For the rest of the year, I would like to take a moment and thank the people who have had a significant impact on me as an individual.
The way they have lived their lives and their body of work has had an outsized impact on how I think about life in general and and work, in particular.
Some of these are contemporary thinkers and some of them are just a memory. Some of them are famous in their own rights and some of them are yet to be found by others. Some of them are young and some of them are old. Some of them are business leaders, some thought leaders, some sportsmen and some coaches. Some of them are artists and some spiritual leaders.
However, if we look deeply, all of them are like you and me, ordinary people who’ve had an extra-ordinary impact on me and potentially a lot of others. And once you get to know them, may be they will have a similar impact on you as well or maybe not, only time will tell.
The reason I am putting together this list and share what I have learnt from them, to thank them publicly for being a teacher and teaching me important lessons in life and in the hope that some of you might be inspired by their company and they can impact you and your life as they have impacted mine.
So, let’s get started.
11. Zig Ziglar
I don’t remember who introduced me to Zig or how I got access to his book but once I discovered him, I could not have enough of him. I read everything written by him that I could get hold of. Then I discovered his audio books and the video’s. And I listened to everything he said and tried to absorb everything that I could. And then I discovered the Ziglar podcast.
His impact on me was not so much on my thinking but on my mindset. His teachings have had a significant impact on the way I approach work and life. One of his quote has defined one of the core tenets that I live my life by:
“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
– Zig Ziglar
Ever since, I heard him say this, I have tried as much as possible, to be of assistance to any one who has ever approached me. I have never stopped to think what’s in it for me. If I am able to help someone, I just go ahead and help. If for whatever reason, I am unable to, I try and find someone else who could and if I can’t find someone, I always let the person asking for help know about my inability to help or find someone who could help. I believe that this one thing has helped me become a better person, a better colleague.
Another one of his quote has had a significant impact on how I approach failure.
Failure is an event, not a person!
– Zig Ziglar
This mindset about failure has enabled me to take risks and attempt things that had high probability of failure but at the same time significant upside if it succeeded. I failed at many of these, however, I also ended up seeing some significant successes in my life. This attitude to failure has made me stronger as a person.
Another thing that he used to say was around continuous learning and to use the automobile university. I have listened to more than 200 Audiobooks over the past 12 years, thanks to his advice of using the time that we are in a car, driving to and from work. This significantly expanded the breadth and depth of my understanding of the world around me and made my knowledge much more rounded.
His thinking about sales and selling influenced my philosophy around selling as well. I am now more inclined to take the perspective of the buyer and only sell something to them if they really need it and only if what I sell can actively do what the buyer needs done. I never over sold anything to any of my customers. This philosophy has held me in good stead as it has earned me the trust of all my customers and hopefully, I can keep their trust for life.
In this video, he shares his perspective and insights on selling in general and closing a sale in particular.
You can listen to him talk about the importance of attitude here.
In this video series, he shares his perspectives on the blueprint for success.
In this video series, he talks about Goal setting, which is one of the foundations for any kind of success in life.
Conclusion:
The countless hours spent watching or listening him speak has not been wasted. They were probably some of the best investments that I have made of my time. We lost Zig in 2012 but his legacy will continue to live in our minds and his thinking will survive for a long time to come.
You can listen to the best content that Zig has to offer in this playlist:
Though I have never met Zig personally or even see him in person, he has had a significant impact on me, my attitude to life in general and selling in particular, for which I will forever remain grateful to him and to the technology that has enabled this.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #1 Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #2 Paulo Coelho.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #3 Swami Vivekananda.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #4 Seth Godin.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #5 Porus Munshi.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #6 Srinivasa Chakravarthy.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #7 Dan Ariely.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #8 His Highness – The Dalai Lama.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #9 Matt Church.
Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #10 Clayton Christensen.
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