The Journey Parent Podcast · Dan Panetti

Zig Ziglar | Remembering the Man Who Proclaimed and Practiced Servant Leadership

·35 min·2 clips

P.C. Merrill told Zig, 'I've never seen such a waste,' then 'you could be a champion.'

1. The Journey Parent Podcast centers this episode on Zig Ziglar’s life, his books, and the family story behind his public message. 2. Host Dan speaks with Zig Ziglar’s children, Tom Ziglar and Cindy Ziglar, who know both the company legacy and the home life. 3. The episode asks what made Zig Ziglar’s leadership, faith, and service believable to people who heard him on stage and in family settings. 4. Cindy says she has worked for Zig Ziglar Corporation for 17 years and calls her father 'the most humble and grateful man' she ever knew. 5. Tom says he has worked in the company for about 40 years, starting in the warehouse and moving through production, sales, and leadership. 6. Tom estimates Zig Ziglar impacted 250 million people and describes seeing Zig Ziglar quotes in a company with 800 employees in Vietnam. 7. Tom says Zig’s philosophy was 'biblically based' and says he spoke on leadership principles taken from 1 Corinthians 13. 8. Tom retells Zig’s early career, including the line that he was a 'little boy, a little guy from a little town with little dreams.' 9. Tom says Zig went to war at the end of World War II, married Jean, and then took a $10,000-a-year sales job he had never done before. 10. Tom says Zig sold his car and furniture, then heard P.C. Merrill say, 'I've never seen such a waste,' before telling him he could be a champion. 11. Tom says Zig finished number two out of 7,000 salespeople after adopting a regular schedule and working at 9 o'clock every day. 12. Tom says Zig discovered his relationship with Christ in 1972 and published 'See You at the Top' in 1974. 13. Cindy says Zig and Jean were 'the lovebirds,' always holding hands, hugging, and writing each other notes and letters while he traveled. 14. Cindy says she never heard her mother complain about Zig being gone, and she says her parents' love and shared faith shaped the children. 15. Tom tells a story about an email from someone who had made 'some real mistakes' and was preparing to go to prison but had been influenced by Zig. 16. Tom says that person saw Zig holding Jean’s hand at Prestonwood Church and concluded they had come to the right place. 17. Tom says Zig prepared for his Sunday school class at Prestonwood because it let him test material and weave scripture into ideas that already worked in business. 18. Tom says the Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award at PCA honored Zig because 'it’s not about me. It's about him.' 19. The conversation stays warm and reflective, with family memories, church references, and short leadership stories rather than debate or formal lecture. 20. Parents, Christian educators, and leadership-minded listeners will get the most from this episode, while listeners wanting a fast celebrity profile may skip it.

As heard by us

A warm family portrait of humility, faith, and leadership that points away from itself.

Zig Ziglar's legacy comes into focus through a family conversation centered on humility, faith, work, and servant leadership. Tom and Cindy Ziglar give the clearest sense of where that steadiness came from: a hard childhood, a strong mother, and a habit of giving God the credit…

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Why you'd press play

Hear how Zig Ziglar's family explains the humility behind his legacy.

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