QBQ! QuickNote - Changing an Attitude  |
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 This Week's QBQ! QuickNote...Our QBQ! QuickNote story comes from Carla in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Enjoy! John, I recently spent a couple days in our local hospital and I took the new book Flipping the Switch with me. The first afternoon a nurse named Rhonda, who came in to take my vital signs, asked what I was reading. Well, since I am such a strong believer in this message that was the wrong thing to ask me! I told her all about QBQ! and how I was now taking the next step in my journey of personal accountability. Rhonda's immediate reaction was, "Boy, do I ever wish my supervisor would read those books!" I almost burst out laughing knowing this is such a common response. I'm guilty too! Read on ..... I asked her why her supervisor should read them. Wow, did she ever launch into a tirade! She went on about how she'd worked at the hospital for 23 years, had more experience than anyone else on the floor, was always early to work, made sure her job was completed before she left for the day regardless of how late she had to stay, provided superior patient care, and yet was repeatedly turned down for a promotion. It seems Rhonda had applied for her supervisor's position but the hospital gave it to someone who was "10 years younger with a lot less experience"! At best, she was angry, at worst, bitter. So my next question blew her mind. I said, "Have you ever thought about changing your attitude toward her?" Uh oh. I knew she was offended when fire blazed in her eyes, steam rose from her forehead, and she uttered a disgruntled "Humph!" - all combined with a dramatic and disgusted roll of the eyes. Continuing on, I asked her to just try since she really had nothing to lose. Rhonda’s barely-under-the-breath retort was, "Yeah, nothing except my self respect!" But, she said she would try.  The next morning Rhonda was, well, different. Bounding into my room smiling, she said she had asked her boss one question-and I could tell it'd come straight from our QBQ! discussion: "What can I do to help make your job easier and improve the quality of health care on this floor?" Rhonda said the expression on her supervisor's face changed in an instant. At first there was a bit of "Okay, what gives?" suspicion, but she quickly realized the question was a sincere one. Rhonda and her boss met for an hour exploring several ideas and options. She said her boss really had some good proposals, even if she was ten years younger. Once they got talking-really talking-Rhonda realized her supervisor had been feeling very insecure about being put in the position of "boss," and wasn't sure how to gain the respect of an older staff. She'd been plagued by doubts. It was then Rhonda knew that by removing the mighty chip of hurt from her own shoulder she could really help others. She could be a team player-and a contributor. I could see that Rhonda had flipped the switch. Rhonda is hopeful that the rest of the staff will get on board with the message of personal accountability. She is very optimistic about the future of the "3rd floor team." But she knows, in the end, she can really only change herself and that's okay. John, it gave me a great feeling to have been a small part of all this. Do people truly realize how powerful personal accountability is? I keep discovering this over and over in my life. And I will keep sharing it with anyone who will listen. -Carla Alabama -------------------------------------------------------------------  Carla's right, there is great power in personal accountability. And for Rhonda, it all began with a question, The Question Behind the Question (QBQ). If anyone reading this QuickNote has a relationship that is testy, tenuous, and tense at best-one that could benefit from an attitude change on your part-go to that person today and ask a QBQ. Who knows, great things might happen.John Miller - Author of QBQ! and Flipping The Switch QBQ! QuickNotes may be forwarded by email to others or printed in their entirety with credit given for personal and group use. Copyright QBQ, Inc. 2007. All rights reserved. Host a QBQ! event at your organization and start making personal accountability a core cultural value. Click here for more information or give us a call today at 1-866-988-RAIN - we'd love to hear from you! Learn more about Personal Accountability and the QBQ! at our Personal Accountability at Work website Visit the QBQ! QuickNotes Archives Personal Accountability should be an important part of every organizational culture. Unfortunately though a culture of personal accountability is often times eroded and replaced by a destructive culture characterized by negativity, blame shifting, finger pointing, and poor employee morale. QBQ! The Question Behind The Question seeks to eliminate this noxious culture and replace it with one where individuals take responsibility for their actions and ask themselves what they as individuals can do to help the organization succeed and prosper. For more information about how you can create a culture of personal accountability in your organization give us a shout! 1-866-988-RAIN   |
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