The Question Behind the Question

John Miller’s book, ‘QBQ: The Question Behind the Question,’ basis its premise on the observation that our first reactions are often negative, bringing to mind Incorrect Questions (IQs). He claims that if in each moment of decision we can discipline our thoughts to look behind those initial questions and ask better ones (QBQs), the questions themselves will lead us to better results.

Three simple guidelines for creating QBQs are as follows:
Begin with ‘what’ or ‘how’ (not ‘why,’ ‘when,’ or ‘who’).
Contain an ‘I’ (not ‘they,’ ‘them,’ ‘we,’ or ‘you’).
Focus on action.

Put in practical terms, one possible QBQ is ‘What can I do?’

This level of personal responsibility changes everything. Try it. Let me know how it goes.

Reactions... is there a better way?

We humans are creatures of habit. Over time we take the path of least resistance; we learn to simply ‘go’ through the motions. Let’s take that a step further.

Here is the first of a steady dose of ‘pencouragement’ (a word I just made up that means encouragement through writing). I’ll throw out a brief thought/challenge and ask for your feedback/response. Together, at the end of the day, week, month, and year, we’ll be better because of this shared experience.

Charles (Chuck) R. Swindoll claims, ‘Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.’

Pay attention to how you react to things today. Customers, co-workers, managers, even family and friends will get a response from you; it is up to you to determine the type.

To react means to let people and/or circumstances control you. When you catch yourself reacting, stop. Think of another way. My guess is you’ll get a different result.

Try it. See what happens. Email feedback of specific examples.