Introduction

This is the second edition of Zing! written four years after the first edition was published. It is considerably different than the original writing of 2004 because much has happened in the past few years. The world has changed around me and in response, I’ve changed. What I thought was an effective strategy of influence worked then, but not now. What seemed like a reasonable response to overcoming obstacles, isn’t enough now. When things change, it’s time to change!

Zing! is an approach to life that asks you to respond to what’s going on in your environment, including those in it. The goal of Zing! is to bring you enhanced happiness by raising your personal expectations for life and leadership. Operating on the premise, “the energy you put out there is the energy you get to draw from,” Zing! inspires a positive outlook on life and offers an equation to better understand how all the pieces of personal effectiveness and performance come together. With Zing! also comes the internal motivation to be a better observer of life and more aware of how you are being perceived by those you intentionally (and unintentionally) influence or lead. Serving a greater social good continues to be the ultimate desired outcome of Zing!.

Some of the original thoughts offered in the first edition have been updated or revised in response to new obstacles and challenges, as well as, the ever changing demographics of my speaking audiences who continue to provide all the material I could ever need. The 21 Insights have remained the same because they continue to be effective strategies for becoming more personally magnetic to others and more influential. One of the more significant changes to this edition of Zing! centers around the use of alternative leadership perspectives – specifically, charismatic leadership. As this area of study shifts from the more flamboyant self-serving image of charismatic individuals to inspiring research validating the traits of successful charismatic leaders, it provides enhanced insight and supportive evidence into why people follow certain people.

The best thing about writing a second edition of this -- or any book -- is it proves one of the Zing! beliefs: You do get a second chance to make a good first impression.