Zach on Leadership

I was working with one of my teams recently on an exciting and important strategic initiative. Everything was coming together nicely. They had a solid approach, good stakeholder engagement, and a reasonable plan. There was just one thing missing. Apart from the direct team and the direct stakeholder group, almost no one knew anything about it. That’s when I said, “It’s time to come out of stealth...

Today is the fifth anniversary of the launch of Zach on Leadership. Why launch a new blog on the Friday before Memorial Day? Is anyone even paying attention then? There was a reason for this decision. In my leadership journey, this is an important date. 19 years ago, something happened to me that shaped my view of leadership forever. I made the biggest operational mistake of my career. I singled-h...

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working with one of my teams and an outside party to bring forward a proposal for approval. At one point in the process, there was some difference of opinion between the internal team and the external group. In that moment, I heard these words come out of my mouth: “alignment is more important than accuracy.” I was simply trying to be helpful, not profound, but a...

Back in high school, my days were broken up into several class periods. At the end of a period, the bell rang, signaling the time to transition to the next class. If I remember correctly, I had about 7 or 8 minutes to travel to my next class, use the restroom, swap books at my locker, and say “hi” to my band-geek friends. When the bell rang a second time, I was expected to be sitting at my desk at...

I often talk with leaders that are new in their roles. They aren’t new leaders, but for some reason or another, they are in a new role, due to a reorganization, promotion, or job change. When I ask how it’s going, I usually hear answers like “busy” or “good.” Occasionally, I get a very brave answer: “I’m overwhelmed.” I appreciate this answer because it’s completely normal to feel this way in a ne...

There are two questions that every leader must continually answer: Where are we going and what’s next? Answering these two questions every day is one of the most important things I can do. While the questions are simple, the answers are never easy. Additionally, the work is never done. These questions need to be re-asked and re-answered regularly. Not because our direction is erratic, but because...

Recently, one of my LinkedIn followers, Jen Musbach, told me that one of the most significant things she appreciates about the Zach on Leadership blog is my consistency. Every Friday, my readers can count on a new blog article and podcast episode. While I am indeed intentional about consistency, I hadn’t thoroughly considered how rare and how important this is. Furthermore, for those of us who cal...

Once upon a time, Minnesota was known for bad weather and more than our fair share of lakes. For the past 11 months, we’ve become world-renown as one of the most divisive places on the planet. 11 months ago, following the tragic death of George Floyd, I wrote a series of articles about my observations and how these events influenced my leadership philosophy. You can read them here, here, and here....

Many leaders have an awkward relationship with their job titles. Titles drive us to achieve. I distinctly remember the moments I was given the title of senior engineer, then manager, then director, then vice president. Those were big moments that simultaneously made me proud and humble. I also lead outside of my corporation. At my church, I was elected to an elder position, and then subsequently,...

It is a standard business practice to set an Out of Office auto-response on your email when you will be unreachable. That way, when people reach out, you can set their expectations and redirect them, so they won’t think you are just ignoring their message. This is a good courtesy and almost everyone does it. If you’ve forgotten what that feature even is, then it’s probably been too long since you’...

I very well may be one of the most prospected people on the planet. I don’t have any data to back that up, so I’ll just call it a hunch. I’m a senior technology leader at a large corporation. I have a very active LinkedIn presence. Those two facts must automatically stuff me into every technology salesperson’s leads database. I don’t regret my role or my social media engagement, so I accept that t...

I’ve made an observation this week that I’d like to share. I’ve observed this in myself and I’ve observed it in others. I have a theory that I’d like to propose. I’m interested to know if you think it’s true. Motivation I’ve studied the science of motivation. I’ve written about it before on this blog several times. I fundamentally believe that people are motivated intrinsically more than extrinsic...

“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” I’m sure you’ve heard that cliché before. There is simplicity in its truth. Yet somehow, many of us find implementing it elusive. It turns out, being yourself isn’t as easy as it sounds. In this article we will figure out why this is and what we can do about it. Discontentment I’d like to start out with a story. About six years ago, I was working for...

