QBQ! The Question Behind the Question

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller is a personal growth/business book that focuses on an approach to personal accountability.

Formal definition aside, I found this a quick read, which let's face it, in this "Blackberry/Twitter/Email" world, time is a valuable commodity. Miller uses very clear, common language and terms and quickly gets his points across and I personally like his writing style. After reading each chapter, it always felt I could recall where I had been on both sides of the topic he discussed, and had been guilty of doing the very thing while in the "provider" role that I agreed I hated when I had been in the "customer" role.

I have read this book twice now (which is definitely not enough), the first time after hearing Dave Ramsey recommended it on the radio (in 2006, when I was a field rep for my company dealing directly with customers as a core part of my job) and this year when I was trying to kick start my reading for the year (now I'm a engineer that tends to deal with fellow team members and vendors rather than customers). Both times, I ended the books with the thought that the principles still work and apply, regardless of the change of my role, the people I interact with on a regular basis, or the change in job title/pay scale.

This book is my grandfather's common sense approach to customer service written down in a format that I can finish in under an hour on the train or plane so I can get that refresher to focus on the successful way to approach everything in my life.