Tough Things First

  Leadership   Manufacturing   ProjectsAtWork  

Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO Ray Zinn says that focusing on “culture, kindness and discipline” are how his semiconductor company survived the booms and busts commonplace in the tech industry. Here, he shares his thoughts on leadership, the current startup scene, and the concept of regret.

When Ray Zinn founded Micrel in 1978, California’s famed Silicon Valley wasn’t about venture capitalists, billion dollar startup “unicorns” or Tesla’s Elon Musk. In fact, the term Silicon Valley itself wasn’t even coined until 1971.

The former farming community at this time was about making things, or more specifically, building semiconductors. And that’s exactly what Zinn and Micrel did, manufacturing and marketing semiconductors into an industry-leading business. The company was sold in May 2015 for $839 million, ending an incredible run.

And they didn’t use a dime of investor money to grow Micrel. Each phase of expansion was bootstrapped, or financed off actual revenue. The company managed to remain stable through the multiple booms and busts that are commonplace in the heart of tech.

But it wasn’t simply taking the harder road that led to such lasting success. Zinn’s philosophy on people, culture and what he calls “servant leadership” are what he and others believe truly fueled Micrel’s …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.