Many of us have been working remotely for nearly a year. I’ve written often over the past year on various stages of adaptation and adjustment. Once upon a time, we all thought this situation would be temporary. Now, a year hence, some real fatigue has set in. In this article, I’ll offer my personal reflection on video conference fatigue and what to do about it. Exhaustion Allow me to state the obv...

As an organizational leader, I spend most of my time thinking about developing people and teams. It’s what I do. In this article, I’d like to tackle a myth that shapes how a lot of leaders think and behave. True or False: People should be well-rounded. Answer: False What answer did you get? Many think well-roundedness is both attainable and ideal. It is neither. Why do we think this way? For me, i...

As leaders, we have a lot of expectations on us. We need to be clear communicators, skilled team builders, good at finances, and inspiring speakers. That’s a lot of expectations. For those who are new at leadership, it’s impossible to become excellent in all of these areas overnight. Developing leadership skills isn’t just about learning and practice. I’ve come to believe that there is a fundament...

With Valentine’s Day coming up, many of us focus on celebrating the significant relationships in our lives. While a bit of stretch, I’m going to use this article to focus on the aspect of my job that I love the most: leading my team. That may seem incredibly obvious, since I’m in a leadership position, but I’ve come to believe that this passion isn’t as ubiquitous as you might think. “I wish you m...

What is the shelf-life of an organizational design? In my experience, about two years or so. Wait longer than that, and just like a loaf of bread, your organizational design will get stiff and moldy. To some, that may seem aggressive. After all, reorganizations are very disruptive, and the benefits must outweigh the costs. I’ll defend my answer, but let’s first look at the big picture. What is the...

In the marketplace of ideas, it’s not the best ideas that win, but the best communicated ideas that win. Looking back at my career, the big moments were often defined by big presentations. Presentations are powerful opportunities, yet few put in the work to make truly great presentations. We’re all busy, so it’s tempting to throw something together quickly or just wing it. That’s fine if isn’t par...

I’ve seen the picture above or a variation of it used to make many points. Some use it as a warning that if you give too much of yourself you won’t survive the loss. I’ve also seen it used to describe a mentor that has many shortcomings but gives you the piece that you are missing. Finally, I’ve seen it used to describe a father’s sacrificial love for his son. Art has a way of communicating differ...

“Get out of your comfort zone.” How many times have you been given that advice? Probably a lot. I know I have. It’s good advice and I heed it often. In my personal and professional journey, I’ve learned that it’s not only good advice, but it’s a bit more dynamic than you might think. I’m going to use this article to develop the concept a bit. If we need to get out of our comfort zone, we need to d...

2020 is behind us. The world, of course, is still full of difficulty and challenge. This week has delivered a new round of terrible chaos. Yet, I choose to focus on the positive. While much has been taken, we’ve also been given much. One of those gifts many have been given is flexible remote work. It started off as work from home. Many of us left the office in a hurry, with the thought that we mig...

We live in a cynical world. A cynical world. And we work in a business of tough competitors. – Jerry Maguire The world of the corporate enterprise can be a cynical place. Week after week, I preach leadership. I do it for all of you, but I also do it for myself. By writing, I remind myself of the truth. Why do you and I need these constant reminders? Our world is cynical, and frankly, sometimes so...

This week, I’m reflecting on my career progression. I’ve been working in Information Technology for 22 years. I started off as a desktop support technician and now lead a large team as a technology executive. I’ve pondered the journey and the path I’ve taken. In those 22 years, I’ve held 13 distinct roles at 4 different companies. I’ve chronicled part of that journey in a previous blog series. In...

Congratulations. You clicked on the link. I asked the question, “do you feel like you are failing?” For a split second, you asked yourself that question. If you made it this far, you probably answered that question with “yes,” “maybe,” or “sometimes.” Being honest with yourself is an important first step. Leadership and failure Leaders like to succeed. We like to achieve. We like to win. That give...