Discover 3 Motivational Game-Changers for Business Leaders from Legendary Motivational Speaker and Sales Pro Zig Ziglar
By John Boggs
As a business leader, you will face times when you need an extra burst of motivation – something that will light your fire and make you feel unstoppable.
One of my go-to sources of high-dose inspiration is See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar, which is book #10 on my list of the Top 10 Most Influential Leadership Books.
My First Introduction to Zig Ziglar
See You at the Top is one of the first leadership books I ever read.
I was 24 years old and was working in my first sales job, at a hotel company in Mexico. I loved this company and truly admired my manager. He had created amazing results in life, and he credited his business and personal success to this book.
Have you ever felt on fire after reading a book … where you say to yourself, “This is it! If I just do this, things are going to get really good for me”? That’s exactly how I felt after reading this one.
In particular, 3 pieces of his wisdom stand out to me — still, to this day!
Help Others Get What They Want
One of my favorite quotes from the book is this: “You can get everything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.”
This is probably one of Zig’s best-known quotes — and for good reason. It’s brilliant advice.
By adopting this attitude, you shift your focus from getting to giving. (Sound familiar? We discussed this concept when I shared insights from Bob Burg and John David Mann’s The Go-Giver.)
Giving has a very different energy than getting – and people can sense it. This puts them in a mindset of reciprocity, seeking ways to help you in return.
In addition, by finding ways to help others get what they want, you’ll start seeing opportunities to serve and deliver solutions. As people seek out your solutions to their problems, your business will naturally grow … allowing you to achieve your goals, as well.
Take More Shots
As Zig so eloquently says in the book, the only difference between a “little shot” and a “big shot” is the number of shots you take. If you want to rise to ever-higher levels of success and accomplishment, you need to take more shots.
Consider basketball legend Michael Jordan, who holds the NBA records for career regular season scoring average and career playoff scoring average. He also claims another, unrecognized record: Missing the most game-winning shots than any other player in NBA history. Jordan likes to say that he’s failed more than anyone else has failed. But the truth is that he’s also won more than anyone else has won precisely because he was willing to take — and possibly miss — the shots.
Step up your game, and take the shots that present themselves to you. Sure, you’ll miss some. But the more shots you take, the more chances you give yourself to win.
Change Your Perception
The final bit of Zig’s wisdom that I’d like to share is that what you get out of life is completely based on the way that you see life. Perception is everything.
When you look at the world around you, what do you see? Do you see a world full of opportunities to succeed … or a world full of obstacles to overcome? Do you see the world as a generous, abundant place with plenty for all … or a place with limited resources for which you need to compete?
Most often, what people would categorize as difficulties or excuses for why they can’t succeed are simply just challenges in disguise. You can overcome challenges – if you choose to do so.
How you perceive the world affects how you think and feel about your circumstances. It affects the actions you take. Ultimately, it affects the results you create and what you get out of life.
In 2020, we saw plenty of examples of how perception impacted results. So many businesses were impacted dramatically by the pandemic — restaurants, for example. Within a matter of days, they saw their business dry up, and in many instances, were prohibited from doing business as usual.
Some business owners focused only on the problem. Others spotted an opportunity to serve their customers differently. They rose to the occasion and overhauled their business operations. Many may still be struggling. But they’ve survived — all because they changed their perception.
What problems and roadblocks are you facing in your business, career or life that could benefit from being reframed as a challenge to overcome — or even an opportunity?
Create Momentum
Help others get what they want. Take more shots. And shift your perception about the challenges you face.
These 3 tips from the infamous Zig Ziglar have changed my life. And I’m confident they’ll change yours if you follow them.
Make a commitment to put one of these tips into practice this week or even today. I’d love to hear which tip speaks to you the most – please share your thoughts below.
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