Top Performance

by Zig Ziglar

  Posture means body language. Does your body language say that you are confident and in control, that you really care about the person you are communicating with, and that you are comfortable—or does it communicate just the opposite?

  Gestures are the specifics of body language as it relates to arm and hand movement. You have heard people say they couldn’t communicate if they couldn’t use their hands, and that is at least partially true. Natural arm and hand movement allows the communicator to express himself or herself much more clearly.

  Eye contact is to the eyes what the handshake is to the hands. When we “clasp” eyes with someone, we either send positive signals of confidence, courage, interest, and concern or negative signals of boredom, irritation, disgust, antagonism, or even anger.

  Facial expressions include the smile and frown. Your face is one of your greatest assets for effective communication. With controlled facial expressions, you set the tone for conversations and let people know what’s coming. You also show what you mean and make your thoughts easier to follow.

  Voice includes not only the pitch of your voice but also volume, inflection, and pace. When you vary the volume level, place emphasis on certain words and phrases, and speak at a varying pace, you become more effective and are far more likely to be understood.

  Padding is the nonworking words that we so, uh, often, um, insert, ah, into, you know, our—well, like, our, uh, um, ah, spoken conversation. Just for fun, record a telephone conversation (your side of the call only) and count the number of nonworking words. You may be surprised.

  Involvement means active listening, both on your part and on the part of those who might listen to you. Using a person’s name, asking questions and listening to the answers, and speaking in terms of others’ interests are examples of how we involve others in communication.

  Handling of questions is especially important in business conversations. All too often we do not listen to the question or do not answer the same question that is asked. If integrity and trust are important in business (and they are), then the way you handle questions can increase your “trust level” with those with whom you work.

  Humor can be used to relax your audience (of one or ten thousand) and make friends with them. It can also be used as a bridge when you are shifting into other, perhaps more serious, subject matter, and as a way of giving your audience a mental break. It can be especially effective in lengthy presentations to bring a tired or drifting audience back to the session. Careful—don’t overdo it. Too many would-be communicators sacrifice message for humor. Incidentally, the rule for sharing questionable humor of an off-color nature is this: If you have to ask the question, “Should I share this?” you already have the answer: No! (I’ve never known a speaker to get a speaking engagement, an employee to get a promotion, a salesperson to make a sale, or a politician to win votes because he or she used profane language or told off-color stories. However, I do know of countless instances when extremely negative reactions were the result of profane language, tasteless stories, or sexist and/or racist comments.)

  Introducing others may not seem very important to you, but someone very wise said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” In introductions, you have the opportunity not only to make an excellent first impression but also to make others feel important through sincere recognition of their strengths.

  Visual aids are not only used in board meetings but may also be used in one-on-one conversations. Any time you can impact more than one of your listener’s senses, you are ahead in the communication game.

  By just being aware of these vital skill areas, you will move ahead in communication skills … and if you spend time working and studying in these areas, you can substantially increase your communication skills.

  Differences between Oral and Written Language

  Even though you may be an excellent writer, you will not be an excellent oral communicator if you use the same approach in speaking as you do for the written word.

  Spoken language must be easily and instantly understandable to the listener. If the listener misunderstands, he cannot go back and reread.

  Spoken language should be more repetitive. It is important to rephrase several times key ideas you want the listeners to take away with them.

  Spoken language should be simpler in structure than written language.

  Figurative language adds life and color to spoken words. Colorful, descriptive words can turn an otherwise colorless phrase into a memorable one. Lincoln described a nation “conceived in liberty.” Kennedy spoke of freedom as a “torch passed to a new generation.” CBS wordsmith Charles Osgood said, “Compared to the spoken word a picture is a pitiful thing indeed.”

  PERFORMANCE PRINCIPLES

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  Miscommunication, poor communication, or no communication will create problems.

  Get involved in communication training that teaches both sides of the communication process—speaking and listening.

  Recognizing, Rewarding, and Role Modeling for Top Performance

  The greatest humiliation in life is to work hard on something from which you expect great appreciation, and then fail to get it.

  Edgar Watson Howe

  Bringing out the best in people means appreciating what they do, rewarding them for it, and giving them the role models they need to become Top Performers. In this chapter we’ll take a look at these three important aspects of successful management.

  Recognition

  Several years ago I was scheduled to speak at a banquet in Dallas for an insurance company. During the meal I was seated at the head table between two company vice presidents. We were chatting amiably as the meal was being served. When our waitress placed a salad in front of me, I said, “Thank you.” A few minutes later when the bread was placed in front of us, I again said, “Thank you.” When she brought the entrée, I not only said, “Thank you,” but added, “You know, I want to tell you how much I appreciate the good service you’re giving us. It’s amazing how you work so efficiently and yet don’t seem to be in any kind of hurry. More important, you’re so pleasant and gracious, and I just want you to know I appreciate your efforts.” She beamed broadly, thanked me for my comments, and said I had made her day.

