Successfully Overcoming Adversity: The Zig Ziglar story
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