At the annual intern Fireside Chat, both leaders shared personal knowledge about experimental discovery, being contribution-motivated and how to lead a life of meaning.
Every summer, Charles Koch, chairman and co-CEO of Koch, and Chase Koch, vice president of origination and partnerships, set aside time to share their knowledge and field questions from interns across all Koch companies.
This year’s event brought together more than 500 interns and early-career employees for a 90-minute Q&A. The questions were rooted in our principle-based approach, and the responses from father and son drew on decades of experience.
Here are some of the principles shared and key takeaways from the conversation.
Finding Your Gifts
Chase opened the Fireside Chat by encouraging interns to apply the principle of experimental discovery to their own experiences this summer as they work to find where their gifts intersect with what they enjoy.
He later shared a story about his own time as president of Koch Ag and Energy Solutions (KAES), when he realized operations weren’t his gift. “I call it firing myself,” he said, stepping down from the role to explore where his comparative advantage intersected with the work that brings him fulfillment. The result: KAES began performing better, and Chase was able to focus on his passion for building things.
“(The thing) that is going to make you have a life of meaning and enable you to self-actualize, is really being intellectually honest with who you are and what your gift is,” said Chase. “And don’t worry about what other people think.”
Charles shared his own similar experience as an MIT graduate with several engineering degrees. His path of personal discovery led him to the realization that he “sucked as an engineer.” So, he stopped trying to force it and instead said, “I’m going to dedicate my life to understanding the principles that will guide me in business.
“It worked better than my wildest dreams,” he added. “It transformed my life.”
Being Contribution Motivated
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of being contribution motivated and coming to work every day with a focus on where you can add value rather than what you can gain.
Charles described how he applies this principle in his own life, saying, “Every day, I think, OK, how can I contribute today? And then I ask myself, did I make things worse or better? Did I help people or not? That’s what keeps me going and energized.” He’s seen the same mindset shape the lives of many Koch employees but also warned of the dangers of not being contribution motivated.
“The worst has been when we’ve gone and promoted somebody who was destruction motivated,” he said. “They wanted power and control over others, so they hid their failures and fabricated their successes.” Those hires, he added have been some of Koch’s costliest mistakes, adding, “A couple of times, they could have bankrupted the company.”
Chase brought the same principle back around as a daily mindset interns should bring to their roles. “You get out what you put into it,” he said. “If you come in with this real passionate, contribution-motivated mindset, you’re going to do great things.”
Leading a Life of Meaning
In a relatable moment, Chase shared his own internship experience and how it gave him his first taste of a life of meaning at 15. After he stopped applying himself at tennis one summer, Charles gave him a choice: give 100% on the court or get to work. He chose the latter, and 12 hours later, he was out in a Kansas, field shoveling manure.
But he discovered something in the process. “I felt good about myself because I was actually working and making a contribution,” Chase said, adding, “It was the first time I felt like I created value in my life.” He attributed it to a line he’d heard from his father, who heard it from his father: “I hope you feel the glorious feeling of accomplishment, even if it’s small.”
Later, when asked by an intern about the best part of working with his dad, Chase said it was always having the “permission to be me.” He added that he has always been encouraged by both his parents to explore his gifts to unlock his own potential, because “that’s what’s going to make you lead a life of meaning, and that’s what’s going to (allow you to) self-actualize.”
In his closing remarks to interns, he circled back around to this principle but described it as a habit that took years for him to land on. “It wasn’t until the last five years or so that I really started to feel that glorious feeling of accomplishment on a consistent basis,” and that “when it starts to happen, it seeps into every aspect of your life.”
