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QBQ! by John G. Miller is a motivational primer aimed at purging the "blame, complaining, and procrastination" from the workplace. Miller believes that one of the hallmarks of today's business culture is a lack of personal accountability; he prescribes the cure in this series of short stories and personal observations drawn from his years of experience running his organizational development firm. His main point is that positive change begins with individuals changing themselves: "Instead of asking, 'When will others walk their talk?' let's walk our talk first." The result is choppy (39 chapters in 115 pages), and at times Miller's advice boils down to truism and cliché. Nevertheless, managers whose workplaces demand remedial, straightforward advice should find a useful tool here. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change.
Fish! helped raise flagging morale.
Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done.
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability.
The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability.
The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, "Who dropped the ball?" "Why can't they do their work properly?" or "Why do we have to go through all these changes?" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: "How can I improve this situation?" "What can I contribute?" or "How can I make a difference?"
Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change.
Download Description
"Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change. Fish! helped raise flagging morale. Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done. QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability. The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability. The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, ""Who dropped the ball?"" ""Why can't they do their work properly?"" or ""Why do we have to go through all these changes?"" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: ""How can I improve this situation?"" ""What can I contribute?"" or ""How can I make a difference?"" Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change. "
Customer Reviews:
It should be required reading.......2007-09-05
The book is thin and it is a simple read. My 6th grade daughter would understand every concept in the book. While this would all generally make for a low rating, I instead give it the highest rating. Why? Because although it does not present many original ideas, the vast population of American at least, do not follow the QBQ. If it takes a book that can be read in an hour and that can be understood by someone who reads at a 6th grade level for people to start taking responsibility for their actions and thier lives, then I am all for it.
This is not to say that the only people who will benefit from this book are the young and irresponsible. Many of the points, while not rocket science, were new ways to look at old ideas and as the book says "repetition is the motor of learning."
Personal accountability is fine in theory, but more should be said about what to do when others do not.......2007-08-22
Personal accountability is fine in theory, but enormously difficult in practice. This is because it will only work if the overwhelming majority of people practice it. It is a fact of life that it takes only a few people engaging in selfish behavior to slow down the progress of everyone else. If you hold yourself accountable for what is done and those you work with do not, then the group, including those that are unproductive, will collectively get the credit.
I am not saying that you should avoid holding yourself accountable for what you do; just that one must be reasonable about doing it. You must keep your expectations to a manageable level and understand that there might be times when only you will know what you have accomplished.
Personal accountability of course starts with the actions of each and every individual and from that perspective this is a good book. Miller discusses what questions or statements should be said rather than what is actually being said. By using the singular pronoun I in "What can I do better?" rather than "What do I get out of it?" each person can take an enormous step towards success and personal achievement. However, as has already been stated, the actions of others may render your achievements down to a much lesser height than they could have been. Miller largely ignores this segment of reality, which lowers the value as you ramble down your lane of the rat race.
Outstanding!.......2007-08-14
In a word, OUTSTANDING! This book is an inspiration and a guide for me every day. I share it with my students in EVERY class. It is a quick read and full of simple insight.
Buy this book!
Motivational.......2007-07-27
I think every business owner should require their staff to read this book. "what happened to personal accountability", this is the main theme of this book. Amen!!!!! Our generations view things so differently, however I think we can all agree on the information presented in this book. This is another required read for all of my new staff.
Nice quick and concise read for personal accountability.......2007-07-10
I had the pleasure of hearing Mr Miller speak to my organization and felt his message in personal accountability spoke volumes about how to make small changes create a large impact.
Mr Miller speaks eloquently about his topic and is obviously passionate about the role QBQ takes for everyone, be they a leader, parent or any human being. The book is an easy read and the concept is not a stretch to understand, follows similarly to "Who Moved My Cheese" or the One Minute Manager series. This is the type of concept that asks you to think about what is the right thing to do, and more importantly, complete it. The procrastination concept is powerful and impactful, again, very simple, however a concept all need to follow and practice...practice being the root of all habits.
Mr. Miller has one example of a cashier at Home Depot that lowered the rating from 5 to 4 stars; this example is too far fetched and the litigious results that potentially could arise from other customers feeling slighted is too over the top. I understand what Mr. Miller is presenting, and why he purposely ignores the repercussions of such an act, this example only degrades the message he is presenting.
I look very forward to reading "Flipping the Switch" and putting these concepts into action, along with re-reading this series annually to ensure I continue to practice personal accountability.
