I recently reviewed a book which I read a decade ago written by the late, great Zig Ziglar. In his 2003 book Top Performance, he identifies a four-step process which he was using in order to build financial health in an organization, However, I believe it can be applied to virtually any area of our professional and personal leadership lives to produce positive results. Ziglar offers this process:
- Do the right thing
- Do it right the first time.
- Do it right now.
- Do it at the right price.
In a recent blog I wrote about how another writer suggested that effectiveness can come by merely implementing the top couple of key activities, though the list of what could be done was far greater. Applied to Ziglar’s process, this is a matter of identifying the right things to solve a problem, advance a cause, or build a relationship. For everything, we can make long lists of things we feel need to happen in order for things to move in a positive direction, but we can streamline our process by making our list, then focusing on the top few items, or what Ziglar would say are the right things.
Next is something with which all of us have dealt at some point when teaching others how to accomplish a task. I can recall hearing people from my childhood, tell me “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right!” But, alas, how often I would take a shortcut, thinking it would save me time, only to have to redo a project because I messed up the first go around. I had to find out the hard way that it takes less time to do something right the first time than it does to do it over.
Ziglar’s third point is another no-brainer on the surface, but one which can be very difficult for some people to implement. We live in a culture that likes to procrastinate and put things off until the motivation to accomplish them strikes. However, this is countereffective. The best time to do something, especially if it’s the right thing, is right now. Sliding a task repeatedly from one day to the next will never get the job done, especially if we want to be a leader of others. The best leaders with whom I’ve worked are always wired to get right to work once a task is identified and the right solution to a problem is determined.
Finally, “Do it at the right price” has everything to do with stewardship. Everything we do has a price tag, which can be money, time, emotion, energy, relationships, or more. Before we get going on a task, it is important for us to calculate the price for what we are about to do. We would never make a major purchase without knowing what it will cost, so we must do the same with everything we do. Being a good steward helps us to make decisions about how we use the finite resources available to us in ways that will sustain our effectiveness long term. When I get the people I lead involved in a large project, I make sure that they know what is expected and required of them, so that they know that I value their time, talents, and treasure and that I will not waste any of it. We need to do the same for ourselves and be a good steward.
Zig was an amazing leader. I’ve been blessed by his many books. This little process of his is a great tool for us to use in our leadership life. I hope you will use it as I do.
Lead well.