How Curiosity and Contribution Can Change Your Life

Job Hunting

Juan Perez was 14 when his father died in Durango, Mexico. Seven years later, he followed the example of two of his siblings by immigrating to the U.S. After a short time in California, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he married and started a family.

Juan washed dishes, took orders at a deli and did janitorial work. He wasn't passionate about those jobs, but he had a strong work ethic and a family to support. With two young children and another on the way, his family often searched for loose change around the apartment just to put gas in the car. "I realized that if I just go from one job to another, I'm never going to achieve anything," said Juan. "I was working hard but never getting ahead." Every day was a struggle.

One Sunday, Juan saw a job fair advertisement for Koch-Glitsch in the newspaper. He had heard positive things regarding pay and career opportunities at Koch and was impressed every time he drove by Koch’s facilities. Juan believed a job there could lead to a meaningful change for himself and his family. The evening before the job fair, Juan went to the Koch campus and spent the night in his car so he could be the first in line. He was hired as a forklift driver.

Driven by Curiosity

When Juan started working at Koch-Glitsch in 1989, he discovered that he enjoyed learning. "I didn't have a traditional background like most of my coworkers, but I was willing to learn and wanted to find ways to contribute," Juan said. If something needed to be done on the shop floor, Juan was the first to raise his hand and quick to help others. He often asked if the team needed extra help during the weekends. If they didn't, he took it upon himself to study blueprints and other materials to better understand the work his team was doing. Without even realizing it, Juan was already starting to apply Principle Based Management.

"I had never seen machines like the ones at Koch-Glitsch. I didn't know anything about them,” Juan remembers, “but I saw them as an opportunity. I wanted to learn how to run them.” Juan asked questions, took notes and sought to understand how each machine worked. His supervisors noticed Juan's curiosity and expanded his responsibilities so he could learn and contribute more.

A short time later, he became a machine programmer. "I remember the day my supervisor asked me if I would be interested in the programming role," Juan recalls. "I was literally sweeping dust off the floor when he pulled me aside. The next week, I was in an office learning how to program the machines."

Passing the Torch

Juan continued learning at home. "If he didn't understand something at work, he'd come home, look it up, and learn about it," remembers Lisa Loera, Juan's youngest daughter. "He would try to explain his work to us so that he could better understand it himself. He had a passion for learning and teaching us."

Juan's daughters could see their dad’s transformation. He encouraged them to think big and seek new opportunities, something he himself had only recently learned to do. Realizing that both of his daughters had an aptitude for math, Juan encouraged them to take an accounting class. “I had no idea what it took to be an accountant, Juan confessed, “but I knew there was a high demand for tax and accounting roles at Koch.” Both daughters discovered they enjoyed accounting and ended up pursuing that passion.

When his daughters were presented with opportunities to work at Koch, both decided to take the same leap their father did. Liz Morales, Juan's oldest daughter, has worked at Koch for 18 years. She now leads the Americas region of the Koch Global Treasury team, helping her team manage hundreds of bank accounts. Lisa has worked at Koch for 10 years. She explored multiple opportunities within the company before finding the right role in Human Resources data and analytics.

"I don't think he realized it, but my dad instilled a lot of Koch's thinking in us before we even started working here," added Liz. "I remember mentioning how important continuous improvement was to me in my first interview. I'm always trying to figure out how to do things better and challenge myself to improve."

Lisa and Liz are trying to instill the same principles they learned from their dad in their children. "One thing I tell my young son is to never stop learning," said Lisa. "Don't expect to know everything at once, but always try to learn and grow your skills."

"I never thought my life would be like this," said Juan. "I was willing to learn, and I worked hard. Now, I'm retired, but still teaching my children and grandchildren the same lessons I learned while working at Koch. There are so many opportunities to contribute."

Bonus: Hear from Juan

Give It a Try

The power of these principles happens through application. There’s no substitute for learning as you apply.

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