In this episode of the Ikigai Leadership podcast, Dr. Dhru Beeharilal sits down with Dr. Steven Kirch to discuss his journey from being a physicist at IBM to becoming a successful business coach. They delve into the importance of effective management, the power of measuring leading indicators, and the significance of caring for employees. Dr. Kirch also shares insights from his time at Intel during the 90s, a pivotal era in computing technology.They explore Steven's transition from IBM to Intel and the critical role he played during the advent of the Pentium chip. Steven emphasizes the value of measuring leading indicators for success in sales and business development. He also highlights the importance of genuinely caring for employees, drawing on his experience in leadership at Intel. Listen in to discover the valuable insights and powerful lessons that Steve Kirch shares and find out how you can transform your leadership and business skills. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience.About Steve Kirch Dr. Steven Kirch is not only a seasoned business coach and former physicist but also a visionary leader with a unique perspective forged through over two decades of experience at Intel. His expertise lies in the seamless integration of technical prowess with effective management strategies, making him a standout figure in the realm of leadership development. Beyond his impressive professional background, Dr. Kirch's unwavering commitment to employee well-being and his passion for teaching have been instrumental in shaping his distinctive approach to coaching. In this episode, he imparts invaluable insights from his journey, offering a wealth of knowledge to business owners and aspiring leaders alike.Resources discussed in this episode:IBM: www.ibm.comIntel: www.intel.comThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective PeopleAndy Grove: Andrew S. GroveICF: coachingfederation.orgRandy Haykin--Contact Dhru Beeharilal | Nayan Leadership: Website: NayanLeadership.comLinkedIn: DhruBeeFacebook: NayanLeadershipYouTude: DhruBeeContact Steven Kirch | Profit Minds: Website: profitminds.netThe Gratitude NetworkTwitter: @sjkirchLinkedin: Steven Kirch--Transcript:Dhru 00:00Hey everybody, this is Dr. Dhru Bee. And I'm here to welcome you to my podcast Ikigai Leadership. We're gonna be talking to leaders in all different industries from all different backgrounds and demographics from all over the world. And we'll be discussing topics like leadership development, culture, DEI, content creation and marketing, and all things business and entrepreneurship. Dhru 00:24Hey everybody, welcome back to another edition of Ikigai Leadership. I'm Dr. Dhru Beeharilal and I'm here with Dr. Steven Kirch. Steve, great to meet you, thanks for coming out today, I really appreciate the time. Steven 00:35Dr. Dhru, hey, great to be here. I'm really looking forward to our conversation today. Dhru 00:40Yeah. So, profit minds, it's obviously it's business coaching, for those who don't know, and particularly different lens, as Steven knows, you know, everyone, every coach has their own little lens through which they see the world through which they help the clients see the world. And so what's your lens? What does it look like for you? Steven 00:55It's interesting, because, yeah, my lens is quite different. I'm a scientist and I like to understand things in some level of detail before I prescribe some kind of a solution. And life is an experiment. So, we try something and if it doesn't work, we'll try something else. And, you know, I've learned a lot over my years. That's, you know, how I got the gray hair. Dhru 01:26You earned the gray hair writing and getting– Steven 01:28I earned it, I earned every one of them. That’s right. Dhru 01:30Yeah. So, tell us more about I know you're a PhD in physics, right? How do you go from being a PhD in physics to being a business coach? Steven 01:39Yeah. So, it is kind of an interesting story that, you know the first job I had out of graduate school, my wife and I both got jobs working for IBM, in New York, and moved there. And, you know, I had no desire whatsoever to be a manager in the IBM System, because a manager couldn't do anything technical. And I loved technology, and I loved being on the cutting edge of developing new technologies. That was the reason that I became a physicist in the first place was to discover new things and the IBM System required that managers be managers pure and simple manage. We had a minimum of 30 people reporting to you. And that meant all you could do is manage. I've been at IBM for eight, nine years, something like that. And they did their first layoffs. And it was at that point, I realized I needed to take responsibility for my own career. When I joined IBM, I figured I'd be there for the rest of my life, you were called an “IBMer”, that was the expectation. But when they made that change, I said, well, I ...
