Friday, February 20, 2009

Book 7 - "Flipping the Switch"

Have you ever felt like the naysaying and whining you hear from friends, family, and coworkers was bringing you down? Or even the negative talk you hear in your own head?! You know, that voice that says "why me?" and "what's wrong with people?" and "when are they gonna do something about this?"

lol - we all have these thoughts, so don't feel bad.

What if you could learn a small, simple change in the way you think that could transform your world, from one that sees limits to one that embraces every opportunity that comes your way...

The QBQ by John Miller taught me how it worked. and it's pretty simple, actually!

It's the questions we ask ourselves! Look back at those questions above like "Why me?" now think about how that question makes you feel - yup, powerless. It doesn't get you anywhere. But what if we "flipped" it? What if we trained ourselves to ask better questions? Miller gives examples in this book that show how that's exactly what successful and happier people do - they learn to flip negatives into positive, and from that create empowering opportunities. Ok, sounds flaky and hokey, I know; but man, it works!

So how does 'it' work? Miller shares 5 key things we can do to unleash the power of this simple change in thinking.

  1. Learning - developing a learning mentality gives us an edge above those that would rather transfer blame to others for their situation. It's a step toward taking ownership, by flipping questions like "who's going to train me?" into "what can I do to develop the skills I need to succeed?"
  2. Ownership - Flipping "when are they gonna fix things around here?" to "what can I do to help improve things and contribute to the solution?" This approach turns blaming into taking personal ownership of how you can impact things.
  3. Creativity - questions like "when will we get the tools, money, support to do our jobs?" can be flipped to "what can I do now, with the tools I have to reach my goals?" Many of us hide behind perceived outside limits, when in truth there is always something we can do from where we are. We just need to be creative!
  4. Service - Changing "what is wrong with these customers?" to "what can I do to make the customer experience better?" When you think about it "Organizations don't serve, people do" - all the customer sees is their interaction with you, and it's that point of contact that matters most. You know that; you're a customer every day...you know what it feels like to be treated poorly or like a number? Imagine how your service and life would change if you instead asked, "how can I make this customer feel special?"
  5. Trust - building trust in all your relationships is crucial. Trust builders include
    1. Being Truthful - keeping your word, and walking your talk
    2. Being Upfront - talk directly to people you have issues with. Don't talk to others about the person, be direct.
    3. Coaching - from a leaders perspective, stop asking "what's wrong with my staff, why don't they do what I ask?" to "how can I develop my people and be a better coach to them?"
    4. Transferring authority - delegate and empower so your employees or even children know that you believe in their ability to make decisions
    5. Supporting their dreams - trust breaks down when you try to impress your dreams on others. It's better to let them follow their dreams and support them - especially those that build on their strengths
    6. Showing you care - putting others needs before your own shows you have their best interests in mind
Ok, I'm getting way to deep into this. lol. But the gist is that this book was very powerful. Not as much as the first book, "the QBQ" but certainly worth an afternoon to learn the simple truth that asking the right questions of yourself and others can make all the difference in the world and take you from feeling like a victim of circumstance to being the creator of your own better and brighter future.

Next I read "No BS Wealth Attraction for Entrepreneurs" - i know, sounds gimmicky and it was somewhat. But I had it out from the library and had to return it in a few days, haha, so took the time to read it. But I learned some amazing lessons from it, some real nuggets of wisdom, so tune in!

Pablo

1 comment:

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