Zach on Leadership
- Autor: Vários
- Narrador: Vários
- Editor: Podcast
- Duración: 17:14:50
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Sinopsis
Better Leaders in Enterprise Technology
Episodios
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I Need More Staff!
05/04/2024 Duración: 07min“I need more staff,” says the manager, with a look of panic and exhaustion in his eyes. What happens next varies from leader to leader, but usually winds up in the same place: “No.” This experience is demotivating for the manager, aggravating for the overworked team, and is no picnic for those up the management chain either. In this article, I will unpack this dynamic a bit. A lot is going on here. I’ll even offer a few suggestions for... Read More Read More The post I Need More Staff! appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Exploring the Disconnect Between Leadership Communication and Reality
22/03/2024 Duración: 06minYou are a fantastic leader. You’ve got a great team. You gather everyone together in an all-team meeting. You carefully announce and explain your new innovative and strategic initiative. It’s inspiring. People nod their heads. They even clap at the end. Then the meeting ends and everyone goes back to their desks and does what they’ve always done. Despair This doesn’t really happen, does it? Your team members are good people. You are the boss. Of course, they listen to what you have to... Read More Read More The post Exploring the Disconnect Between Leadership Communication and Reality appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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A Legacy of Innovation: Happy 60th Anniversary to the CHS IT Department
15/03/2024 Duración: 05minI love the future, but sometimes, it is important to recognize the past. More than most, I pay attention to company history. I love our origin story and the twists and turns along the way. Understanding our past can help us make sense of our present and realize our future. CHS is a 95-year-old company. That history is filled with a lot of mergers. The most significant merger happened in 1998 when Cenex and Harvest States joined to form CHS. CHS’... Read More Read More The post A Legacy of Innovation: Happy 60th Anniversary to the CHS IT Department appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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How to Use Your Leadership Lenses
02/02/2024 Duración: 03minEver had a leader who was too involved in all of the details? We call that leader a micromanager. It can feel suffocating and unempowering. Ever had a leader who was aloof, uninvolved, with their head in the clouds? I’ve not heard “macromanager” as a commonly used term, but it seems like the appropriate semantic. This leader makes you feel unsupported and alone. Have you ever heard someone describe themself as detail-oriented? Have you ever heard someone describe themself as... Read More Read More The post How to Use Your Leadership Lenses appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Building Your Leadership Brand
26/01/2024 Duración: 06minEach week on this blog, I build my leadership brand. Whether you know it or not, that is what I’m doing. I spend more time doing it than talking about how or why I do it. It occurred to me recently that my readers may want to build their leadership brands. First, a caveat: What I do works for me because I’m me. How much of this is transferrable to you depends on so many factors. So, I’ll tell you... Read More Read More The post Building Your Leadership Brand appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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What You’ve Learned Matters a Little. What You’ve Learned Lately Matters a Lot.
19/01/2024 Duración: 04minI was cleaning out my desk over the weekend and found some old relics of my professional past. I found a mix of trinkets, awards, business cards, certifications, and some old floppy disks. I flipped through the disks and found this exam preparation software for the Networking Essentials exam, which was part of the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer NT 4.0 certification. I passed this exam back in 1998 and completed the entire certification for MCSE in 1999. That was 25... Read More Read More The post What You’ve Learned Matters a Little. What You’ve Learned Lately Matters a Lot. appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Practices for Technology Vendor Management
12/01/2024 Duración: 04minOne of the biggest themes in Zach on Leadership is leading teams. That’s the core part of the job where most leaders need the most help and encouragement. However, that’s not all there is. Another big piece, especially for technology leaders, is vendor management. I’ve written plenty about the technology sales process. In case you missed those articles, you can check them out here, here, here, and here. I’ve even written specific articles about price negotiations and sourcing. So, what... Read More Read More The post Leadership Practices for Technology Vendor Management appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Lessons from Community Tech Support
05/01/2024 Duración: 05minThis is an article for all of you who spent Christmas and the ensuing days setting up and fixing all of the electronic gadgets that your friends and family received. If you’re that guy or gal, you know exactly what I’m talking about. This used to mean installing computers, televisions, and sound systems. Also, setting the clock on Grandma’s microwave, but times have changed. Now, so much has a digital component to it. Gaming systems, online services, internet of toys,... Read More Read More The post Leadership Lessons from Community Tech Support appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Lessons from the Christmas Story
22/12/2023 Duración: 05minI love to look at the world around me and glean leadership lessons to inspire myself and others to rise to our calling. It’s Christmas. In years past, I’ve drawn leadership lessons from pop culture movies. If you are in the mood for that, please check out my series on Elf. Some of you read the title and guessed that I’d be writing about Ralphie from the movie, A Christmas Story. But this isn’t about “a” Christmas story, but “the”... Read More Read More The post Leadership Lessons from the Christmas Story appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Reflections on the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party
15/12/2023 Duración: 04minOn the evening of December 16, 1773, the brave patriots of Boston stood against tyranny. My Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather was among them and played a key role that changed the course of human history. Benjamin Edes Benjamin Edes was a member of the Sons of Liberty and publisher of the Boston Gazette. The Boston Gazette was the most radical of Boston newspapers often expressing a patriotic and revolutionary point of view. Some of the conspirators met... Read More Read More The post Leadership Reflections on the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Lessons from Driving an RV Backward up Mountain Switchbacks
