Insights on leadership, entrepreneurialism and management
Making Every Day Your Best Day at Work
Read moreThe spouse of one of our employees contacted me regarding his wife, taking time from his work day to call and thank me. “Thank me? For what?” Enthusiastically he said, “Since my wife joined Micrel, she has become a...
Begging for a Return to Respectful Communications
Read moreBecause we are all uniquely different human beings, it is not surprising that the chances are that most people are not going to see it our way. Very few of us hold the same view on almost any subject....
Five Ways to Make Your Company More Employee-Centric
Read moreI know many companies feel that if you don’t take care of your customer, somebody else will. At Micrel, the semiconductor company that I ran for 37 years, I told my employees that they were number one. One of...
Picking your first Board of Directors
Read moreCongratulations! You have grown your business to the point that you need a board of directors (BOD). The good news is that you have been successful enough to need a BOD. The bad news is that you need a...
Episode 22: Key to hiring the best employees
Read morehttp://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Episode-22-Key-to-hiring-the-best-employees.mp3Hiring really good employees predisposes your company toward success. But how do you do this? Ray Zinn knows how, having run the Silicon Valley semiconductor company with the lowest employee turnover rate.
Plans, Funds and Thinking
Read moreGo-to-market plans seem nearly out of vogue in Silicon Valley. After leading the most consistently profitable semiconductor company, and by doing so becoming the longest serving CEO in Silicon Valley, I decided to help a few startups with mentoring...