Book Description
Asking the right kind of question isonly the first step to becoming fullyengaged at work and in life.
In his bestselling book QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, John G. Miller revealed how personal accountability helps to create opportunity, overcome obstacles, and achieve goals by eliminating blame, complaining, and procrastination. The result? Stronger organizations, more dynamic teams, and healthier relationships.
Now Miller takes readers to the next level to show how they can use the power of the QBQ! and personal accountability every day.
When a light switch is flipped the flow of energy that is released reaches the lightbulb in an instant, bringing it to life. Similarly, asking the right kind of question-a QBQ-is the first step to empowering what Miller calls the Advantage Principles-five essential practices that will lead to a richer experience in every aspect of life:
- LEARNING: live an engaged and energized life through positive personal growth and change
- OWNERSHIP: attain goals by becoming a solution-oriented person who solves problems
- CREATIVITY: find new ways to achieve by succeeding "within the box"
- SERVICE: build a legacy by helping others succeed
- TRUST: develop deep and rewarding relationships
With compelling real-life stories and keen insights, Miller demonstrates how anyone can find success and satisfaction by "flipping the switch."
Download Description
Asking the right kind of question isonly the first step to becoming fullyengaged at work and in life. In his bestselling book QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, John G. Miller revealed how personal accountability helps to create opportunity, overcome obstacles, and achieve goals by eliminating blame, complaining, and procrastination. The result? Stronger organizations, more dynamic teams, and healthier relationships. Now Miller takes readers to the next level to show how they can use the power of the QBQ! and personal accountability every day. When a light switch is flipped the flow of energy that is released reaches the lightbulb in an instant, bringing it to life. Similarly, asking the right kind of question-a QBQ-is the first step to empowering what Miller calls the Advantage Principles-five essential practices that will lead to a richer experience in every aspect of life: - LEARNING: live an engaged and energized life through positive personal growth and change - OWNERSHIP: attain goals by becoming a solution-oriented person who solves problems - CREATIVITY: find new ways to achieve by succeeding ""within the box"" - SERVICE: build a legacy by helping others succeed - TRUST: develop deep and rewarding relationships With compelling real-life stories and keen insights, Miller demonstrates how anyone can find success and satisfaction by ""flipping the switch.""
Customer Reviews:
Taking Charge Of My Life.......2007-10-03
For years I'd worked in an environment where complaint was the norm, a way to pass the time, to even connect with colleagues. A teachers meeting would start with griping about our principal and move on to how the parents weren't involved enough or were involved too much. Both complaints were equally possible in the same meeting! It's funny how a shift in perspective could transform a shift in my reality. All I needed to do was "Flip the Switch" and take a look at my actions, pose different types of questions and suddenly my working life was filled with ease and enthusiasm. Instead of asking the question: "Why aren't the parents involved more?" I now ask "How can I communicate better to bring in more parent involvement?" Shifting the responsibility onto me has made all the difference.
John Miller fills each page with enthusiasm and a belief that personal accountability is the key to success. He believes in posing questions that don't blame but resolve; questions that focus on action and the moment....because the moment is all we have.
"Flipping The Switch" was the glorious icing to a rich cake I discovered a while ago when I read the books "How To Create A Magical Relationship" and "Being Here, Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment" by Ariel & Shya Kane. They taught me that I could either complain about the events happening in my life OR I could embrace them. I've chosen the latter for a while now and shared with others how this simple phenomenon is possible for each of us. It's great that I'll be able to share this new book too. I highly recommend all of them!
Great for Harnessing Your Own Strength.......2007-08-16
"Flipping the Switch" is a small but muscular tool. It helped me to get out of a cycle of complaining, pushing me to ask "What Can I do about this situation?" rather than "Why is this situation so annoying?" As a teacher, I have found I can sometimes dwell too much on the faults of the school system, or my colleagues, blaming them for the way things are, rather than truly trying to make a situation better myself. When I catch myself doing that now, I remember the QBQ, or the question behind the question: rather than saying "Why is the bureocracy preventing me from getting things done?" I ask, "What can I accomplish right here, right now?"
I have also been reading "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work," and "How to Create a Magical Relationship," both by Ariel and Shya Kane, and find them to be a wonderful companion to "Flipping the Switch." Their principles of transformation and everyday examples of how one can live with excellence (rather than being dominated by a situation you resist) are brilliant. Both are inspirational reference tools to be pulled out whenever you need it. I highly recommend these books along with "Flipping the Switch."