08/12/2023 Duración: 04minA few years ago, I took my family on an RV trip to the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Jasper, and Yoho). It was one of our most epic trips, and I’d love to do it again. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. Some of you know that I’ve taken my family on a lot of epic RV trips. I’ve written about it before here. Since I’ve camped in 49 states, 5 Canadian provinces, and 37 national parks, people... Read More Read More The post Leadership Lessons from Driving an RV Backward up Mountain Switchbacks appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Hello Computer: The Opportunity for Generative AI to Modernize Computing
01/12/2023 Duración: 05minWhen I was a kid, I remember watching Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In this film, the crew of the Enterprise traveled back in time from 2286 to 1986. Scotty tried to use a MacIntosh computer by speaking to it, “Hello Computer”. Of course, it didn’t respond. Bones handed him the mouse, and Scotty spoke into it as if it were a microphone. Of course, that didn’t work either. If you need a refresher, check out the scene here:... Read More Read More The post Hello Computer: The Opportunity for Generative AI to Modernize Computing appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Dealing with the Ups and Downs of Leadership
17/11/2023 Duración: 05minFell off the jetway again This is a reference to the opening scene of the 1994 film, Dumb and Dumber. Lloyd is a limo driver who drives Mary Swanson to the airport. It was the best day of Lloyd’s life because he met the girl of his dreams. It was also the worst day, because he got in an accident, got fired, and ran off the jetway trying to return her Samsonite briefcase. Being a leader often feels this way.... Read More Read More The post Dealing with the Ups and Downs of Leadership appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Lesson from Deer Hunting – Part 2
10/11/2023 Duración: 05minFour years ago, I wrote “Leadership Lesson from Deer Hunting.” It’s one of my better articles. I wrote about the lessons learned from the preparation required to hunt and the stillness and patience in the woods. I also reflected on my experience passing on this sporting tradition to my two older boys. If you haven’t read it, please check it out, then continue on here. 4 years later A lot has changed in 4 years. My oldest son, Caleb, harvested... Read More Read More The post Leadership Lesson from Deer Hunting – Part 2 appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Lessons from Building a Mandalorian Suit
03/11/2023 Duración: 05minIn retrospect, had we known how much work it was going to be, we probably would have never done it. That’s how it is with ambitious endeavors. It starts with a vision. Then, we commit. Then, we nearly fail in a hundred different ways, yet we persevere to the end. This year, my 17-year-old son, Caleb, and I made a Mandalorian suit for Halloween. I wore it to work. He wore it that evening. This story starts about a year... Read More Read More The post Leadership Lessons from Building a Mandalorian Suit appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Hey Tech Leaders: How Often Do You Get Your Hands Dirty With Technology?
20/10/2023 Duración: 05minLast week, I published a big article about ZachGPT: My little side project to build an artificial intelligence in my likeness. If you missed it, check it out here. In the week since, I’ve been reflecting on that experience. It felt really good to get my hands dirty with emerging tech. It occurred to me that the reasons why, how, and to what degree I do this have important leadership implications. That’s the topic we will discuss this week. Letting... Read More Read More The post Hey Tech Leaders: How Often Do You Get Your Hands Dirty With Technology? appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Introducing ZachGPT: Your AI Leadership Chatbot
13/10/2023 Duración: 06minSo, I did it. I merged with AI. I jacked in. My consciousness is in the machine. Well, sort of. I read and watch plenty of Sci-Fi. This sort of thing fascinates me. While my opening statement is an exaggeration, it’s as close as I can get with today’s technology. And it was easier than I thought. Let’s back up a bit. I’ve been preoccupied with Generative AI as of late. Yep. Me and everyone else, I know. About six... Read More Read More The post Introducing ZachGPT: Your AI Leadership Chatbot appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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Leadership Lessons from Servicing Candy Machines as a Teenager
06/10/2023 Duración: 06minWhen I was 13, I got my first job. I was a newspaper carrier. I learned a ton of formative personal leadership lessons from that experience and I wrote them all down here. With that job, I was my own boss. I worked alone. When I turned 16, I got a second job, in addition to the paper route. My next-door neighbor, Bruce, ran his own candy vending machine business. These were the small pedestal machines with bulk candy in... Read More Read More The post Leadership Lessons from Servicing Candy Machines as a Teenager appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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From Engineer to Owner
29/09/2023 Duración: 07minOwnership. It means, “I’ve got this.” It’s the words, actions, and attitude. It’s the competence and the confidence. It’s not associated with any particular job title or level. When it’s there, we feel good. When it’s not, we’re lost. In the world of information technology, ownership can be elusive. Development blames operations. Operations blames development. The business blames IT. IT blames the vendor. The vendor blames the other vendor. People suffer. At the end of the day, all we want... Read More Read More The post From Engineer to Owner appeared first on Zach on Leadership.
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Technology Leaders
22/09/2023 Duración: 07minTrue story: Generative AI recently hallucinated, claiming that I wrote an e-book entitled, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Technology Leaders.” That was totally made up. But I liked the idea, so I decided to defictionalize it. Or here’s a creepier explanation: GenAI knew the future… Never mind. Let’s not go there. Back in the day, when I started my career, Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” was hot. I remember taking a corporate classroom course on... Read More Read More The post The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Technology Leaders appeared first on Zach on Leadership.