Zach on Leadership

My work as a technology leader is more often marked and differentiated by the human element than technology itself. Certainly, on this blog, the vast majority of my articles are about people and organizations in the enterprise technology context more than about the actual technology. However, as a technology leader, I often embark upon intellectual journeys as well. Many are specific, but this one is general. It applies to almost every sizable corporation. If you are an enterprise technology leader,…

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At my company, CHS, we are currently in our performance review cycle. This is a staple procedure in every large corporation I’ve worked. I’ve received performance reviews for 20 years and have been giving them for 13 years. Most people I talk to look at this process as an unpleasant chore. Most understand that it’s necessary, but painful nonetheless. Every Human Resources organization in every company gives plenty of guidance on how to give a performance review. That advice is…

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As I’ve progressed through my career, the demand on my time has continually increased. I get a tsunami of sales calls, a blizzard of emails, and a monsoon of meeting requests. Leadership comes with a fair amount of extreme weather analogies. So, there you have it. The debtor I think subconsciously, many of us look at this subject like a debtor trying to pay our bills. We have more bills than money, and we honestly agonize about which ones to…

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If you are an experienced leader in a completely new role, this article is for you. I haven’t started a completely new position in many years; however, I do talk with leaders in this situation all the time, so I think it’s worth sharing some wisdom. If you have recently started a new role, I know exactly how you feel. You are trying desperately to memorize names, find the conference rooms, and decipher company acronyms, all while trying to make…

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Six months ago, I left my office in the corporate headquarters to join 40 co-workers in an office experiment. I wrote an entire article about the experiment and what we hoped to achieve, but I will summarize the main points here. Our corporate office campus is being remodeled floor-by-floor, so we needed some additional space to work while our floor got the makeover. We could have sought the closest suburban office building with space, but we intentionally decided to try…

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Most people in leadership positions go through some sort of 360 feedback review from time to time. I’ve gone through this at several companies, and always learn something through the process. I’ve made the argument before on this blog that self-awareness is an absolutely critical attribute of every successful leader, so naturally, the more feedback we get, the better, right? I recently read a book that’s pretty popular right now: Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the…

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I’m a Seth Godin fan and follower. I read a lot of leadership books and there are a lot of great authors out there. However, if I had to pick one modern author that has made the biggest impact on my leadership, it would have to be Seth Godin. A few years ago, I wrote a blog article about my favorite leadership book: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? If you missed that article, be sure to read it first, then come…

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Do you love the Zach on Leadership blog but lack the time to read it? Starting today, I’m offering the same content as a podcast. Going forward you can read my blog as always, or listen to it as a podcast. If you’d rather hear me than read, then this is for you. Whether you are working out or driving home, you can stay connected with the engaging leadership topics we cover each week. Search for “Zach on Leadership” in…

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Woody Allen once said, “Showing up is 80% of life.” I tend to agree. As I look back on big moments in my life, I remember who showed up. I know who flew 1,000 miles to come to my wedding. I remember who drove five hours each way to watch me walk across a stage for 15 seconds when I graduated. Because it’s important to me, I’ve made it a priority to show up for others. I’ll get on a…

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The cult classic, Office Space, was released in 1999. In late 1999, I was early in my professional IT career. Like Peter Gibbons, I was fixing the Y2K bug, working in a cubicle, and putting cover sheets on my own versions of TPS reports. Two weeks ago, I explored the leadership lessons that can be gleaned from the Bobs. Last week, I examined Peter’s redeeming qualities of personal leadership. If you haven’t had a chance to read those yet, go back…

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