10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times by Tom Ziglar Summary

10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times provides a framework for leading teams through uncertainty by cultivating 10 core virtues: kindness, selflessness, humility, positivity, self-control, and others. Tom Ziglar blends his father Zig Ziglar’s motivational philosophy with modern coaching strategies, emphasizing that leadership starts with personal transformation, not just organizational change. Practical examples and real-world stories make it actionable for today’s challenges.

This book is ideal for managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone leading teams through rapid change, such as hybrid work transitions or industry disruptions. It’s particularly valuable for leaders seeking to balance performance with empathy, and those interested in Ziglar’s Coach Leadership Model to attract and retain top talent.

Yes—the book offers timeless principles for modern crises, like pandemic recovery and AI-driven workplace shifts. Readers praise its actionable steps, such as implementing “coaching conversations” to boost productivity while improving work-life balance. Over 150 coaches globally use Ziglar’s system, demonstrating its practicality.

The 10 virtues are grouped into three categories:

• Character Foundations: Kindness, selflessness, humility.
• Resilience Builders: Positivity, self-control, adaptability.
• Legacy Drivers: Integrity, wisdom, coaching mindset.
  Each virtue includes scripts for difficult conversations and strategies to foster trust during upheavals.

Unlike theoretical guides, Ziglar focuses on self-directed change rather than fixing teams. It’s faith-friendly but secular-applicable, avoiding overt religious references while emphasizing ethical leadership. The book also integrates Ziglar’s proprietary coaching system, used by companies like Harvard-backed startups.

Introduced in Ziglar’s TEDx talk, this model teaches leaders to attract, develop, and retain talent by prioritizing mentorship over micromanagement. It’s designed for post-pandemic challenges, helping managers address remote work burnout and “quiet quitting” through empathetic communication.

Absolutely. The book provides tools to maintain engagement in hybrid environments, like virtual “coaching check-ins” and conflict resolution templates. Ziglar cites case studies where leaders reduced turnover by 40% using these methods post-2020.

Some reviewers note the virtues are broad (e.g., “be kind”) and lack niche tactics for industries like tech or healthcare. However, most praise its adaptability—Ziglar encourages tailoring frameworks to specific team needs rather than one-size-fits-all rules.

Tom modernizes Zig Ziglar’s iconic “help others achieve their goals” philosophy for the digital age. While Zig senior focused on sales psychology, Tom emphasizes sustainable leadership through coaching and legacy-building. Both share a focus on balanced success across career, health, and relationships.

• “Leadership isn’t a title—it’s a series of choices.”
• “Control your reactions, not the disruption.”
• “The best legacy is enabling others to lead.”
  These lines underscore the book’s theme of inward growth driving outward impact.

Chapters follow a Learn-Apply-Reflect format:

1. Explains a virtue’s importance.
2. Provides workplace scenarios (e.g., layoffs, mergers).
3. Includes reflection questions and 30-day action plans.
   This makes it suitable for book clubs or leadership training programs.

With 72% of companies facing AI-driven restructuring (per Ziglar’s 2024 data), the book’s focus on adaptability and emotional intelligence addresses today’s skills gap. Updated case studies cover leading multigenerational teams and ethical AI implementation.