PODCAST

Tough Things First

Ray Zinn

Discipline, servant leadership, entrepreneurial success

business management & marketing

All Episodes

9:21

Comparing Yourself to Others.

Tough Things First ·

2025/04/09

Do we live in a culture that promotes comparisons to others? Is it jealously, envy? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn says keeping up with trends may be healthy, but keeping up with the Jones’s may be a problem. Rob Artigo: I recently read a quote where the writer said he had not met a person […]

en-US

8:50

Goals Need Plans or They’re Just Pipe-dreams

Tough Things First ·

2025/04/02

You may have heard that a failure to plan is nothing more than a plan to fail. Ray Zinn puts his hard earned life experience out there and proves what you get if you fail to plan is a pipe-dream and surefire disappointment. Rob Artigo: Good to be back. You have a series of books. You have Zen of Zinn […]

en-US

16:29

The Essential Leader Book Launch!

Tough Things First ·

2025/03/25

A lifetime of leadership experience wrapped in an entertaining and informative read. Join Tough Things First for the official launch of The Essential Leader by Ray Zinn, 10 Skills, Attributes, and Fundamentals that Make Up The Essential Leader. (Watch the Video Podcast) Rob Artigo: I’m Rob Artigo, former Bay Area Radio Personality and your host for this edition of The […]

en-US

10:50

Immigration and Robotics

Tough Things First ·

2025/03/05

The question often heard is who will pick our produce under tighter immigration enforcement? Maybe the question that aught to be asked is when will humanoid robots be doing that job? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn tells us the one constant is change. Ray Zinn: Hi, Rob. Rob Artigo: Well, I’ve heard this repeated frequently, and maybe […]

en-US

9:45

Fear of Competition or Just Lazy?

Tough Things First ·

2025/02/26

Competition is a wonderful and important aspect of success, but some people recoil in horror over how it forces them to be proactive. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn explores the reasons why we need to embrace our competitive nature. (Video Podcast) Rob Artigo: Good to be back. This is a special edition of the podcast. It’s […]

en-US

11:52

Unhappy Workers. It’s not them it’s YOU.

Tough Things First ·

2025/02/19

What makes a good employee bury their face in their hands and under-perform? Ray Zinn says it’s not a mystery. Not to them. But to the leadership? Crickets. Rob Artigo: Ray, got this message from you the other day, I love this story you told, about recently going to get some medical tests. And you met some medical techs […]

en-US

8:54

Fear of Failure

Tough Things First ·

2025/02/12

Success is often muted or even missed entirely over the fear of failure. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn talks about the key factors involved in the Fear of Failure. Rob Artigo: Ray, another one of those nasty little things that get in the way of success is fear of failure. In your opinion, is the fear […]

en-US

8:52

The Right Time to Start?

Tough Things First ·

2025/02/05

Would be entrepreneurs often fret over, “is this the right time to start my business?” Maybe the real question gets ignore in the process. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn explains the bigger question you must ask yourself and why “when” is hardly what matters most. Rob Artigo: Would-be entrepreneurs can often find themselves stuck before they even […]

en-US

15:19

Business Self-Assessment

Tough Things First ·

2025/01/22

In business self-assessment, few components are more important than identifying your customer. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discusses the elements of identifying your target customer and the obstacles to obtaining and retaining them. Rob Artigo: I caught a piece on a website called entrepreneur.com. It caught my attention for a couple of reasons, but I picked one […]

en-US

9:03

Self-Reliance

Tough Things First ·

2025/01/15

Sometimes we need to check with ourselves to see if we are positioned well for unforeseen troubles. In this Tough Things First podcast with Ray Zinn, has the keys to self-reliance. Rob Artigo: Good to be back. And I’ve got a copy of Zen of Zinn Two, one of your books here in front of me, and I flipped […]

en-US

10:44

American Chip Manufacturing: New President New Plan?

Tough Things First ·

2025/01/01

The reemerging American semiconductor industry is a little nervous about what President Trump will do regarding the CHIPS and Science Act, but CNBC reports Trump is unlikely to roll it back. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn says only a robust American chip sector can thwart Chinese power grab through chip dominance. Rob Artigo:…you ran Micrel as […]

en-US

9:42

Do You Know What You Don’t Know?

Tough Things First ·

2024/12/18

A cognitive bias that occurs when someone overestimates their knowledge or abilities in a particular area can wreak havoc. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn explores ways to avoid it. Rob Artigo: I had been looking around for different subject ideas and I came across a term called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. It’s about cognitive bias that occurs when […]

en-US

10:49

Faster Decision-making

Tough Things First ·

2024/12/11

The opposite of paralysis by analysis is making a resolute decision in moments while others stew. But how do you get there? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discusses how famous business minds get right to it without hesitating. Rob Artigo: Well Ray, let’s talk if we could, a little bit about leadership and leaders in business at […]

en-US

15:10

Can the D.O.G.E. Do It?

Tough Things First ·

2024/12/08

It is called the Department of Government Efficiency and it doesn’t even exist yet. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray discusses the hope of D.O.G.E. and why it will require some very heavy lifting to see real change. Rob Artigo: A lot of changes have come up in the last month or so, and we’re going to have a […]

en-US

13:43

Election Reaction, Overreaction?

Tough Things First ·

2024/11/30

The long and the short of the 2024 Presidential Election cycle and what it tells us about where we are as a country. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn gives his take. Rob Artigo: It’s been another long and exhaust… It’s weird, it’s been an election cycle that was both very long as it tends to be, […]

en-US

12:16

Honesty vs. Integrity

Tough Things First ·

2024/11/20

It’s possible to be honest only sometimes, which makes integrity a full time job. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discussing how honesty and integrity are different and how they may impact your reputation as a leader and coworker when applied disproportionately. Rob Artigo: Well, you have talked a lot about honesty on this show, also integrity, but […]

en-US

17:06

AI email etiquette. How much is too much AI?

Tough Things First ·

2024/11/15

It is getting easier to instruct AI tools as a shortcut for sending out emails and social media posts, but when is it a misleading crutch? Ray Zinn discusses changing AI use and how to recognize the gray areas of using AI and calling it your own work. (Watch Video Podcast…) Ray Zinn: Good morning there, Rob. Rob Artigo: Well, […]

en-US

7:19

Promote Yourself

Tough Things First ·

2024/11/06

Getting ahead at work is not complicated, but it does require effort. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discusses the concept of hiring from within a company, and how to be the person who moves up. Rob Artigo: Good to be back. So let’s talk about promoting from within a company instead of seeking talent from elsewhere. Micrel, […]

en-US

7:10

Real Success Requires Support

Tough Things First ·

2024/10/30

Entrepreneurs accomplish a lot by themselves. Fierce independence is a common trait, but why not work smarter, not harder? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn details why going it alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Rob Artigo: Well, Ray, you write so much it’s hard to keep up, but one thing that you did right recently […]

en-US

7:53

Are You a Good Leader?: A Self Assessment.

Tough Things First ·

2024/10/23

The benefit of self-awareness becomes evident when you put that knowledge into action and then evaluate if these actions are working. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn uses his extensive experience as a leader in business to explain why the habit of self assessment and reassessment is worth developing. Rob Artigo: In the Zen of Zinn one, we […]

en-US

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Tough Things First

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