QBQ! Personal Accountability QuickNote

"Why isn't anyone accountable anymore?"

McDonald's is blamed for obesity and sued by the overweight and their attorneys.
Youth violence is blamed on video and computer games.
The Democrats blame the Republicans and the conservatives blame the liberals.
The parents of the infamous Illinois PowderPuff girls blame the school.
Hollywood is blamed for our culture of "moral decay."
The guy who jumps out the window several floors above the pool landing on the edge blames MTV's "Jackass." (Smart!)

We look at these examples of blame and wonder where has personal responsibility gone? We miss the "good old days" when people accepted and practiced personal accountability.

But wait!

Before we get too focused on all those other "bad people," consider these questions:

When I was late to work did I blame the morning traffic?
When my daughter's grades fell did I blame the teachers?
When I lost my job did I blame President Bush?
When I returned a call late did I tell the other party, "I've just been so busy!"?
When I was in a bad mood did I blame my family and co-workers for my feelings?
When the sale fell through did I blame our product pricing or the customer?
When I got a poor test grade did I blame the professor?
When my customer didn't get the product on time did I blame the shipping department?
When my portfolio crashed did I blame my broker?
When my son got into trouble did I blame the "crowd he runs with"?
When my drive put the ball into the rough did I blame the wind?
When I rear-ended the car in front of me did I blame its driver for stopping too abruptly?
When my church failed to grow did I blame my pastor?
When I forgot to follow through on a promise did I say, "Life is too hectic!"?
When our team lost Saturday's soccer/baseball/hockey game did I blame the officials?
When I didn't get a raise (or my pay was cut) did I blame management?
When the project didn't get completed on time did I blame the team or "committee"?
When I read this QuickNote and felt a little guilty did I blame the author?

Ouch! Okay, so maybe I'm one of those "bad people" sometimes, too. Blame is a natural response. Everyone slips into it now and then. That's why the QBQ! can make such a difference in my life. It helps me recognize the blame, pause my thoughts, and get back to accountable thinking.

So instead of asking, "Why isn't anyone accountable anymore?" the better question - the QBQ! - is this:

"How can I eliminate blame from my life today?"

This question helps me focus on myself where I can actually make a difference. And what a difference it is! Not only will it make me more effective and productive in all areas of my life, I might just have more fun, too!

And there's nothing wrong with that!

John G. 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.

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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!

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