Top Performance

by Zig Ziglar

  Action completes our Four-A Formula. Action brings awareness and analysis to fruition. It also does away with assumptions. Top Performance as a person or as a manager depends on all four. If you will take action on the concepts Krish and I have talked about in this chapter and consciously make a decision to join the team, then you will become even more of a Top Performer.

  PERFORMANCE PRINCIPLES

  * * *

  More people act their way into thinking than think their way into acting.

  Logic won’t change an emotion, but action will.

  Action often precedes the feeling.

  If the first three principles sound a great deal alike, congratulations! You are catching on!

  17

  It Takes Time

  There can be no persevering industry without a deep sense of the value of time.

  Lydia H. Sigourney

  The unfortunate truth is that far too many executives are so gung ho and goal oriented from a career point of view that they often lose perspective and balance as far as their spiritual, personal, family, and social lives are concerned. The prime reason for this chapter, which I consider the most important one in the book, is to encourage you to become a Top Performer in your spiritual, personal, family, and social life as well as in your business career.

  This excerpt from an article by Eugene Peterson in Christianity Today puts the importance of the ability to relax in proper perspective:

  [Text not included because of rights restrictions.]

  In the corporate world we might not be faced with the physical danger, nor have a great need for a burst of physical energy, but we are faced with different kinds of “opportunities” that are emotionally and physically draining. To move into these challenges from a time of restful rejuvenation can make a significant difference in our effectiveness.

  One of my favorite methods of doing this is to start the day—especially in cold weather—in my office at home with the gas logs burning. Sometimes I sit there quietly, thinking through a planned project or agenda, wrestling with the best and most creative way to handle an “opportunity,” reading Scripture, or thinking on inspirational thoughts or messages. The first few minutes are the toughest. The temptation to get up and move around is sometimes overwhelming, but I can assure you that if you will quietly sit there, some very creative, inspiring thoughts and ideas will be yours by the time you rise.

  You also can, without any notes, quietly work through some situations in which you’ve been involved. Maybe there’s a problem or a puzzle you’ve been unable to solve. As you are sitting there (in most cases not totally awake), you’re still in the “alpha” level of consciousness. At this level your creativity is at its very, very best—a marvelous, extremely productive way to start the day!

  The second option you have for starting your day also involves getting up earlier. This option includes reading something of an inspirational nature, such as the Bible or an inspirational book, or listening to recordings that are motivational in nature. Reading and listening are both marvelous ways to get “up” for the day. As a matter of fact, some psychologists have determined that your first encounter of the day has a more direct bearing on your attitude for that day than your next five encounters. Now, I’m not speaking about a “Hello” encounter; I’m talking about a significant encounter where you spend time with a person. With this in mind, if you set aside fifteen to thirty minutes early in the morning to “encounter” someone of your choice, either to listen to an inspirational recording or dig into an inspirational book, you will have made a deliberate choice to start your day with someone who will lift you and inspire you. With that kind of start, it’s much easier to keep the momentum going.

  The third option for the day, and a very effective way to start it, is with exercise. Later in this chapter I will give you the reasons for an exercise program, but it is sufficient to say that one of the most exciting ways to start your day is with physical exercise of some kind. This can involve lifting weights, swimming, bicycle riding, walking, or jogging. At any rate, a good exercise program gets the adrenaline flowing and those endorphins hoppin’, and you’ve gotten the day off to a flying start.

  Yes, I’m absolutely convinced that when you start your day in one of these three ways, and then awaken the other members of the family, your prospects for a productive day are infinitely greater. Your mate will be especially appreciative, and you can enhance your family relationships if you awaken him or her with that steaming cup of coffee (or better yet, herbal tea) and a few minutes of getting reacquainted in the morning. Then casually and lovingly awaken the children, and while one team member prepares breakfast, the other one can help the kids get ready for school.

  Since breakfast is such an important part of the day, both physically and emotionally, husband and wife (and children, if there are any) should sit down and, at a more leisurely pace, have a nutritious breakfast together. It properly starts the kids’ day, the family’s day, and your day on a high note. It will make an overall difference in your own attitude and your own physical well-being—not to mention what it will do for the kids and your mate. When this happens, more harmony will develop in the family.

  One thing that is becoming more and more obvious is that when there is harmony in the family, the effectiveness of the manager on the job is noticeably enhanced. As part of this concept, we know a good, nutritious breakfast enables a person to perform more efficiently and effectively during the day. Eating together establishes bonds between family members that simply cannot be established in any other way. They are most effective. I say it again—take time to get started.

  Take Time to Grow

  We have emphasized throughout Top Performance the necessity of personal growth for maximum business success. We’re all familiar with the story of the woodcutter whose production kept going down because he did not take time to sharpen his ax. As we’ve indicated throughout the book, the top companies, the ones with the exciting bottom lines, have training and personal growth as major corporate objectives. It’s true, the companies “on the go” are also “on the grow.” Individually you need to take time to grow.