  While all of this was going on, the two vice presidents on either side of me were ignoring her or acknowledging her service with a grunt. They directed all of their comments and attention to me and our conversation. Dessert time was quite an eye-opener. When the scoop of ice cream with chocolate syrup was delivered, the two vice presidents received a scoop about the size of a golf ball. I received one about the size of a baseball. The difference was so obvious that both of them simultaneously commented, “Well, Zig, I see you know this lady.” I laughingly said, “No, I’ve never met her before tonight, but I do know a lot about her.” They asked how I knew. I pointed out that she was a human being, and, like everybody else, she wanted appreciation and sincere interest, and I had given her both of these things.

  The same thing is true of every member of your organization and family. Everyone likes to be appreciated. What better way to express your appreciation than to share a simple, courteous “thank-you” when something pleasant has been said or some simple service has been rendered. Obviously, I was not being nice to the waitress in the hope that I’d get a bigger scoop of ice cream. To be honest, I didn’t need the bigger scoop—I needed the smaller one. But by feeding her needs, she responded in the only way she could—which was to dig deeper and get a bigger scoop of that ice cream. I believe that in helping others to become Top Performers by teaching them to be thoughtful, kind, and considerate of the other person, we are teaching them to dig deeper and get a bigger scoop out of life.

  Not a “Pollyanna” Philosophy

  Art Pollasky, regional manager for Snap-on Tools in Crystal Lake, Illinois, has learned how to dig deeper and get a bigger scoop. He says that people are motivated by money and a deep-rooted desire to do something significant w
ith their assigned roles and responsibilities. As a young salesman with the Burroughs Corporation, selling office forms, he bought into the philosophy that you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. The result was the beginning of a successful and stellar sales career that took him all the way to the top. While visiting with him on a recent project, I had the privilege of getting to know him better. I can say that this young man, who wore out his first set of tapes as he searched for new and improved ways to garner an edge in his professional career, is today reaping the rewards of all that effort. The greatest joy comes in hearing what those around him say about his integrity and his passion. Both Bryan Flanagan and Krish Dhanam have worked very closely with Art and constantly extol the style and flexibility with which he conducts his sales profession and his life.

  The Wall Street Journal carried the following article by Jack Falvey entitled, “To Raise Productivity, Try Saying Thank You.” I believe you will benefit from these concepts.

  [Text not included because of rights restrictions.]

  Recognizing Top Performance

  Most managers would like to have employees and coworkers who take pride in their careers. Now since pride means many things to many people, let’s look at a workable definition for our purposes.

  To me, PRIDE is Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort. If we are going to encourage those around us to take personal responsibility in daily effort, we must recognize the importance of recognition in this process.

  The late Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, is generally credited with having said that everyone carries a sign that is constantly on display: Make Me Feel Important! If we can do this (make others feel important)—sincerely—then we have taken a giant stride in developing Top Performers.

  Everyone needs recognition. The blue-collar worker is recognized for being the family provider; the white-collar worker is recognized for having great potential; the sales/marketing person is recognized for having high-income earning power. The point is that some people’s recognition needs are very basic, while the needs of others may be quite complex. The Top Performers in the world are builders, doers, and competitors, and they want to, and even need to, make a contribution to whatever they do. They must know when they are contributing and how much they are contributing. Those who manage Top Performers develop a “scoring” system that keeps everyone informed of how they are doing. Please remember that negative scoring should be done in private and positive scoring should be done publicly.

  Developing Enthusiastic Optimism

  To develop Top Performers, we must teach them how to be enthusiastic about life, how to graciously deal with other people, and how to encourage others.

  When you develop a pleasing personality by being a little friendlier and more outgoing, it can be enormously helpful to you socially, professionally, and, for that matter, spiritually. Let me share an incident with you that demonstrates some important concepts.

  I never realized just how tough working on a cafeteria line could be until my youngest daughter, at age sixteen, tried to find a job—and the only one she could find was on a cafeteria line. As I watched what she had to do and contend with, from both customers and management, I promised myself I would never again go down a cafeteria line without saying something pleasant, gracious, optimistic, and enthusiastic to every person on the serving line. And I still do this today.

  One particularly hot August day after the lunch hour crowd had departed, a friend of mine and I were going down the cafeteria line and I was “doing my thing.” The gentleman in front of me was apparently from the same school of thought, and he, too, was giving pleasant greetings and encouragement. This worked quite well until he got to the meat department and made the mistake of saying something about the day. The woman serving the meat put her hands on her hips, then wiped her forehead with her right hand and literally slung the perspiration to the floor as she proclaimed, “Yes, this is one of those days!”