Flipping the Switch - Nice Refresher on the QBQ.......2007-07-30
John Miller has written another easy to read reference that outlines the simplicity of his topic, personal accountability. Too often everyone gets hung up the blame game or being a victim; John asks his readers to consider the way positive thinking can affect how you attack a challenge or mindset.
The author keeps his lessons easy to read and short, you can read it in 1-2 sittings, and continues to emphasize the same concepts. This is not the depths of the 7 habits or How To Win Friends, but is a very easy read which makes it ideal for a quick lesson. Breaking out of a slump can be hard to do and Mr. Miller provides that lifeline, including writing it simply when procrastination is one of his concepts to overcome!
Wonderful!.......2007-03-26
This book is worth your time and then share it with everyone at work! I am ordering another copy for my manager. This book is an eye opener.
Quick read, life changing, and needed by all!!!.......2006-12-25
This little book on personal accountability is worth a lot MORE than the retail price. Anyone struggling with blame, finger-pointing, and a desire to COMPLAIN needs Flipping the Switch And the author's original book, QBQ! As a sales exec for a large pharmaceutical firm, we have brought these books into our organization, formed book discussion clubs, and have begin to see a true level of change in our culture. From one of recrimination to creativity, trust, service and ACCOUNTABILITY. We have big goals to hit in 2007 without personal responsibility by all, they'll never be achieved. The stories in these books are terrific, the reading is quick, and Mr. Miller's insight into human nature is amazing.
Product Description
This book shows how to make a difference in the lives of customers and communities. It has been used by managers and decision makers in over 40 states and seven countries. Its plain language talk-to-action methods produce results.
Customer Reviews:
Common sense? How radical!.......2007-08-29
Common sense? Lack of jargon? Plain, understandable language? Minimal paper? Humor? How can this be in a text on managing social change?
The writing shows the broad span of Mark's expertise and interests. The structure of the approach reflects linear logic that can only come from a mind trained in math. No mushy thinking here! The style shows some experience with teaching, and the humor shows a person who is comfortable with himself and who has no need to impress. Very useful!
My review.......2007-03-24
This is a short, easy to read book that gets right to the heart of performanace measures in government agencies. A absolute "must read" book for anyone working in the public service.
Got what I needed and then was done..........2007-01-10
Interesting book, hits you over the head with the point. could have been more and less at same time.
A Tool for All Public Sector Organizations.......2006-12-08
"Trying Hard is Not Good Enough" and the Results Accountability framework are proven and effective tools for all federal, state, local and non-profit organizations looking to improve conditions of well being for the clients they serve. Having trained or provided technical assistance in the implemention of Results Accountability to leaders in all sectors, including undergraduate students, I have found that the concepts in the book are easy to grasp by all. The book also shows how to effortlessly get from talk to action on the issues that matter most.
Laugh and learn.......2006-07-26
Finally a book on this topic that is powerful, direct, clear...and funny. Friedman has vast experience in the US and overseas in getting governments to use outcomes and it shows in this book. The advice is extremely well thought-out, effective, and fun to read. This book works if you are just learning about the topic or about to launch a major overhaul. Highly recommended.
Book Description
What is the Power of Personal Accountability Approach?
Pay attention to what really matters to you. Find out where you spend your time and energy. Understand what works and what doesn't and then use the simple strategies described in this book to change what doesn't. Built around Mark Samuel's and Sophie Chiche's Personal Accountability Model, the authors share their structured approach, case studies, and exercises in a highly motivating manner. You will learn how to make choices consistent with your desired outcomes.
Why You'll Want to Read This Book
Because life's too short. This book invites you to look at what is there and what you would like instead. Then go for it.
Who Should Read The Power of Personal Accountability?
You should, if you want to: • Be more successful - at work, at home, even at play • Improve relationships with clients, co-workers, family and friends • Realize your full potential, get more done, fulfill your dreams • Finish ongoing projects, take on new challenges, set and achieve new goals • Look back on your life with satisfaction, with the absolute certainty that you did the best you could
Bottom Line on The Power of Personal Accountability
Being accountable helps you achieve what matters to you. Get things done. What you want to get done. Don't let fear get in your way. Don't be a victim. Don't blame others. Don't be afraid to fail—or succeed. Learn from leading authorities in the human potential movement to be accountable for your own success--- Start now.
