Another extract from "TOP Performers" by Zig Ziglar

Loyalty to the company is important, but the other side of the coin is that management and corporation owe that same loyalty to their people. A classic example is Ross Perot and EDS. First a little background. His story is one of those rags-to-riches American stories with which many are so familiar.

In 1958 a young American drove into Dallas, Texas in a 1950 Plymouth automobile. He had virtually all his possession in the backseat and his wife and baby in the front seat. He was a top producer with IBM in 1958, but later he came up with a better idea in the use of computers. The idea was so good that he decided to start his own company. I don't believe there are many people in the United States today who don't recognize the name of Ross Perot and EDS (Electronic Data Systems).

Now remember, Ross Perot is one man. With a limited amount of money of his own plus some from his family and friends, he started his own company. EDS has made a major contribution to the computerized age of which we are a part. And in 1985 EDS was purchased by General Motors for more than three billion dollars.

One interesting and encouraging side to this story is the fact that although EDS deals in computer services, it's a very "human" company. Its management feels that qualities such as loyalty to country and family, high business ethics, and a sense of fair play to one's fellow man are all more important than job skills in a "total man, total company" growth concept.

The purchase of EDS by General Motors made Ross Perot one of the wealthiest men in the world. However, the key for Top Performers is to understand why he was able to become so successful. The following incident will give you some real insight into the character of this very successful man.

When the American Embassy in Iran was overrun in 1979, two of Ross Perot's key executives were captured by the Iranians and put in prison. Ross Perot is known as a man of decisiveness and a man of action. He is even better known among his employees as a man of intense loyalty. He stands by his people and supports them and they, in return, are intensely loyal to him. The problem in this situation was what to do about these two men who were in an Iranian prison. The answer - as far as Ross Perot was concerned - was fairly simple. He had little confidence (because of the political ramifications) that his men would see the light of day for a long, long time. He even feared their lives were in jeopardy. He quickly called a conference of his key executives in the United States. They mapped out a daring plan for the rescue of their co-employees.

The details are so exciting and so involved that space does not permit their being told here. However, I encourage you to read "On the Wings of Eagles" by Ken Follet, and get his full and exciting account of the story. In a nutshell, Ross Perot was able to organize a campaign to get those men out. He created a false riot situation, hired his own loyal people, and they freed those two men from that Iranian prison. Is there any wonder his people are so loyal to him?

Obviously, most of us will never be called on to get involved in such a situation, but EVERY DAY WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE LOYAL AND TO STAND BY OUR PEOPLE.

Another extract from "TOP Performers" by Zig Ziglar.