Becoming a Principle-driven Leader: 41 Principles to Build an Enduring Business

NOW A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER and #15 USA TODAY BEST SELLER!

Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader reveals the timeless ideas and proven strategies that turned Koch Industries into a global powerhouse—offering a practical blueprint for anyone who wants to create lasting value through principled leadership.

Ever wonder how Koch became one of the largest private companies in the world? It was by continually transforming itself for more than six decades. Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader tells that story through a powerful, two-generation lens.

In this book, Charles and Chase Koch reveal the proven principles that helped turn Koch Inc. into one of the world's most enduring private companies. They offer a practical blueprint for anyone who aspires to lead in business, their community, or any aspect of their life.

In this deeply practical and personal book, they share 41 proven Principles of Human Progress that powered Koch's 9,000-fold growth, shaped their philanthropy, and transformed their own lives and leadership.

Tested over 60 years of experimentation, failure, discovery, and continual learning, these principles show how anyone can turn setbacks into success by empowering others and accomplish more than they thought possible. Father and son illustrate this by using real stories from business turnarounds to personal transformation.

Whatever your situation or path, Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader offers a clear and effective framework for turning obstacles into opportunities, unlocking your potential, and applying proven principles to create enduring success.

Charles Koch, Chairman and Co-CEO—By the time Charles graduated from high school, he had attended eight schools (“but only got kicked out of one”). Despite earning three engineering degrees from MIT, he claims he is “a lousy engineer” but excels at making mistakes—“lots and lots of them.” By learning from those mistakes and implementing a principle-based framework, the company he leads has grown 9,000-fold since 1960. Utterly rejecting retirement, even at the age of ninety, Charles continues to push for a principle-based approach to life, business and society. His wife of fifty-plus years and their two children are on board with this passion, and his three grandchildren are well on their way.

Chase Koch, Executive Vice President of Origination and Partnerships—As a child, Chase was an average student who slept through his father’s Sunday afternoon philosophy lessons. He is the only Koch executive to ever fire himself from a role as president of a Koch company. But after discovering his strengths as a builder rather than an operator, he founded Koch Disruptive Technologies to invest in companies that are helping Koch transform. KDT gave rise to “Koch Labs”—an application of the Republic of Science principle—accelerating the company’s transformations. His role has expanded to include building partnerships that will help Koch endure. Today, his North Star is uniting and empowering people to create disruptive solutions.