Insights on leadership, entrepreneurialism and management
When Bonuses Aren’t
Read moreA $100,000 Christmas bonus check will certainly get your receptionist’s attention. An oil and gas company in Texas did just that. Not only for their receptionist, but for every employee from the front office to the front desk. This...
Post Consolidation in Semis
Read moreThe good news is that the latest semiconductor industry consolidation is set to wind down, and the entire industry will do better in a year or two. This comes none too soon given the number of companies that have...
Xerox Almost Killed Us
Read moreAdapted from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn Xerox was responsible for a Micrel policy because they shook our business pretty badly. Xerox was in its heyday. They were the masters of many imaging industries, and at that moment...
Frugality, VCs and Enduring Companies
Read moreAn excerpt from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn It was a 1954 Ford coupe. Like many men on campus, I had a love affair with my car that might have rivaled those with co-eds. And though a Ford...
Entrepreneurs Are High Hurdlers
Read moreAdapted from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn Running the high hurdles isn’t easy when you are vertically challenged. Yet despite being only five feet, eight inches (173 cm) – markedly shorter than the other boys in starting blocks...
Entrepreneurial Stall Horns
Read moreAdapted from Tough Things First, by Ray Zinn My stall horn sounded, telling me I was about to crash into the Tehachapi Mountains. A stall horn will wake the dead, and is designed to assure the pilot knows his...