Nir grew up in Israel. The person that influenced Nir’s leadership the most is his father. When Nir was 12, his father took him to work with him during summer vacation in the steel factory that his father managed. Nir learned his most valuable leadership lessons by watching the management style of his father. One day, one of the employees came to work crying as her electricity was cut off for not paying the bills. Nir’s father went to the accounting department and fought with the lead accountant and owner of the factory to write the employee a down-payment check. He then sent the employee home to pay the bills while taking responsibility for her hours. This lesson of taking care of your team was pivotal in how Nir perceives leadership.
Nir served as an officer in the Israeli Defence Force. Leading soldiers in training and combat offered Nir new insights into what it takes to lead people in tough situations. The deepest learning from his service is that you don’t build trust. You earn trust. Trust is earned by working hard and proving to be worthy of being followed. Nir continued serving in the army reserves for 20 more years.
For the last two decades, Nir worked for Intel Corporation. He started as a hardware engineer and moved to a management position after several years. In the last three years, Nir transitioned into a leadership coach position, investing in the growth and development of Intel’s managers. The program he co-architected with his partner Lynette Winter won awards and excelled with its impact.
