Chapter 2: Making Better Choices

 

Soon after we moved to Denver, we discovered something we'd never seen before: goat heads. Goat heads are wicked little thorns that grow in this part of the country and have what look like the ears, horns and nose of a goat. They fall to the ground with their horns pointing in the air, and if one happens to work its way into your shoe-or your bike tire-it can really ruin your day. In fact, if you live in the West, it will come as no surprise to you that we've changed more bicycle tires since moving here than during all the years combined that we lived in the Upper Midwest. Serious bikers take multiple precautions against goat heads for even the thickest mountain-bike tires.

 

Each day, as we journey into the unexplored wilds of our personal and professional lives, we have countless choices to make. And what are we choosing? Not our next action, but our next thought. Choose the wrong thought and we're off into the emotional goat heads of blame, complaining and procrastination. But the right thoughts lead us to a richer, more fulfilling life and the feelings of pride and accomplishment that come from making productive decisions.

 

The idea that we are accountable for our own choices and are free to make better ones is fundamental to the QBQ. Sometimes people think they have no choice. They'll say things like, "I have to" or "I can't." But we always have a choice. Always. Even deciding not to choose is making a choice. Realizing this and taking responsibility for our choices is a big step toward making great things happen in our lives.

 

Want to avoid the goat heads and make great things happen?

 

Make better choices

 

Chapter 3: Personality Accountability

 

Now let's talk about the tool that brings personal accountability to life: the QBQ.

 

The Question Behind the Question is built on the observation that our first reactions are often negative, bringing to mind Incorrect Questions (IQs). But if in each moment of decision we can instead discipline our thoughts to look behind those initial questions and ask better ones (QBQs), the questions themselves will lead us to better results.

 

One of the guiding principles of the QBQ is, "The answers are in the questions," which speaks to the same truth: If we ask a better question, we get a better answer. So the QBQ is about asking better questions. But how can we tell a good question from a bad one? What does a "better" question look like?

 

This book will help each of us learn to recognize and ask better questions. For starters, here are the three simple guidelines for creating a QBQ.

QBQs:

1.    Begin with "What" or "How" (not "Why," "When" or "Who")

2.    Contain an "I"  (not "they," "them," "we" or "you")

3.    Focus on action

 

"What can I do?" for example, follows the guidelines perfectly. It begins with "What," contains an "I" and focuses on action: "What can I do?" Simple, as I said. But don't let its simplicity fool you. Like a jewel, the QBQ is made up of many facets. In the following chapters, we'll explore these facets and see the powerful effect asking QBQs can have on our lives.