What to Ask

In his book QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, Miller says that replacing a whodunit question with the question behind the question can help anyone create opportunity, overcome obstacles, and achieve goals. In his new book Flipping the Switch, Miller shows how others have found success and satisfaction by flipping the switch and asking the QBQ in schools, at work, and at home.

He offers these three tips for breaking the costly circle of blame in schools and brainstorming our way to better and more effective solutions:

1. Ask the better question:
The essence of QBQ is making better choices in the moment by asking better questions, resisting the common urge to counter frustrations and challenges with blaming questions that solve little, such as, “Who dropped the ball?” Instead, the better question to ask—the question behind the question, which moves one from finger-pointing to problem-solving—is, “What can I do to make a difference today?”

2. The better answer is always in the better question. Here are three simple guidelines for creating effective QBQs:
Begin with what or how (not why, when, or who).
Make sure the question contains an I (not they, them, we, or you). Focus on action!

3. Don’t affix blame. Rather, focus on what you can do to fix the problem. Personal accountability is not about changing others or controlling what you cannot. It’s about making a difference by changing yourself and recognizing the power of one.