ZIG ZIGLAR

Chris Byrnes

It was 7am on Tuesday, June 18th and I was fighting the traffic to make it to the “International Centre” near Pearson airport. Little did I realize that over 6,000 other people were doing exactly the same thing, all it seemed taking the same route as I. We were all wanting to hear a 75-year old man share his thoughts on life, success and other things. And this man was certainly qualified; after all he has profoundly affected the lives of millions of people. His clients include thousands of small and mid-sized businesses, Fortune 500 companies, U.S. Government agencies, churches, schools and non-profit associations. Exactly on time at 8:30 Zig Ziglar burst onto the stage and for 80-minutes held his audience spellbound with just a small microphone and very few props. He was one of the most engaging speakers I’ve ever heard, and I thought it worthwhile to share some of his secrets of success with you.

Philosophy: Success is built on hard work, common sense, fairness, commitment and integrity. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Money: Money is not the most important thing in life, but it is reasonably close to oxygen. How do you get more of the things that money will buy, and all the things that money won’t buy? Money will buy a house, but it will not buy a home. It will be a companion but it will not buy me a friend, it will buy me a bed, but not a good night’s sleep. It will buy me a good time, but it won’t buy me peace of mind. You can get all the things that money will buy, without a lick of character. You cannot get any of the things that money won’t buy without character.

Friends: How can you get people to love you? If you go out looking for friends you’ll find they are scarce. But if you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere. You can have everything in life you want, if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want. This is a philosophy, it is not a tactic. It’s not something you do, and then say “well I did something for you, now you can do something for me.” You do it because it’s the right thing to do.

Goals: You have to have dreams and goals. Legal immigrants are four times more likely to become millionaires in Canada than people who are born in Canada. Walt

Disney didn’t see a mouse, he saw millions of laughing kids and built an empire. Those with a balanced goals program on average earn 50% more per year than those without goals. There are seven simple steps to goal setting:

1. Identify the goal.

2. List your personal benefits for achieving the goal.

3. Identify the major obstacles you must overcome to reach this goal.

4. Determine what skills or knowledge is required to reach this goal.

5. Identify the individuals, groups, companies, and organizations you must work with to achieve this goal.

6. Develop a specific goal plan of action to achieve this goal.

7. Decide on a realistic time limit for achievement.

Dreams: All men dream but not equally. T. S Lawrence said it best when he said “Those men who dream by night in the dark recesses of their minds wake in the morning to find it was but vanity. But those men who dream by day, these are dangerous men, for they dream with open eyes, to make their dreams come true.”

Change: 80% of all college graduates, 10-years after they graduate are working in a field unrelated to the field they majored in at college. If you don’t like who you are, only you have the power to make a change. You can go to night school, take correspondence courses, or courses over the internet, and you can attend seminars.

Leadership: The secret is to make everyone on your team believe they are involved in a cause that is much bigger than the individual. Develop a team spirit and get everyone working together toward the same end result. Here are some of the principles for great performance:

1. A sense of humor is vital to good leadership.

2. Common goals, plus a common cause, equals great success.

3. Cooperation must be earned, not demanded.

4. Face up to your strengths, as well as your weaknesses.

5. You have some of every quality necessary for success.

6. All resources are not obvious; great managers find and develop available talent.

Staff Training: There is only one thing worse than training staff and then losing them to a competitor; not training then and keeping them! The difference between a good company and an excellent company is often the quantity and quality of the training.

Employment: Being employable is more important than being employed: You could be employed but lose your job because of things outside your control, such as downsizing or competition. But if have a great resume, solid references and are always looking to improve yourself then people will seek you out. A recent study by a New York placement firm found that 83% of fired executives shared one common trait – not calling attention to their abilities and achievements. The end result was they were not perceived as having any and were terminated.

Managers that are skilled in promoting themselves know this is a delicate art. There is always the risk of promoting too much. Here then are the promotional constants that can be used:

1. Compliment Colleagues: This demonstrates confidence and security in your own abilities by drawing attention to others.

2. Praise Subordinates: Don’t be afraid to tell a subordinate they are doing a good job. After all their success is also your success. Frequent positive reinforcement will make them work harder, and your reputation as a good supervisor will grow.

3. Circulate Memos: When you come across information of interest to your colleagues circulate it in a memo. Your efforts and consideration will be appreciated.

4. Implement Creative Innovations: If you develop a better way of doing something, implement it. Your efforts to improve operations will be recognized and your value increased.

5. Volunteer: Special projects or committees will demand more of your time. But participation in such activities will identify you as someone who cares beyond the paycheck.

6. Speak Up: Sometimes you may be privy to information that others are not aware of when making decisions. If so, speak up. You might complicate matters, but if you are right, you will be thanked later.

7. Know All: Do not be content in knowing what you are expected to know. Find out as much about your company and operations as you possibly can. You can never tell when this additional knowledge will pay off.

8. Observe and Respond: Be aware of what goes on around you. If something happens that calls for a response, act upon it immediately. The longer you wait the less chance you have of exerting control. If you wait too long, in some cases the situation may fester and grow out of proportion.

Three important steps to a healthy self image:

1. Make out your own victory list.

2. Determine to live until you are dead.

3. Focus your attention on those you are responsible to and for.

Integrity: When fear and guilt are removed from your life you are free to be your very best, because you don’t have to be deceitful. You can be open and up front with people. “Men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared, but only men of character are trusted.”

Values: Values determine our behavior, behavior determines reputation, and reputation determines our advantages.

Zig shared the stage with several other impressive speakers that day, and it was a privilege to be in the audience with several of our clients, who all came away with lots of great ideas for improving their radio stations, and helping their staff get to the next level. I’ll leave you with the comment that struck me the most from Zig Ziglar. "I believe that persistent effort, supported by a character-based foundation, will enable you to get more of the things money will buy and all of the things money won't buy."

[ Email this article | Return to ByrnesMedia Main Page ]