Manners do matter

There are many heroes in my life, people I look up to in business, and in the field of training and consultancy. There are many leaders whose faith walk has inspired me to take the things of God seriously and who have helped me enjoy the life I live today. I’ve had the chance to learn from all of them.

When it comes to public speaking, Zig Ziglar is my hero. He stands taller than anybody else in the field. His wit, his humor, his commitment to Christ, and his values to family and country have influenced and molded me to be the speaker that I am today. I never had the pleasure of meeting Zig Ziglar in person, but his books, audio materials and DVD’s greatly inspired me. Thus, I look up to him as my hero.

Many years ago, our consultancy company had the opportunity of representing Ziglar’s sales training programs. It’s amazing to see that people still find relevant today the things he had taught and shared with his audiences.

Values are timeless. Values don’t change.

As I give parenting talks all over the country, I’ve observed that even parenting styles have changed. Some are for the better; unfortunately, some aren’t. This is why I’ve decided to share this article with everyone, so we may all raise successful kids. This is an article by Zig Ziglar entitled “Manners Do Matter”:

Today, good manners are something we rarely practice. However, good manners, including the expression of gratitude, are one of the greatest assets a person can have. When we neglect to require our children to say “Thank You” when somebody gives them a gift, says something nice about them, or does something for them, we are raising children who are highly unlikely to be happy. Without gratitude, happiness is a rare thing. With gratitude, the odds go up dramatically that happiness will be the result.

A classic example of the validity of this philosophy is the story of Roy Rogers. After he starred in his first movie, he began receiving huge stacks of fan mail, which he wanted to answer. However, his salary of $150 a week did not even cover the required postage. He talked to the head of Republic Pictures in the hope that the studio would handle some of his fan mail. He was summarily turned down and told he was foolish to think about answering fan mail because nobody else did. It took too much time and money.

Roy Rogers, one of the genuinely “good guys” of life, couldn’t buy that. It was his conviction that if someone thought enough about him to write him a fan letter, he should have enough respect for them to answer it. Fortunately, the movie which caused him his “problem” also made him so popular that he could go on a personal appearance tour. He traveled many miles and performed countless one-night stands to raise the money to pay the salaries of the four people it took to answer his fan mail. 

As a result of answering each fan’s letter, he built a “fan base” which was faithful to him and remained faithful to him for many, many years. Yup, the “good guys” and the “good gals” really do win. So, develop some manners; respect others; be grateful for what you have, and I’ll see you at the top!

Teach your kids to cultivate an attitude of gratitude, never a mindset of entitlement. Developing in them the habit of saying “Thank You” goes a long way. Someone once said, “In Christianity, religion is grace; ethics is gratitude.”

Ziglar’s dated article still makes sense today, doesn’t it? So I encourage everyone to read his books, and learn from him as I have and continue to do so today.

(Develop your leadership and life skills by spending two whole days with Francis Kong on Sept. 12-13 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. Call Inspire at 09158055910 or 632-6310912 for details. Connect with him via his Facebook page – www.facebook.com/franciskong2.)