Tough Things First

Founders and visionary CEOs can have passion, both real and imaginary. In Episode Four in this Tough Things First podcasts series on Essential Leadership, Ray Zinn discusses how to foster real passion without looking like a phony. Rob Artigo: Welcome to a special edition of the Tough Things First podcast. As we continue, Ray Zinn’s new series on essential leadership. […]

Effective leaders are effective decision makers. In this special edition of the Tough Things First Podcast, Essential Leadership Episode Three, Ray looks at what it means to exercise sound judgement and what the alternative looks like. Rob Artigo: Welcome to a special edition of the Tough Things First podcast with Ray’s new series Essential Leadership. This is episode three on […]

Leaders of all shapes and sizes can fall victim to one of the great challenges managers face, the danger of trying too hard only to find they’re doing the same thing over and over again. In this special edition of the Tough Things First Podcast, Essential Leadership Episode two, Ray looks at being realistic and knowing when to change tactics. […]

From doing the right things in the right way, to considering how you dress and represent yourself and your company, the characteristics of essential leadership stand the test of time. In this special series of podcasts, Ray Zinn provides the finer points for leadership and leadership qualities and how to develop them. Rob Artigo: Welcome to a special edition of […]

Diversifying, pivoting, or just opening a lot of businesses to see what works, there’s a line between being a conglomerate and an unfocused business manager. In this edition of the Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn defines the differences and how to stay on track. Rob Artigo: Welcome to this edition of the Tough Things First podcast. I’m your guest […]

Insurance is one of the highest cost for business, and alternatives are needed. Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO, is joined by John Butler, and expert in business insurance and some of the interesting alternatives available today. Ray Zinn: Well hello everyone, welcome to another wonderful podcast of Tough Things First, we are so delighted to have with us […]

Machines are made-up of cogs. But if you spend all you time looking a cogs, you have no idea if the machine as a whole is running right. Ray Zinn educates us on how business leaders should focus. Guy Smith: Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of the, Tough Things First Podcast. My name is Guy Smith, I’m your […]

Every CEO needs to heed their stakeholders. But can any CEO possibly have a company represent the values of every stakeholder. Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO, draws lines between being woke and being overreaching. Guy Smith: Hello, and welcome again to another episode of The Tough Things First podcast. I’m your host today, Guy Smith, and I’m really […]

When entrepreneurs channel nervous energy constructively, they take the healthy awareness that their business could fail and we use that awareness to stay on their toes. In this Tough Things First podcast episode, Ray Zinn – Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO – chats with Dr. Chloe Carmichael, and expert on the psychology of emotional energy for teams and how it can best […]

How companies rebound from prolonged revenue depression is not just for a post-pandemic world. As Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO, Ray Zinn has led the way through major dips and explains strategies for exiting them. Guy Smith: Hello again, and welcome to another episode of the Tough Things First Podcast, where we absorb the wisdom of Silicon Valley’s longest serving […]