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…
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…
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…
The cult classic, Office Space, was released in 1999. Back then, I was early in my professional IT career. I was living the hilarity that I saw on the screen. Even though we’ve come so far as an industry and profession, there’s still so much truth that rings through today. Last week, I covered the leadership lessons from the Bobs. If you missed that, go back and read it, then continue on here. This week, I am focusing on the protagonist…
The cult classic, Office Space, was released in 1999. Back then, I was early in my professional IT career. I was living the hilarity that I saw on the screen. Even though we’ve come so far as an industry and profession, there’s still so much truth that rings through today. So much so, that I cannot do the film justice in just one blog article. I’ll draw applicable leadership lessons from multiple characters and scenes over several articles. The Bobs…
You’ve probably heard a leader around you recently tell you that they aren’t the smartest person in the room. It’s a very fashionable thing to say nowadays but what does it mean? It’s management-speak for conveying humility and empowerment. You are humble because you are admitting that you don’t have all of the answers. You are empowering because you are implying that as a leader you are able to find and listen to the smart ones on the team. These…
You’ve probably heard of the term, “high-capacity leader.” Leadership capacity is an abstract concept. You may wonder if you are a high-capacity leader or a low-capacity leader. How can I determine how much capacity I have? If I am low-capacity, is there anything I can do about it? I’ll use this article to explore those questions, share my experiences, and draw some conclusions. Let’s start with a cup of coffee Coffee cups come in all shapes and sizes. The fancy…
I’ve been writing this blog for over three years now and have produced 150 articles. A few of you have been with me this whole time, but most of you have jumped on the Zach on Leadership bandwagon somewhere along the line. Blogs are by nature, point-in-time articles. Few get read beyond the initial publication. I’ve written many that you have missed. While they are all nicely cataloged on my website, very few take the time to read through the…
I’ve been recently reflecting on some formative experiences that made me who I am. One of those experiences developed through a phase of my career where I gave my primary attention to one particular technology platform: Citrix. As I’ve come to look back, it’s not the technology itself, but some surrounding elements that really contributed to my career development. Circa 2000, Citrix released a technology product called MetaFrame. It’s the great-grandfather of the current generation of the product, called Citrix…
I noticed something about myself. I change my mind a lot. I’ve noticed something else. I change my mind faster than I used to. What does that mean about me? I’ve only recently become comfortable with this idea. I had to challenge my own self-concept of what good leadership is. I used to think consistency was king. In order to lead with conviction, I needed to stick with my positions and advocate for them vigorously to the end. Or did…