  There are many ways to do this, of course, but one of the most effective ways is the utilization of the cassette or CD player in your car. There are literally thousands of hours of recorded material that can be enormously helpful to you while you’re going to and from your work. You can learn everything from Chinese art to a foreign language. You can learn how to set goals or close sales. You can learn how to invest in real estate and save on your income tax.

  As a matter of fact, a study done several years ago at the University of Southern California revealed that you can acquire the equivalent of two years of college education in just three years while you’re going about your normal activities in your automobile. This is assuming you live in a metropolitan area and drive twelve thousand miles each year.

  Think about it. By utilizing your time in your car, you can become knowledgeable—even expert—in your chosen field and several related ones. That gives you incredible security, regardless of what happens to your company or your relationship with your company. The exciting thing is that to acquire knowledge in that method is one of the fastest, easiest, and certainly one of the most painless ways ever devised.

  You also can grow through the utilization of the marvelous books that are available today. Bookstores carry an enormous assortment of books that deal with virtually any subject related to your career and specifically with any aspect of dealing with self and interpersonal relationships. Needless to say, the public library also offers a variety of books if you do not feel inclined to buy them. It is my own personal conviction, however, that as a manager and as a leader, you need to build a substantial library of your own. Personally, I would hesitate to put a price tag on the dollar value of my library, but it would run into thousands of dollars.

  Let me offer a few suggestions about how you should read and effectively use your books. First—and I rea
lize this sounds selfish—I encourage you to be protective of your books. Keep them for your own personal use or permit others to use them only in your library. In most cases, I encourage you to say no to anyone who wants to borrow a book. (I know for a fact that people often don’t return books. I have a number of books in my own library that I have no idea how they got there!) If someone cannot afford the book, then do one of two things: Encourage him or her to join the library or, if it’s a friend, go ahead and buy the book for him or her. As you build your career and develop your leadership skills, you need to have at your fingertips the resources you accumulate. Most doctors and attorneys do not loan their resource material. Your needs are fully as great, and your professionalism should certainly be equal to that of a doctor or lawyer.

  When I read a book or anything else, I always have a pen in my hand and I profusely mark the parts that are important to me. I underline, circle, make notes, etc. In the front of the book I jot down page numbers of those things that are particularly important and significant and that I feel will be useful in the future. I then file the books in my library according to the categories of study. This way, when I need information on a particular subject, I go to the correct section, open the book, and find notations in front directing me exactly where to find what I need.

  Of all the skills I have acquired, I believe the ability to read and to enjoy reading is one of the most important things I’ve ever learned. I encourage you, as a leader, not only to teach your children how to read but also how to enjoy the reading—make it come alive for them and they will be better for having done it. Ditto for your associates and subordinates. As you read good books and listen to good tapes, you’ll have a daily source of magnificent inspiration.

  The third area of growth should be through meetings and seminars. There are many marvelous educational seminars around this country that can help you to hone your skills and develop them to the degree that will enable you to move up the ladder of success and happiness much faster and more effectively. As a practical matter, you should set aside at least one full week each year to go to seminars and personal growth opportunities that enable you to develop and bring out your inherent abilities. You should also be open to attending half-day and full-day specialized seminars once or twice each month.

  I say it again: To really make it big in life—in all areas of your life—you need to take time to grow. It’s not a question of whether you do or do not have time. Obviously, you do not have that option. You don’t have time not to grow.

  Take Time to Be Healthy

  One question I often ask my audiences is if there is a person there who has a Thoroughbred horse worth in excess of a million dollars. So far, no one has raised a hand. I then ask the question, “If you did have a Thoroughbred worth a million dollars, would you keep him up half the night, letting him drink coffee or booze, smoke cigarettes, and eat junk food?” At this everybody laughs, because they realize that not only do Thoroughbreds not drink coffee or booze or smoke cigarettes, but the idea of jeopardizing the horse’s health—which obviously destroys the performance of the animal—would be so ridiculous as to be beyond discussion.

  Then I ask, “Suppose you had a ten-dollar dog? Would you treat him that way?” And again there is laughter. “What about a five-dollar cat?” Then I point out that most of us would not treat a five-dollar cat like we treat our own billion-dollar bodies. As far as a million-dollar Thoroughbred is concerned, if we had such an animal, we would probably keep him in an air-conditioned barn in the summertime and a steam-heated one in the wintertime. We’d hire the best veterinarian money could buy to look after him and bring in a special nutritionist to make certain he was properly fed. In addition to that, we would get the finest trainer available to develop his potential. You can count on it—we would take care of a million-dollar Thoroughbred, yet we abuse our own billion-dollar bodies.

