Tough Things First Podcast
The Tough Things First podcast is where you receive short bursts of Ray Zinn’s leadership, executive and entrepreneur’s wisdom. Tough Things First podcasts are typically five minutes long, giving you one important concept to ponder for the rest of the day.
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- Jul0620160
Episode 15: Audience questions for Ray Zinn
Read moreRay Zinn answers questions encountered at his speaking events, and those from Tough Things First audience members.
- Jun292016
Episode 14: Multi-generational Entrepreneurism
Read moreRay Zinn discusses Silicon Valley entrepreneurism with a special guest interviewer, now active in the red hot tech culture.
- Jun222016
Episode 13: The unintended consequences of misguided policies
Read morePolicies. Nobody likes to write them. Some employees refuse to live by them. But Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO knows how they work, and how they occasionally don’t. In this episode of the Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discusses how policies can actually cause problem within an organization.
- Jun152016
Episode 12: The up and down side to stricter emigration enforcement
Read moreRay Zinn has some specific thoughts about the topic of immigration, enforcement and the U.S. economy. With 37 years running a very successful semiconductor company, Ray has seen the impact of bring in talent from abroad as well as the rampant offshoring within his industry, so his thoughts on immigration will be multifaceted.
- Jun082016
Episode 11: Leadership self-discipline
Read moreWhat are some daily practices for developing self-discipline, or for organizational discipline, and how does a leader transfer his own self-discipline to other people, and in turn have them carry the mantle? Ray Zinn answers a listener question from Episode 2 concerning discipline and the organization.
- Jun012016
Episode 10: The lose-lose proposition
Read moreWe all lose when an atmosphere of anger, hostility or contention prevails. Ray Zinn’s company, Micrel, was built in part on a culture of respecting the dignity of every individual, which led to Micrel having an employee turn-over rate half that of his industry. Micrel was somewhat legendary as a civil place to work. In this episode, Ray discusses anger, hostility and contention between people, where does it come from, how it hurts an organization, and a what leader can do to mitigate it to create a win-win situation.
- May252016
Episode 9: Focus, filters and blinders
Read moreRay goes into great detail about entrepreneurial focus, how to construct filters to prevent being overwhelmed, the necessity of managerial and financial stall horns, and more.
- May182016
Episode 8: How do we get the U.S. economy growing again
Read moreThe American economy is moribund. This has a direct effect on businesses and an indirect effect on employees. Until the economy escapes the doldrums it has been in over the last eight years, everyone prospects look bleak. Today we talk economics and elections with Ray Zinn.
- May112016
Episode 7: Holistic vision vs money motives
Read moreMoney is not the motive we have for lifting weights and jogging on treadmills at the gymnasiums. But it is a piece of something bigger. In this episode, Ray Zinn discusses what are the true and largely non-monetary motives great entrepreneurs have, and how to make those visions part of every employee’s outlook.
- May042016
Episode 6: Challenges, faith and focus
Read moreEntrepreneurs must stay focused, keeping their eyes on the horizon. Doing so makes seemingly insurmountable obstacles look like fun challenges. Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO, discusses how to keep focus when the life of a business leader seems to be one distraction after another.
- Apr272016
Episode5: Organizational discipline – training, repetition and policy
Read moreIt doesn’t matter how disciplined a CEO is if that same discipline doesn’t find its ways through the organization. Ray Zinn, founder and CEO of the most consistently profitable semiconductor company in Silicon Valley, discusses how a leader drives the discipline to execute well to every employee.
- Apr202016
Episode 4: Details, the entrepreneurs friend
Read moreEntrepreneurs cannot be just “big picture” people. They have to dig into the details of every part of their business. Ray Zinn, the longest serving CEO in Silicon Valley, and founder of Micrel Semiconductor, discusses why digging into the minutia of business is actually exciting for entrepreneurs, and how to get excited if you are not.
- Apr132016
Episode 3: The Venture Capital trap
Read moreWhy wouldn’t a Silicon Valley entrepreneur take venture capital? Because doing so could kill their business. Listen to Ray Zinn, who founded his semiconductor company without VC money, discuss how venture capital can knock a founder off track, cripple the development of an enduring corporate culture, and drain enthusiasm from the entire organization.
- Apr062016
Episode 2: Discipline for entrepreneurs
Read moreRay Zinn discusses how discipline for entrepreneurs is an essential element to their own growth, but also to the cultural conditioning of everyone within an organization.
- Mar302016
Episode 1: Doing the Tough Things First
Read moreDoing the tough things first. Learning to love doing what you don’t like to do. These are aspects of true entrepreneurs and all successful people. Ray Zinn discusses the core philosophy and the dramatic effects it can have on productivity, time management, leadership and more.
