People do not come to work to fail.

How do you feel about that statement? Agree? Challenged by it? Wondering what it means?

In our work at QBQ, Inc., we find that the most effective people managers live by this belief. Holding this close to one's heart enhances our view of the people we manage and thus enables us to be more effective managers. Essentially, it means the QBQ! (The Question Behind the Question) Manager believes this: People that join this team want to succeed, so I will do everything in my power to help them do that! It's a new way of thinking for some. Most managers get promoted because they are technically proficient in some area. The best salesperson becomes sales manager. The sharpest engineer is given the title of Team Leader. The line worker who knows his stuff and possesses leadership traits one day is dubbed "the Boss." But then, the frustration sets in. Why? Because often the newly promoted manager was technically the best at the job and if he or she isn't careful, the lousy questions come easily ...

• "Why aren't others motivated?" (Translation: "Why aren't they more like me?!")
  
• "When will they get it right?"
  
• "Why can't HR find us better people?"
  
• "Why doesn't the younger generation want to work?" (Said differently, "Why do they want to wear flip-flops to work?!")
  
• "When will they do the job like I did it?"
  
• "Who hired these people anyway?!" (Of course, the truthful answer might be, "Oh, I did!")

These questions only take us to blame, victim thinking, and even procrastination — The Friend of Failure. You see, when we ask them we are failing to engage in the right activities — those designed to build a team that spins like a top. A team so productive and independent that if we get hit by a bus today at lunch they wouldn't miss us for three days! And what are those right activities? Defining people's jobs. Training. Sharing knowledge. Asking questions. Listening. Getting to know each person one on one. Observing. Encouraging. Confronting. Coaching.

Coaching. Now there's a hot term nowadays. Everyone wants to be a coach, but it's awfully hard to coach if we're thinking, Why can't I get a better team? That negative thought prevents our success — and theirs. And their success is our success. I can only be a good coach if I practice personal accountability by asking The Question Behind the Question — QBQs such as:

• "What can I do to improve my coaching skills?"
  
• "How can I really know each of my staff?"
  
• "What can I do to understand people younger than me?"
  
• "How can I ensure that I am the best manager I can be?"
  
• "What can I do to own the results of the team?"

Yes, managers own the results of others. That's the job, whether we like it not. And when we bring this level of accountability and ownership to management and combine it with the belief that people do come to work to win, together we can do great things. And why wouldn't we want to do that? As we say in the QBQ! book: We're all on the same team!

So, managers, know they have come to succeed and expect them to do so. Make management the worthwhile, meaningful career it can be. Just be careful crossing the street at lunch, because sooner or later your team would probably miss you.

Then again, if you've done your job — maybe not.

--------------------
John G. Miller
Author of QBQ! and Flipping the Switch
www.QBQ.com
John@QBQ.com