Customer Reviews:
Two "Loops": Which to select? .......2006-08-25
I just read this book as well as the more recently published Creating the Accountable Organization and highly recommend both. Now more than ever before, the issue of personal accountability is critically important to all organizations (regardless of size or nature) and will become even more important in years to come.
In this volume, Samuel and Chiche present a number of insights whose foundation is what they call "The Personal Accountability Model." It can guide and inform efforts to live a deliberate life, an accountable life, one in which professional success and personal happiness are interdependent rather than mutually exclusive as is so often the case. Samuel and Chiche come across to me as being clear-headed idealists and warm-hearted pragmatists. They suggest that people usually resist accountability because of three fears: of blame, of failure, and of success. They examine each of these fears and suggest how to overcome them. They also identify and examine various "rewards" to those who are personally accountable. It is important to keep in mind that both those who resist holding themselves accountable are often the same people who (if not resent) resist being held accountable by someone else. Hence the importance of "buying into" the potential rewards. This is an especially important point for supervisors who are required to hold others accountable for their performance. They must understand various fears and respond to them appropriately, especially in terms of body language and tone-of-voice. Also, they must help those entrusted to their care to understand why holding themselves personally accountable really is in their own best interests.
I was especially interested in what Samuel and Chiche have to say about the "Victim Loop" from which so many people seem unwilling and/or unable to escape. Those who select the "Accountability Loop" proceed through a sequence of recognition, ownership, forgiveness (of themselves as well as of others), self-examination, learning, and eventually taking appropriate action. Those who select the "Victim Loop" proceed through a sequence of ignorance, denial, blame (usually of others), rationalization, resistance, and ultimately, they "go into hiding." They must then cope with the consequences of that choice...and many do so by choosing to repeat the same sequence,. They are indeed "victims" but voluntary ones who continue to suffer from self-inflicted wounds, real or imagined.
Readers will appreciate the care with which Samuel and Chiche examine a series of very sensitive, potentially volatile situations in which there is a significant breakdown in communication or a loss of trust or a sense of betrayal. Those who accept personal accountability make every reasonable effort to resolve disagreements and even significant conflicts. They fully meet all of their obligations. Their word really is their "bond." In negotiations (whatever the given issues), they do everything they can to reach a mutually beneficial, "win-win" conclusion. Of course, those who accept personal accountability are often confused and perhaps enraged by those who can't...or won't. Samuel and Chiche's sensitive and sensible advice on this familiar situation (all by itself) is worth far more than the price of their book.
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out the aforementioned Creating the Accountable Organization as well as James O'Toole and Edward E. Lawler III's The New American Workplace, The Workforce Scorecard co-authored by Mark Huselid, Brian Becker, and Richard W. Beatty (Huselid and Becker also co-authored The HR Scorecard, another fine source), Dick Grote's Forced Ranking, Leigh Branham's The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave, and Workforce Crisis co-authored by Ken Dychtwald, Tamara J. Erickson, and Robert Morison.
The Power of Personal Accountability.......2006-03-03
Concise straight forward well organized presentation with general illustrations and examples easy to understand and to apply to real-life situations.
No more victim!.......2005-05-08
This books makes it clear how "accountability" is the antidote for feeling victimized...and more. If you find yourself asking, "Why me?", then read this book to learn how to move from hiding and denying, into owning, forgiving and taking action. "The Power of Personal Accountability" is a way to set yourself free by getting rid of bad habits and thoughts, and then holding a powerful intention to create the life you want. Very straightforward and easy to read, this book is a winner both at home and in the executive suite.
Personal Accountability has shifted my life!!!.......2004-12-25
This book is phenomenal! I have used this book for my own personal process to get unstuck in certain areas of my life, and it is powerful. Getting out of the victim loop and into the accountability loop feels incredible...I feel more alive and excited about my goals and dreams for myself. And, as a coach, I recommend this book for my clients to read and use, a valuable tool to stay on track with their goals. Sophie and Mark created such a simple process, and yet, so complete. This is a must have book!
Powerful Message That Leads to Positive Change.......2004-11-30
A clear and demonstrative guide to recognizing the personal traits that lead to failure and building the actions that lead to success. One of the few business books you will actually want to read more than once. Highly recommended.
