PODCAST

Tough Things First

Ray Zinn

Discipline, servant leadership, entrepreneurial success

business management & marketing

All Episodes

9:05

Don’t be Bamboozled, Get the Facts

Tough Things First ·

2025/11/05

The world of information is transforming at light speed, and getting sucked into a misinformation vortex is a constant problem. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn says, “Just the Facts, Ma’am.” Rob Artigo: Ray, looking at page 26 of your first Zen of Zinn book, Zen of Zinn one. It says, you wrote this, “Get it right and […]

en-US

9:57

Leadership and Ai

Tough Things First ·

2025/10/30

Will Ai help develop a new generation of leaders or turn human brains off to the idea of decision-making with out it? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn explores the nature of this serious question. Rob Artigo: Got a good topic here, Ray. Let’s dive into how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping leadership roles like decision-making and […]

en-US

13:49

80 Hours a Week?

Tough Things First ·

2025/10/22

Work life balance. Is it a recipe for long term success, or a surefire way to fail? In the Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn counters the case made by some enormously successful CEOs. (Watch Now on YouTube) Ray Zinn: Hello, Rob. Good to be with you today. Rob Artigo: Well, Ray, this is a special edition of the Tough […]

en-US

8:52

Career Transitions

Tough Things First ·

2025/10/09

Change is the one constant. Handling it is a skill in itself. Ray Zinn has seen his share and you can benefit from that experience. Ray Zinn: Hi Rob. Good to be here today. Rob Artigo: Great to be back, Ray. Job changes, industry shifts, entrepreneurial leaps, what do these all have in common? They’re all big changes, right. They’re […]

en-US

7:00

Leading With Emotional Intelligence

Tough Things First ·

2025/10/01

Leading with emotional intelligence is a major part of success in any leadership role. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn outlines what is at the heart of developing this difficult skill to master. Rob Artigo: We have talked at length on this show about your management style, walking around, getting to know employees, and you’ve written about it […]

en-US

8:39

Decisions Under Pressure

Tough Things First ·

2025/09/24

Making timely, smart decisions can be an everyday occurrence. But what happens when the pressure is turned up and the stakes the highest you have ever faced? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discusses the key elements of navigating decisions under pressure. Rob Artigo: Ray, as CEO of Micrel for nearly four decades, you have had to make […]

en-US

8:22

Mental Toughness

Tough Things First ·

2025/09/17

How do successful people master resilience for career and life success? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn says it comes down to mental toughness and the key to that comes from within you. Rob Artigo: Well, Ray, let’s talk about how we can develop mental toughness to adapt, to change, and overcome setbacks. This goes to mastering resilience […]

en-US

12:09

Charlie Kirk

Tough Things First ·

2025/09/11

This isn’t politics, it’s madness. In this Tough Things First podcast Ray Zinn discussing the murder of Charlie Kirk and the sickness that plagues the American political landscape. (At the time of this post, no suspect had been arrested.) Ray Zinn: Hi Rob. How’s it going today? Rob Artigo: It’s a tough day because we had a 31-year-old conservative activist […]

en-US

13:52

The Yes Resume

Tough Things First ·

2025/09/03

If you had more than four decades of experience and knew all there was to know about hiring people for important positions, what would you say described a winning resume? Let’s ask Ray Zinn in this Tough Things First podcast. Rob Artigo: Ray as CEO of Micrel, I’m very interested in your take on this, and you were involved in […]

en-US

11:54

Never Give Up

Tough Things First ·

2025/09/02

Some challenges are financial, others are personal, and some are life changing where only you can decide if you still want success badly enough. Ray Zinn discusses how to persevere through worst kinds of challenges. (Watch on YouTube) Ray Zinn: Hello, Rob. Good to be with you today. Rob Artigo: You may not, and others may not, immediately know the […]

en-US

10:00

Market Recovery

Tough Things First ·

2025/08/13

It has been quite the ride on the stock market in 2025, but it hasn’t been the one many expected in January. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn talks about how the market tanked but came back in what seemed like record time. Ray Zinn: Hi, Rob. Good to be with you today. Rob Artigo: Well, it wasn’t […]

en-US

18:46

Ray Zinn: Commencement

Tough Things First ·

2025/08/06

Tough Things First Podcast: Ray Zinn discusses his commencement speech at San Jose State. (Watch) Rob Artigo: Well, you have the honor to do the commencement speech at San José State recently, and you described it as a bucket list moment. What was it that you felt was so special about doing it? Ray Zinn: Well, if you think about […]

en-US

7:52

Inspiration

Tough Things First ·

2025/07/30

Do you often think of the words that exist within words and how they expand and deepen meaning? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn talks an about the word inspiration. Rob Artigo: This is a good reading that we’re going to do here. This is from the Zen of Zinn 3, your third book in this series, inspirational […]

en-US

8:42

When is Dishonesty Justified?

Tough Things First ·

2025/07/23

There are differing views on justifying dishonesty. Revenge or righting wrongs with more wrongs seems to be the default position of many these days. But in this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn says there is an honest answer to this question. Rob Artigo: Ray, you recently wrote a musing that caught my attention. I thought this is surely going to […]

en-US

12:29

Professional Development

Tough Things First ·

2025/07/16

It’s not enough to succeed at first. We must continue to excel. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn talks about the need for constant self improvement and professional development. Rob Artigo: So I guess the question here is when is it okay to neglect skill building and updating knowledge, your knowledge of work or whether just self-improvement? I […]

en-US

13:12

Chat Bot Quandary

Tough Things First ·

2025/07/09

It turns out chat bots for chat or phone-in help lines are a mixed bag of results. Is the pendulum swinging back in favor of live human help? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn talks pros and cons of Ai assistance and human communication barriers. Ray Zinn: Hi, Rob. Good to be with you today. Rob Artigo: I […]

en-US

9:46

Bias: Who is Deceiving Who?

Tough Things First ·

2025/07/03

Now more than ever, we are all forced to question what we see and hear, but where our own biases are involved we usually don’t. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discusses the imperative of recognizing how easily we are duped by ourselves. Rob Artigo: Well, Ray, I was reading Zen of Zinn 3. On page 244, […]

en-US

10:37

The Real Meaning of Strong Leadership

Tough Things First ·

2025/06/25

Why strong leadership doesn’t mean leading with power. In this Tough Things First podcast Ray Zinn offers some thoughts on why many organizational leaders get it wrong. Rob Artigo: Well, you recently wrote, Ray, “The essence of leadership is not the wielding of power, but rather the wielding of grace and nurturing.” This is in line with what you wrote […]

en-US

12:22

Trust But Verify?

Tough Things First ·

2025/06/18

Is it true that you should trust but verify? In this Tough Things first podcast, Ray Zinn if you have to verify, there’s no trust involved. (Watch Video Podcast) Ray Zinn: Hey, Rob. Good to be with you today. Rob Artigo: Good to be back. Well, this is a special edition of The Tough Things First Podcast. It is a […]

en-US

11:36

Built Here.

Tough Things First ·

2025/06/04

Is the push for American Made an open door to a would be entrepreneur? In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn tells us how it could be done for those seeking the American Dream. Ray Zinn: Hi Rob. How’s it going today? Rob Artigo: Great. So with a nation, I feel like we’re in a mode of… There’s turmoil […]

en-US

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Tough Things First

All Episodes

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