  Now I’d like to point out that she was not talking to me, but when you understand the business I’m in and the reputation I have as a positive thinker, combined with the fact that I had an associate with me, you must understand that my reputation was at stake. So, though it definitely was none of my business, I proceeded to stick my big nose in and say, “Yes, today is absolutely beautiful, isn’t it?” With that she looked at me with disgust and said, “You have been out in the sun too long!” I replied, “No, actually I’ve just come back from overseas—and I’ve seen grown men and women without anything to eat, small children without any clothes to wear, sanitary conditions that are impossible to describe, and poverty beyond your wildest imagination. And I look at you today. You’re young, pretty, employed, and an American citizen. I know for a fact that you could take this job and do it to the best of your ability, and someday you could well be the manager of this place. For that matter, if you really bought into the American dream with all its possibilities, you could eventually own a place of your own.”

  Personally, I thought it was a superb, impromptu, off-the-cuff speech, and I was reasonably confident she wanted to express her appreciation for my willingness to share with her those words of hope and encouragement. However, for fear she might miss her lead-in, I decided I’d better assist her a little, so I paused and said, “Now you feel lots better, don’t you?” This time she looked at me with even more disgust and said, “You—are—sick!”

  Stinkin’ Thinkin’ at Its Worst

  As we’d say down home, you win some, you lose some, and some get rained out! This lady was hard-core negative. Her stinkin’ thinkin’ had gone into an advanced case of hardening of the attitudes that gave every indication of being terminal. I meekly walked on down the serving line, getting the rest of my food and picking up my ticket. My buddy and I sat down to have our lunch and, after a few minutes, ran out of tea. A little lady who was at least sixty—and she could well have been seventy—came by serving refills. I don’t recall ever seeing anyone her age with as much of a twinkle in her eyes, so I smiled pleasantly and asked my famous question: “How ya’ doin’?” She literally took a half step, half jump, half dance backward, grinned broadly, and said, “Honey, if it was any better, I’d think the deck was stacked!” I laughed and said to her, “Well, why don’t you go tell the ladies on the serving line what you just told me?” In mock horror she threw up her hands and said, “Oh, no! I don’t want to have anything to do with those girls! If I fool around with them much, I’ll end up being just like they are!”

  I don’t know where the lady learned her psychology, but she was right on the button. The way I read my Bible, it teaches, “Be not deceived—evil companions corrupt good morals.” It’s an established fact that your associates do have a strong bearing on your feelings, attitudes, moral values, and conduct. The classic example I often use is this: You can take a Southern boy and send him up North or out West and, after a period of time, he will end up with an accent. Or you can take a Northern or Western boy and send him into the South and pretty soon we’ll have him talking normally! (Yes, I expect you Northerners and Westerners to turn this example around.) We need to be careful whom we associate with, because we do become part of what we are around.

  Chances are about four thousand to one that if you were given the choice of being with or around either the girl on the serving line cutting the beef or the older lady serving the tea, you would, without hesitation, choose to be around the lady serving the tea. This book is written so that you can help others to be Top Performers, and you do so by helping them become more like the senior citizen serving the tea. You affect this important dimension of the Top Performer’s life by recognizing outstanding performance.

  Recognition and Rewards Motivate Employees

  Almost two decades ago, we determined that our company needed a formal recognition program. Since outstanding programs recognize the qualities that are pertinent to company and individual employee success and “sell” them, w
e began by deciding what qualities we wanted to foster. Based on our needs and beliefs, we determined it was important that our employees come to work regularly with a good attitude and demonstrate leadership qualities that show they are “part owners” in the company. Top Performers must realize that while the boss may sign their checks, the employee determines the amount.

  Our basic needs—attendance, attitude, leadership, and loyalty—have evolved into four recognition awards that we distribute quarterly. Here is the information we present in our employee manual:

  The Ziglar Training Systems Recognition Program is based on the premise that “what gets recognized and rewarded is clearly what the company values.” Our philosophy challenges each team member to look for the good in others. The Ziglar Training Systems Recognition Program allows us to find that good and recognize exceptional performance. The award categories are fun and usually personalized to the individual receiving the award. Some of the awards categories are The Top Performance Club (sales professionals being rewarded for excellence in sales, service and innovation), tenure awards (different monetary denominations to signify years of service to the company), and special merit (recognition for going above and beyond the call of duty and living the philosophy and mission). In addition, daily and weekly contests involve the sales department and sometimes all the support staff to create a buzz and generate excitement.

  What Happens without Recognition?

  According to pollster Daniel Yankelovich, who was quoted in Psychology Today magazine, workers keeping on-the-job diaries over a ten-year period reported that they had been working 10 percent less. That’s enough of a change to account for the entire drop in national productivity. But before we start blaming workers, he cautions, his own surveys have shown that the “work ethic” is stronger than ever—workers want to work hard and do a good job. He explains the paradox with the results of another survey showing that workers don’t believe that they themselves benefit from increasing productivity. Because they think greater productivity benefits only management, consumers, and shareholders, workers have no incentive to be more productive. The answer, says Yankelovich, is to directly reward workers for their productivity gains.