Book Description
This easy-to-use doctrinal favorite incorporates many cases decided within the last several years. It emphasizes personal injury torts, including civil rights torts, but also covers non-tort systems of compensation, including social security and workers' compensation. Several chapters deal with current medical malpractice and products liability law. (The malpractice chapter has a new section on nursing home liability.) Shorter chapters cover economic and dignitary torts such as defamation, privacy, fraud and others. In approach, this book attempts to present basic concepts such as duty, negligence, cause, scope of risk, and comparative responsibility by using cases and notes that ask for thoughtful analysis and synthesis, as well as respect for facts and policy. The book also investigates such current issues as tort reform and apportionment of responsibility.
Customer Reviews:
Inefficient, mediocre collection of cases.......2006-11-30
As a first year law student, nobody told me about that some of the books that we are asked to read are not meant to be useful learning aids. I bought this book and did my readings faithfully and diligently for the first couple months of school. Please, do not make the same mistake that I did!
Don't use this book as your primary method to learn torts unless you enjoy wasting time and don't want a life outside of the dreary halls of your law school.
The book is incredibly inefficient. It introduces you to concepts and details of areas of tort law at a snail's pace. You'll spend 3 or 4 hours of reading and briefing cases to pick up what you could have learned in 15 minutes of reading a Casebrief, Gilbert, or Emanuel outline. The explanations between cases is mediocre, posing more questions than answers. And the book does not provide answers to the problems and hypotheticals that it asks.
As a first year law student, the professors will decieve you and tell you that you will learn more if you do all of the readings, brief the cases, and participate in the Socratic Method learning style. Big lie! In reality, volumes of scholarly pieces have been devoted to exposing the myth of the Casebook/Socratic/Langdellian method of education for the inefficient joke that it is. But your professors will ask you to be a good little law student and read your Torts and Compensation, and brief your cases.
If you make the mistake of believing them, like I did, you will find yourself studying over 50 hours a week and will only have a medicore understanding of the material.
Ignore your professors' mad rants, buy an outline book, spend 15 hours a week studying instead of 50, and have a masterful understanding of the material. Part of this strategy I outlined is ignoring this textbook. It's tailor made for the antiquated inefficiencies of the Socratic Method and all of the time wasting that goes along with it.
If your professor assigned this book to you, you probably don't have a choice and MUST buy it. If you value your time, AND want to learn torts successfully, buy a book that is keyed to this textbook and has summaries of all of the cases (in case you get called on). Look at a hornbook or a Gilbert or Emanuel outline to get a framework of Tort law. This textbook is a big waste of time. There are better, faster, more complete ways to learn torts. This book is just a detour, a weapon that first year law professors will use to make your first semester rites-of-passage as difficult as possible.
Worst Torts book ever.......2006-08-12
I used this book during my first year of law school and found it utterly useless. Aside from the terrible editing, the material is not all that well organized and the book is full of little "mini-cases" which present you with random little holdings of tort law. Furthermore, I found the analysis on some of the more important cases to be deficient.
gift?.......2005-09-20
since the item that I purchased was categorised as gift, and my intent to buy it just for my friend's birthday, so I hope Amazon could offer some sort of small gift card that I could put my greetings on it before sending to my firend, thanks
The typos kind of annoy, but the book is informative.......2002-12-31
Like many students in law school I had to read this book for my Torts class. Our professor did an excellent job with a fairly mediocre book by explaining the concepts and cases at length (and thus eliminating the need for me to go and buy supplemental materials). There are sections of the book that you can gloss over (and this is precisely what our professor had us do) unless you really need to know more about tort wars or statutes of limitations etc. This book is something of a necessary evil for learning torts, but as a reference book it doesn't really cut it. If you want a more clear and concise book that you can read or peruse or use as a reference then this is not the book for you. It's strictly a textbook, but one that does the job. It could have been done better and without the typos (surely a computer spellchecker could have been used as this is the 21st century for crying out loud!). I'll be selling my book back this coming semester simply because I don't think there is anything I need from this book that I can't get elsewhere and for the record I actually enjoyed learning about torts. I would thank my excellent professor more than this book though.
Very difficult to understand.......2002-01-07
If you must use this book for class, save yourself a lot of headache and get Emanuel's Outline or flashcards on the subject or Gilbert's Outline. This book is very difficult reading compared to my other other law books. Law professors should really stay away from it.
Average customer rating:
- weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org
- Heavy on the military references but a good book
- Now, more than ever!