  Taking care of our bodies is a reasonably simple routine. I did not say “easy.” There are several factors involved, and since I’m not an expert on any of them, I will simply make some observations and aim you at some of the experts. To begin with, I would encourage you to pick up Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s book The Aerobics Program for Total Well-Being. This deals not only with exercise but with proper nutrition as well.

  One of the things you need to consider is the amount of sleep you get. Some people do quite well on four or five hours. In my own case, I’ve discovered that it requires seven and a half hours of sleep for me to achieve Top Performance. Since I know that, I conscientiously work at getting that amount of sleep each evening. I can get by one night with much less sleep and do fairly well the second night, but if it goes three nights in a row, I can guarantee you that by the third day I am at considerably less than my most effective best. For that reason, I work and concentrate on getting a reasonable amount of sleep.

  Exercise is the second area that is extremely important. These days I am a walker—I literally love to walk. However, there are many people who do not like that particular exercise—or any other. According to Dr. Cooper, the important thing is that you keep your heartbeat up for at least twenty minutes on about four occasions each week. Fast walking is a marvelous exercise. Riding a stationary bicycle—or, for that matter, riding a bike in the streets—is excellent exercise. You might consider those mini-trampolines where you simply bounce up and down—they do a great job. Others prefer swimming, and some experts say that is the most desirable of all exercise programs. Still others enjoy cross-country skiing or racquetball, tennis, etc. Intelligent adults always begin their exercise programs by seeing the doctor. Please do not skip this most important step.

  I am often asked, “Well, Zig, with as much as you have to do, when do you have time to exercise? When do you have time to walk?” I often tell people that I’ve got so much to do, I don’t have time not to exercise. Incidentally, when I’m on the road and the weather is bad, I walk up and down the corridors of the hotel or motel where I’m staying. On occasion I go into the hotel ballroom or meeting room and speed walk around it. On other occasions, I’ve walked in the shopping malls. I am not a hero and therefore do not walk on dark streets at night. If the weather is good but it’s night and I’m not absolutely certain of the area, I simply walk in the parking lot or the parking garage of the facility at which I am staying.

  Let me point out that when you jog or exercise, you activate the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland floods the system with endorphins, which are over two hundred times more powerful than morphine. The net result is that you are on a “natural chemical high” for two to as much as four or even five hours. I have found the best time investment ever to be my time invested in exercise. An hour invested in exercise (counting time to dress, exercise, shower, cool down, etc.) returns two to four times that much high productivity time. The ideal time, according to Dr. Cooper, is in the latter part of the afternoon or early evening. By exercising then, you actually extend your effective workday by several hours.

  Number three, in order to be at your healthiest, I encourage you to eat a sensible diet. By that I mean a well-balanced diet, and again Dr. Cooper’s book will be helpful. In my own diet I concentrate on fresh vegetables, fish, chicken, and whole-grain cereals, and I seek as much roughage as possible. In addition to that, though there is widespread disagreement on this subject, I take and have been taking a natural food supplement for a number of years. Many doctors will tell you that in a well-balanced diet you will get the minimum daily requirements for your health. My point, though, is simply that I am not interested in minimum daily requirements. I am interested in maximum daily performance, and for that reason I do use a natural food supplement.

  The fourth step in caring for your health is to eliminate the negatives. Smoking is a tremendous negative. Nineteen deaths out of every one hundred are directly traced to the habit of smoking. As I mentioned earlier, every time you light a cigarette you take fourteen minutes off your life span. Needless to say, if you smoke cigarettes, you’re not go
ing to enjoy the maximum health that you could otherwise enjoy.

  Booze is another one of those elements in your life that in most cases can be enormously destructive. If you are a “casual” drinker, I would encourage you to read Dying for a Drink by Anderson Spickard, M.D., and Barbara R. Thompson. It might put drinking in a different perspective. I don’t pretend to be an authority on the subject, but I’ve seen a great deal of grief resulting from drinking, and I do know that one “casual, social drinker” out of nine will eventually end up with a serious drinking problem. I also know that alcohol is a depressant and that people don’t function as effectively when they’ve had a drink as they do without that drink.

  Obviously, the other poisons you want to eliminate are those harmful legal and illegal drugs. The evidence against pot, speed, cocaine, and heroin, as well as many other drugs, is overwhelming. I cannot believe anyone with the intellectual capacity to occupy a leadership or management position would be so foolish as to ignore the overwhelming evidence as to what these substances do to a person and then deliberately “play” with them on a casual, “sometimes” basis.

  Thus far in my own career, I have never met a single human being who deliberately set out to become an alcoholic or who deliberately had as an objective to become a “pothead” or a drug addict. The question you need to ask yourself is, Is it worth even a slight risk to experiment with these substances that can destroy me personally, socially, and professionally, and wreck my family all at the same time? When I’m talking about taking time to be healthy, I’m also talking about eliminating the poisons that some people choose to put into their systems.