Tough Things First Summary

BookSummaryClub Blog Tough Things First Summary

Note: This Tough Things First summary is one of our ‘from the author’ series and was written by Ray Zinn.

The lowdown: In his breakout book, Tough Things First published by McGraw Hill Ray Zinn expresses his humanistic leadership principles and the keys to building enduring businesses.

Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley’s longest-serving CEO wrote, “Tough Things First“. The book is the quintessential playbook for anyone hoping to start a business, become an entrepreneur or a better executive.

His humanistic leadership principles, keys to building enduring businesses and management processes are expressed in his book. Tough Things First is a no-nonsense book.

The book is a must read if you are serious about running your own company or thinking of starting a business. Ray has a no-nonsense approach that belies the romanticized view of Silicon Valley startups.

Rather than pump starry-eyed innovators full of ‘get rich quick’ schemes, Ray emphasizes the basics. This includes getting down and dirty with the details and learning to love what you hate. In short, doing the tough things first.

Ray also stresses building an enduring company. A company that lasts and which is also contrary to the build and sell quick mentality of some entrepreneurs.

Ray is a CEO which clearly walks the walk and shows it in this book.

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Tough Things First: Leadership Lessons from Silicon Valley's Longest Serving CEO
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Tough Things First: Leadership Lessons from Silicon Valley’s Longest Serving CEO
  • Audible Audiobook
  • Ray Zinn (Author) – Steven Roy Grimsley (Narrator)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 07/28/2021 (Publication Date) – McGraw Hill-Ascent Audio (Publisher)

Three key lessons from Tough Things First are:

1. Learn to love what you don’t love doing or it will never get done.
2. There is no discipline unless there is self-discipline.
3. True entrepreneurs love doing the tough and mundane things because it completes their vision and builds the necessary discipline.

Tough Things First Summary #startup

Lesson One: Learn to love what you don’t love doing.

For example, it isn’t natural for entrepreneurs to love policies and procedures, but Ray explains why this is essential. They learn to love this unlovable task mainly by seeing their policies and procedures work.

For true entrepreneurs—people who have a vision and drive themselves and their organizations relentlessly toward that vision— a peculiar thing occurs. They begin to love doing what they don’t love. They develop the desire to do even the mundane well, because the joy is in the execution that leads to their vision.

Lesson Two: Without discipline, nothing much happens.

Discipline above all else is the mark of an entrepreneur. Business objectives are abstract, and the means for creating a business are detailed. The entrepreneur connects thousands of boring details together through the discipline of doing tough things first. He rolls up each sleeve and tackles a thousand things he has little interest in aside from the interest in creating an organization that feeds itself, grows itself, and exceeds its own expectations.

Lesson Three: True entrepreneurs love doing tough and mundane things.

The tough and mundane tasks are useful because they complete your vision and builds the necessary discipline.

Ray explains that a quirk shared by entrepreneurs is the satisfaction of doing well what they don’t like doing at all. They love unlovable tasks because of their desire to achieve and learn. Challenge and achievement become their own reward.

My Personal Take Away

Anyone who has dreamed of running their own business needs to read this book. Not only is it the right reality check but it teaches by example, what it really takes to run your own business in a fundamentally inspiring way.

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Book summaries are great, but I also really believe that you will not fully understand the book or the author without trying the real thing. Learn more about this subject by listening to the full book for free via Audible.

Ray Zinn Bio

Raymond D. “Ray” Zinn is an inventor, entrepreneur, investor, angel, bestselling author and the longest-serving CEO of a publicly traded company in Silicon Valley.

Zinn is also the founder of the nationally launched ZinnStarter. ZinnStarter provides financial and mentoring support for college students to launch new products and companies.

In 2015, Ray published his first book, Tough Things First, with McGraw Hill. The book covers Zinn’s analysis of his nearly 40 years at the helm of Micrel, a Silicon Valley institution.

Zinn is also known for inventing the Wafer Stepper. He served as Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of its Board of Directors and President since the company’s inception in 1978.

Zinn led Micrel profitably through eight major downturns in global chip markets, an impressive achievement.

Hey, I’m Erik… a Swedish university student, marketing professional, and life-long learner. Here at BookSummaryClub I summarize my favorite non-fiction books into easily digested posts. Hope you like what you’re reading!

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