- A MUST READ FOR FAMILIES AND PROFESSIONALS
- Awesome-should be required reading for teenagers!
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No Excuse! Incorporating Core Values, Accountability, and Balance into Your Life and Career (Personal Development Series) (Personal Development Series) (Personal Development Series)
Jay Rifenbary ,
Mike Markowski , and
Marjie Markowski
Manufacturer: Possibility Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0938716220 |
Book Description
Jay gives you a treasury of ideas to help you overcome obstacles and achieve excellence. You'll learn how to live the "No Excuse" lifestyle built on a solid foundation of self-responsibility, purpose, and integrity. Then you'll discover the secrets of the THESAURUS Factor-twelve key principles for personal and professional success. This book is jam-packed with anecdotes to clarify key points, while its inspirational messages will touch your soul and lift your spirits. Every chapter wraps-up with an Action Plan for easy reference and application. Jay's knowledge, energy, and sincerity "flow" from the pages and into your mind and heart.
Customer Reviews:
weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org.......2006-10-19
Author Jay Rifenbary is a former West Point cadet, sales professional and corporate manager. As a professional speaker, consultant and president of a training and development center, he has a powerful message for readers of this book. Stop making excuses and begin to accept responsibility for everything you do. No Excuse! is enjoyable to read because of the raw energy and enthusiasm that it imparts. Rifenbary writes well and provides his personal philosophies to help the reader discover their ability to achieve success and fulfillment. His philosophy is a variant of servant leadership principles including the deep desire to serve others, accountability and valuing people more than wealth or power.
No Excuse! begins with one of the most dramatic prologues I have ever read. It not only introduces the book extremely well, but the author returns to his "special experience" in the epilogue also. The underpinning of his philosophy is borrowed from his days at West Point when "No Excuse, Sir" was one of the few answers a plebe was allowed to utter as a response to an upperclassman. Rifenbary exclaims, "We may get down on ourselves and use certain excuses to relinquish responsibility. That's exactly what excuses are used for; to avoid doing something or to "pass-the-buck". I dare you to make a list. Then when you hear yourself or others making an excuse, simply say, "No Excuse!''"
The book is divided into 2 parts comprised of 14 chapters. Part 1 lays the foundation of the author's no excuse philosophy with a discussion of the principles of self-responsibility, purpose and integrity. He considers this an important preparation for what he coins the Staircase-of-Success or THESAURUS factor presented in Part 2 of the book. Rifenbary takes each letter in the word THESAURUS and uses it as a step to teach an important point or principle. A total of 9 steps take the reader up the Staircase-of-Success. For example, the first step is "Totally Forgive" (Chapter 5) and it ponders the liberating influence that complete forgiveness allows when we forgive others and ourselves of faults and transgressions. When someone embraces total forgiveness there is no longer room for complaining or blaming because the person takes charge, and gains greater control over their life. No Excuse! is not simply a book to read, but it employs many tools to stimulate thought and action from the reader. Rifenbary uses many parables or stories to highlight his points. He also provides an Action Plan at the end of most chapters along with some charts and his own personality indicator.
No Excuse! is an enjoyable book to read. It may not break new ground or provide a radical new leadership philosophy, but it is certainly encouraging to read. As a result of Rifenbary's gift of clarity and printed energy, you will believe and know that change is possible in your life. If you are interested in discovering servant leadership principles presented in a dynamic and motivational book, you have no excuse... you will want to read this book.
Heavy on the military references but a good book.......2003-03-21
nevertheless. I found myself unable to relate to a lot of the military examples but the lessons taught are powerful. Good book but I think my husband would enjoy it more then I.
Now, more than ever!.......2001-09-18
Jay's message needs to be heard and read by everyone, NO EXCUSE! I wish he would write another -- there MUST be more he has to say!
A MUST READ FOR FAMILIES AND PROFESSIONALS.......2000-07-26
After seeing Jay Rifenbary at a recent conference in Newport Beach, and crying through the entire speech, I purchased the book. This is the most exceptional man and he will change your life by the words in this book. I no longer will live my life with excuses for every bad moment and blame everyone else for what I alone created. This is a must read for professionals and families. No Excuse! Buy this book!
Awesome-should be required reading for teenagers!.......1999-05-15
This is a book with solid ideas, ideas that have worked for others and will work for you. If your into self-betterment, Read This Book, it is the only one you'll need. I've read it once and I'm reading it again.
