works

Our most recent blog below (don’t miss our giveaway!) was titled “13 Reasons NOT To Be In Retail.” Here’s someone who is perfect for retail!

I phoned our local Ace Hardware store before it opened early one morning and heard this bright, cheery, energetic, and clear voice:

“Good morning! Ace of Reunion! This is Rob, how may I help you?”

I understood every word. His tone invited me in. He gave me his name with no mumbling. Wow!

I paused for just a second, taking in Rob’s phone demeanor and how I was now feeling about calling the store. I didn’t comment on his customer service, though. I simply proceeded with “Good morning, Rob!” and my question …

13 Reasons To NOT Work In Retail

The Premise

There are many jobs where a person never interacts with the public, but retail isn’t one of them. Whether serving food and drink at Olive Garden or Starbucks, handling transactions at Wells Fargo, cutting hair at Great Clips, selling blouses at Nordstroms, or purveying patio furniture at Christy Sports—you’re going to interact with buyers. You know …

Those folks who pay our bills.
The lifeblood of our business.
The people who vote with their dollars.
Those who tell (or don’t) friends about us.

The Story

When I called Christy Sports Friday morning, the fella answering spoke so fast, I didn’t get his name. I asked if our deck chair had arrived. When he put me on hold, I was cut off. I called back. Reaching him again, he made no mention of the phone troubles, but informed me the truck hadn’t come and “won’t be here until Monday.”

3 QBQ! Stories: Customer Service Do’s & Don’ts

Help us choose a name/title for our new QBQ! podcast! Vote here.

Please enjoy—and share on—outstanding customer service “Do’s and Don’ts” based on three QBQ! The Question Behind the Question readers’ personal experiences!

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1. Do This: “Caring, Competent, Committed Manager”

Accountability: Knowing the Limits of My Knowledge

Here’s what I know: I don’t know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff. I’m always amused by other speakers’ websites that list 19 topics of expertise. I think, Wow, they are way smarter than I!

As a citizen of the USA, I feel the same way. Candidly, most things that happen in the world are simply beyond my knowledge, so I’m careful to NOT offer an opinion for fear this truth will be revealed:

I suffer from ignorance.

When it comes to organizing/managing a White House staff, taking military action, relating to world leaders of powerful nations, or improving health care and immigration—I know … nothing.

Why? …