Adversity and Leadership: Profile of "Zig"
Ziglar,
Noted Motivational Speaker and Chairman, Ziglar Training Systems
By Howard Edward Haller, Ph. D.
This groundbreaking leadership research by has
received extensive endorsements and enthusiastic reviews from well-known
prominent business, political, and academic leaders who either participated in
the study or reviewed the research findings. You will discover the proven
success habits and secrets of people who, in spite of difficult or life
threatening challenges shaped their own destiny to become successful, effective
leaders. The full results of this research will be presented in the upcoming
book by Dr. Howard Edward Haller titled "Leadership: View from the Shoulders of
Giants."
The nine initial prominent successful leaders who overcame
adversity that were interviewed included: Dr. Tony Bonanzino, U.S. Senator
Orrin Hatch, Monzer Hourani, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Dr. John Malone, Larry
Pino, U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow, Dr. Blenda Wilson, and Zig Ziglar.
The data from the above nine research participants was materially augmented
by seven other successful leaders who overcame adversity including: Jack
Canfield, William Draper III, Mark Victor Hansen, J. Terrence Lanni, Angelo
Mozilo, Dr. Nido Qubein, and Dr. John Sperling.
Additionally, five
internationally known and respected leadership scholars offered their reviews
of the leadership research findings including: Dr. Ken Blanchard, Jim Kouzes,
Dr. John Kotter, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley.
This is a short
biography of one of the principal participants who generously contributed their
time and insight for this important research into the phenomenon of how
prominent successful leaders overcome adversity and obstacles. This Zig
Ziglar's story:
Zig Ziglar was born in 1926, in what he termed "very modest
circumstances" to a family that was "financially challenged in many ways." He
was "the tenth of twelve children born to a family living in rural
Mississippi." He lost his father at the age of five. Zig worked from an early
age to support his family. He shared that he "had what was known as an
inferiority complex." Until "Judge" Ziglar's untimely death, he worked hard in
a very depressed economy to provide for his large family. Zig said his Papa
"was a thoughtful man possessed of great confidence. Everyone respected his
intelligence, fairness, and judgment." Two days after his father's funeral,
Zig's 14-month-old baby sister also died. Zig's mother decided to move the
family to the "big city" of Yazoo City on the Mississippi River delta. His
mother was well-versed in the Bible and regularly quoted from it. "My mother
was famous for her 'one minute sermons.'"
Zig worked his way through
school, beginning with elementary school and continuing through his college
years. In 1943, Zig joined the Naval Air Corps. Zig said, "I never would have
had a chance to get into college were it not for the V5 Program." He continued,
"Despite being a poor student, I did well enough on my [Navy] Air Corps
entrance exams to be accepted into the Navy's pre-flight training program." He
entered Millsap College in July of 1944, as part of the Navy's V5 program for
Navy pilots. It was while he was attending Millsap that he met and started
dating Jean Abernathy.
Zig was transferred to the University of South
Carolina by the Navy. When World War II ended Zig continued to attend the
University of South Carolina, selling sandwiches to other students to pay his
expenses, and continued to court Jean Abernathy by mail. Zig and Jean were
married on Thanksgiving Day in 1946.
The summer after they were married, Zig's sandwich
business died off. The couple began to struggle financially. Zig got a job
selling expensive cookware through dinner parties, but he still had his
"inferiority complex." That was the case until an important talk and words of
encouragement from a respected mentor became the pivotal event that changed
Zig's entire life. Ziglar proved his mentor right, moving from failure to
success. But Zig also faced many obstacles as a field manager, obstacles that
were to test him in the extreme.
After his sales and sales management experiences,
Ziglar made a career change, focusing his attention on becoming an accomplished
public speaker. He had not been attending church regularly, but he returned to
it, becoming a devoted Christian.
He described the importance of his
embracing Christianity:
"My greatest help came in the form of my faith when
I became a Christian on July 4, 1972. As I came to realize how much God loved
me, as a result I loved myself more and respected myself more."
Zig added, "again, there was a factor in my life
that made a major difference." Cavett Roberts, founder of the National Speakers
Association (NSA), who was one of Zig's many mentors, persuaded Zig to put his
message in writing. He did so. In fact, Zig has now authored twenty-three books
on leadership, personal growth, sales, faith, family, and success.
I have known Zig Ziglar for many years and attended
several of his training sessions. One of Zig's trademark lines sums up his
attitude perfectly: "You can have everything in life you want if you will just
help enough other people get what they want."
For as Paul Harvey is fond of saying "and now for
the rest of the story" read Zig's wonderful and uplifting book "Zig: The
Autobiography of Zig Ziglar" (2002).
Copyright 2006 ©
Howard Edward Haller,
Ph.D.
Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.
Chief Enlightenment
Officer
The Leadership Success Institute
www.TheLeaderInstitute.com