Book Description
A practical approach to eliminating Blame, Victim Thinking, and Procrastination from our organizations and our lives. Since the answers are in the questions, this content helps each of us ask The Question Behind the Question - the QBQ.When we do this, we get better answers. By walking the high road - the path to Personal Accountability - we can achieve greater levels of excellence and leadership in our lives, both at work and at home.The ideas presented in this book are pragmatic and readily applied. Enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Splash of cold water in the face!.......2007-09-10
This well-written book can be a smack in the face if you are not ready to face some of your own failures. It smacked me good!
The author has a concise way of writing that makes this fit his audience very well. Most readers are probably "drivers" that want to get to the point. The author does that - his bottom line is - "Shut up and take responsibility for your own actions." He didn't say that, I am paraphrasing.
What I found fascinating was the thinking process this book will send you on. You may think you are contributing mightily to your organization - and you MIGHT be. But it is also your responsibility to raise the caliber of work among everyone around you. Raise your expectations of yourself and everyone else and watch what happens.
The author does a good job of getting you to look inward and then outward. Just a very well done book.
This Book Was a Real Eye Opener.......2003-06-27
This book is worth its weight in gold. I have read many books in the area of self-improvement, and I must say this one is of the top. The author gets very personal and talks openly about his own personal accountability. Even though it was lengthy read, I did not find this book repetitive. The book is written in a style that it sounds like John is talking to you one on one. It's contains very powerful ideas, while at the same time it is extremely practical. I fully endorse this book.
Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated &
Founder of www.CoachingWithResults.com
Powerful stuff!.......2001-05-19
Enjoyed it! Our management team has studied this book a chapter at a time for months now. It provokes great discussion and has helped us learn as individuals what responsibility is REALLY all about. There are many stories that encourage personal application. We have now switched to Miller's new book titled "QBQ! The Question Behind the Question." We're using this one for staff throughout the firm. Same powerful core content on personal accountability but a quicker read at only 115 pages. It's his "Who Moved My Cheese Version?" and is right on target with its message, speed, and impact.
Are you asking the right question?.......2000-08-22
The author assists the reader in identifying key words that may imply that the wrong question is being asked. He then provides learning steps to consider the real issues and questions in accountability. I found the book somewhat ponderous at times but also convicting. This book is suitable for management team book chapter reviews.
It's the stories that make it work!.......2000-04-16
This book is loaded with terrific stories that convey the content of Personal Accountability. Not one story is wasted. It's conversational style is a plus. The author's humor and delightful outlook on life come through, while the material is easy to read and life changing. It also applies to all people, both at work and at home. If you enjoy great sories and real life ideas, buy it.
Product Description
This book presents ground breaking work on concept of personal accountability, the fundamental prerequisite for all personal growth and evolution. You will discover a model with specific steps to break your patterns of blame and victimization, and experience the freedom and joy of personal accountability. You will discover: - How to recognize your victim framing and patterns - Your underlying payoffs and protections for your victim framing and patterns - How to forgive yourself and others, to truly release blame - How to become a generator instead of a drainer - Key questions and activities to reframe your experiences in life to be personally accountable - How to reclaim the experience of choice, power and co creation in your life - How your recurring victim experiences are your greatest clue to discovering and living your life mission
Customer Reviews:
How to move ahead in your life!.......2007-06-13
A great read. The content alone has the capacity to be life altering. When one does the exercizes and activities along the way it provides a great set of tools to help one discover more about who they really are, who they can be, and how to move ahead in life.
Extremely valuable tool for moving your life forward.......2007-06-09
This book is everything it claims to be - you truly gain meaning and mission and personal accountability - do the exercises - read and reread the chapters. You will grow and find your life changed forever. It is one of the few books that is a good read and you can learn and grow from. Thank you Jay for writing it and sharing so many of your personal stories to make it real.
Book Description
There are approximately thirty thousand inmates, including those from out-of-state inmates, incarcerated in different major institutions in the state of Virginia. We read about the crimes these inmates committed, but we seldom hear the other side of their story. Imprisoned, many of them now see the folly of their actions. This book, The Bullpen - Gateway To The State Prison, contains the accounts of many inmates' introduction to a life of crime, their rationalizations, excuses, justifications, thoughts, sorrows, and their dreams. Nobody wants to go to prison, but why are our jails and prisons packed with inmates? Read about the "traps" and occasions of crime that can lead one to the penitentiary. Contemplating about breaking the law and committing a crime? We have one word for you: DON'T! Inmates say there are better alternatives to living a life of crime. Read their stories in this book. Listen to what they say. Their stories may help you do the right thing.
