The Essential Leader

Raymond D. "Ray" Zinn is an inventor, entrepreneur, and the longest serving CEO of a publicly traded company in Silicon Valley history. Zinn is known best for conceptualizing and in effect inventing the Wafer Stepper, and for co-founding semiconductor company Micrel (acquired by Microchip in 2015). He started out on a Southern California farm and was later educated in engineering and business. He managed teams in the business world at all levels, learning to master the skills of "The Essential Leader," effective for being part master of business and part empathetic mentor. "The Essential Leader" is a masterclass in the examination of what Zinn learned were the elements of leadership that work to produce dynamic productivity in staff, while instilling the values and motivations that keep the teams happy and committed to a shared vision. "The Essential Leader" is the only proven road map through the road less traveled. The road you forge for yourself if you follow what is clearly defined in these pages. Pursue your goals with confident decision making, energized by faith in your acquired knowledge and your newfound skills as a leader!

Raymond D. "Ray" Zinn is an inventor, entrepreneur, and the longest serving CEO of a publicly traded company in Silicon Valley history. Zinn is known best for conceptualizing and in effect inventing the Wafer Stepper, and for co-founding semiconductor company Micrel (acquired by Microchip in 2015). He started out on a Southern California farm and later educated in engineering and business. He managed teams in the business world at all levels, learning to master the skills of "The Essential Leader," effective for being part master of business and part empathetic mentor. "The Essential Leader" is a masterclass in the examination of what Zinn learned were the elements of leadership that work to produce dynamic productivity in staff, while instilling the values and motivations that keep the teams happy and committed to a shared vision. "The Essential Leader" is the only proven road map through the road less traveled. The road you forge for yourself if you follow what is clearly defined in these pages. Pursue your goals with confident decision making, energized by faith in your acquired knowledge and your newfound skills as a leader! "The Essential Leader" is written in a relatable style for a quick read, but concise enough to make each detail come alive for comprehension, retention, and action. In these pages, Ray will walk you through the finer points of dealing with stress and distractions to improve your success rate to not just good, but great. Whether you're leading a small unit, a start-up, or a major company, you will learn how and why to orchestrate and foster a passionate workplace and positive culture. You will learn a new definition of success, and why the goal of each "try, try, again" must be specific yet flexible enough to try it a different way. "The Essential Leader" aims to help you understand why what you wear and how you carry yourself are part of your influence on others and impacts the willingness of others to trust your leadership. You will also learn how to build that trust and keep it. In all, you will become a more confident leader with sound judgement, and a focus on the value of people instead of money. Inspired, confident, creative people who believe in you will be your greatest asset. You will find how much money you make depends on their success and loyalty. "The Essential Leader" inevitably makes money. Some will even get rich, but that part is up to you.

Raymond D. "Ray" Zinn woke up in a haze, though his head was clear. His eyes had become so blurry he was disoriented, confused and frightened. He lost his sight just as he was emerging in an industry destined to change the world. Instead of shrinking from the challenge, he excelled as an entrepreneur, innovator, CEO, and sold his company for nearly $900 million dollars. Not bad, for a California farm boy. Ray is an inventor, angel investor, and bestselling author. Most notably, he has distinguished himself by serving longer as a CEO in Silicon Valley than any other executive. He is the founder of a nationally launched ZinnStarter program at colleges around the country, providing the financial and mentoring support for students to launch new products and companies. In 2015, Ray published his first book "Tough Things First" with McGraw Hill. This book was followed by his series Zen of Zinn 1, 2 and 3. Ray Zinn is also known for conceptualizing and in effect inventing the Wafer Stepper, and for co-founding semiconductor company Micrel (acquired by Microchip in 2015), which provides essential components for smartphones, consumer electronics and enterprise networks. He served as Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of its Board of Directors and President since the Company's inception in 1978. Ray led Micrel profitably through eight major downturns in global chip markets, an impressive achievement. Ray Zinn holds over 20 patents for semiconductor design.