Miller, John G. 1958-

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MILLER, John G. 1958-

PERSONAL: Born 1958, in Ithaca, NY; married; wife's name, Karen; children: six girls, one boy. Education: Cornell University, graduated, 1980.

ADDRESSES: Home—Denver, CO. Office—QBQ, Inc, 11368 Nucla St., Commerce City, CO 80022.

CAREER: Counselor, business owner, and writer. QBQ, Inc., Denver, CO, founder. Began business career with Cargill, Inc. Involved in organizational development and speaking industry since 1986.

WRITINGS:

QBQ!: The Question behind the Question (nonfiction), Denver Press (Denver, CO), 2001, published as QBQ!: The Question behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2004.

The QBQ Advantage Principles, G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author of Personal Accountability: Powerful and Practical Ideas for You and Your Organization, 1999.

ADAPTATIONS: QBQ!: The Question behind the Question has been made into a sound recording by Penguin Audio (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Founder of the organizational development firm QBQ, Inc., John G. Miller is also the author of books explaining his firm's philosophy about organizational and individual development, which is based on personal responsibility. In QBQ!: The Question behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life Miller discusses the idea of practicing personal accountability in all aspects of a person's life. Based on the idea that many people look to blame others when something goes wrong or becomes difficult, Miller's approach, as he describes in the book, is to take more personal responsibility for the problem by asking how it can be fixed, rather than concentrating on blame. The author points out that one of the basic ideas behind his approach is to reframe questions about problems, often simply by substituting "I" for "they." For example, a QBQ practitioner might change "When will they fix this problem?" to "When will I make this work?" Throughout the book, the author recounts real-life situations from the boardroom to personal situations in an effort to explore and explain his philosophy. In each story, he points out when the problem was handled in a positive, affirming way, and when it was not. According to the author, those who are willing to handle a problem and take accountability rise above their companions who focus their energies on blaming others, and eventually are rewarded in terms of better career opportunities or a better home life. A Publishers Weekly contributor called it "a quick but deep book." Douglas C. Lord, writing in the Library Journal, noted that "the advice here is admirable."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, September 15, 2004, Douglas C. Lord, review of QBQ!: The Question behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life, p. 73.

Publishers Weekly, August 23, 2004, review of QBQ!, p. 49.