Average customer rating:
- Brilliant survey of what Labour is doing to the NHS
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The New NHS Explained: A Guide to its Funding, Organisation and Accountability
A. Pollock
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0415328411 |
Book Description
The New NHS Explained provides a brief and authoritative overview of the funding, organization, delivery systems and accountability mechanisms of the new NHS and enables the reader to get a rapid grasp of the nature and significance of the new structures.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant survey of what Labour is doing to the NHS.......2007-07-12
Our National Health Service used to plan and fund to meet patient needs, providing free and fair access for all. But things are very different now, as Dr Alison Talbot-Smith, a specialist registrar in respiratory medicine, and Professor Allyson Pollock, head of the Centre for International Public Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh, explain in this excellent book.
They have provided a careful and scholarly survey of the NHS's current workings. It follows Professor Pollock's NHS plc: the privatisation of our health care (Verso, 2004), in which she destroyed the government's rationales for its anti-NHS policy.
They write, "The NHS is being radically transformed. It was originally conceived and built up as a tax-funded, centrally-planned, publicly-owned and accountable service, available everywhere to everyone equally, like schools or police services. The new NHS is to be a market, in which patients choose particular hospitals or clinics and in which doctors and hospitals compete for business, both with each other and with for-profit healthcare corporations."
Until 2000, the government claimed that it would not privatise clinical services but The NHS Plan of 2000 proved this to be a lie. The NHS was to become a holding company, `franchising' health services out to various providers. The government has destroyed the mechanisms for ensuring greater equity of resource allocation and service distribution.
Privatisation means extra costs: setting up new bodies to regulate, monitor, inspect and audit; marketing services to attract patients; billing and invoicing; paying huge fees to unnecessary management consultants and lawyers; and, for the private providers, the overriding imperative of paying dividends. For example, surgery performed in private hospitals costs 40% more than in NHS hospitals, because of higher costs and the need to return a profit to the shareholders.
The government imposed external regulation on the health professions, reducing the roles of the professions' own bodies. New contracts for GPs and consultants give the government more powers over how doctors work. The government's Medical Training Application Service for junior doctors is a disaster. The government has also tried to impose more `flexibility' on all NHS staff's conditions. But the government has succeeded in one area - it has created 70% more managers. Public trust in NHS workers' service ethos is being replaced by litigiousness, fostered by private law and legally binding contracts.
Most of the increased amounts of public money that the government boasts about putting into the NHS go straight through the NHS and out the other side to private companies. The total value of PFI-financed hospital schemes approved by the Labour government is £17 billion. PFI accounts for 98% (by value) of building schemes in the NHS hospital and community health services. Private borrowing is dearer, but the public sector runs the risks. In 2004, Labour lifted the ceiling on health administration costs, which had already doubled, cutting clinical care budgets so that there are fewer beds in PFI hospitals. PFI's spiralling costs and corruptions are obvious to everyone but the scheme's godfather, Gordon Brown.
Many NHS trusts have large financial deficits, causing them to suspend or delay treatment or even close services. Community hospitals are being closed; there are major cuts in mental health services, palliative care, pain relief and speech and occupational therapy services. And now Brown proclaims that he wants to end all district general hospitals!
Labour has forced local authorities to divest themselves of all their social service assets, including long-term care for the elderly, ending equal access to equal quality of care for older people. Much social care and long-term care is now charged for. All these cuts are worsening health inequalities. Patients' entitlements to NHS care are being curtailed. The NHS no longer provides comprehensive care.
`User fees', `top-up fees', `co-payments' and vouchers are undermining the NHS's goals. `Choice' of service provider swiftly becomes `choice' of level of service, a choice determined by ability to pay, not by need.
Labour's `reforms' are not producing a better or more cost-effective NHS. As the authors note, "The outsourcing of ancillary services, like hospital cleaning and catering, has yet to provide evidence that the profit motive leads to better service, or lower costs." In sum, Labour is destroying our National Health Service, one of Britain's greatest achievements.
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- Results Rule!: Build a Culture That Blows the Competition Away
- Risk Management Handbook for Health Care Organizations, 3 Volume Set (American Society for Healthcare Risk Management)
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