Zach on Leadership

Don’t you love it when you find a small tweak that makes a big difference? That always feels like a win because so much of what we do requires tremendous effort and the benefits are not always realized. We experienced one of these low-effort, high-reward changes this past year, and I thought I’d share our insights. Problem #1: Like many organizations, we rely on the timely cascade of relevant, contextualized information. Discussions at the executive level get shared with the…

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I just got back from a two-week vacation. A common reaction I get is, “Wow. How did you pull that off?” I didn’t always do this. I started taking 2-3 week vacations annually about 9 years ago. The thing that triggered it was the purchase of an RV for our family of six. Sure, you can take your RV out for a weekend, and we do, but if you really want to use it for what it’s capable of, you…

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This past weekend, the world got one of the best-ever looks at the Aurora Borealis, aka the Northern Lights. Personally, I was in northern Minnesota at the time. I forgot my DSLR camera at home but managed to snap some decent shots with my iPhone. I took in the beautiful sights with several friends, who were also feverishly taking photos of the sky with their phones. This is what I experienced last weekend. Many of you probably experienced something similar:…

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Note to my non-techie audience: This article is a bit more technical than usual, but as always, there’s a leadership lesson. This week, I’m reflecting on my time as an engineer and am considering what that means for my leadership practice. There are things that I did back then, that I now oversee. The technologies and times have changed, but a lot of the principles have not. 20 years ago, I worked as a senior systems engineer for a financial…

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Is leadership a general skill, or is it context-specific? In other words, does it help to have domain knowledge in the area you are leading, or can a skilled leader lead anything effectively? I’ve spent 100% of my professional career leading in the technology domain. I’ve never led a business unit, sales team, marketing function, or anything else. I generally consider my technical knowledge a huge asset when leading technology teams. It gives me credibility and empathy with my team…

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My 16-year-old son, Nathan, got a job this week at a local fast-food restaurant. His experience reminded me of the stories I hear every week from “open-to-work” technology professionals looking for their next opportunity. While there are differences, there are more similarities than you might think. I’ll tell you his story, and then we will see what lessons apply to the rest of us. Originally, Nathan had no interest in working in fast food. He wanted to work at our…

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“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…

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I had a great opportunity to be a guest on the SchmidtList with Kurt Schmidt. Kurt is President and Partner at Foundry and a business coach at Schmidt Consulting. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the MnTech Careers 1.0 event. Kurt summarized the key takeaways in the show notes: 🌱 The Growth Mindset: – Confidence is crucial but complement it with humility to conquer impostor syndrome.– Be a perpetual learner—stagnation is the enemy in this fast-paced tech landscape.–…

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You 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…

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I 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’…

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