Minor Zs: The Stepping Stones That Shape You

Don’t let the name fool you.

Minor Zs are not small.

They’re called “minor” only in comparison to Major Z. But in practice, they are the initiatives, decisions, and commitments that actually move you.

By definition, a Minor Z leads you toward your Major Z.

If something isn’t aligned with your direction, it isn’t a Minor Z.
It’s just something you’re doing.

That distinction matters.

Minor Zs are intentionally chosen. They are not assigned to you. They are not driven by pressure. They are not reactionary.

They can be opportunities that are presented to you.
They can be opportunities you create.

But you name them. You decide they belong.

That decision is leadership.

Over time, you will likely have dozens of Minor Zs that support your Major Z.

The discipline is in sequencing them — and in seeing them through to the end. A Minor Z that isn’t complete turns into something you intended to do rather than something you did.

Two to three at a time. Sometimes one.

Your time is finite. Your energy is finite. Your resources are finite.

Even if you attempted to pursue ten Minor Zs at once, the quality would suffer. Divided focus compromises outcomes. And if the Minor Z is meaningful, it deserves your best attention.

Choosing which Minor Z gets your focus right now — and which one waits — is leadership.

Some Minor Zs are finite.
Write the book. Launch the program. Complete the certification.

Others are ongoing.
Thought leadership. Health. Relationship cultivation. Skill development.

Every Minor Z contains Micro Zs — the smallest executable units of action. The checklist items. The tangible steps.

When the Micro Zs are complete, the Minor Z, by definition, is complete.

But here’s what often gets overlooked:

The execution of Minor Zs refines your Major Z.

You do not walk toward Major Z unchanged.

As you complete Minor Zs, you learn things that were not visible before.
You develop skills you did not previously have.
You test assumptions.
You refine theories.
You discover preferences.
You uncover limitations.
You build capacity.

And leadership is what keeps you steady through that refinement.

It’s what helps you:

Stay committed when progress feels slow.
Resist the urge to abandon something prematurely.
Recognize when a shift is thoughtful — not reactive.
Hold tension between patience and momentum.

Sometimes your Major Z becomes more specific.
Sometimes it simplifies.
Sometimes it expands.
Sometimes it tightens.

Minor Zs are not just stepping stones.
They are developmental.

And this is also why the “Major Z Now” trap is so tempting.

When you can clearly see the future state, it’s easy to want to live inside it immediately. To skip the sequencing. To collapse the distance.

But Major Z is built through Minor Zs.

You do not arrive fully formed.

You evolve into it.

Sequenced Minor Zs create sustainability.
They create mastery.
They create refinement.

Over time, Minor Zs begin to look like dots on a scatterplot.

Individually, they may feel small.
Collectively, they form a through-line.

That through-line is alignment.

And alignment is rarely loud.
It is steady.

Leadership is the engine that keeps the dots connected.

If you’re new to the framework and want to understand how Minor Zs fit within the larger Major Z lens, you can start with the Field Guide here.