Truly Human Leadership

This past week signaled a major milestone in the history of our company. We announced that Kyle Chapman is now CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, in addition to his existing role as President. His father, Bob Chapman, who has served as CEO since 1975, will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board. Barry-Wehmiller has been led by a Chapman since 1957, when William A. Chapman, Bob’s dad, became President after joining Barry-Wehmiller four years prior. It’s a very exciting time for us here at Barry-Wehmiller. And to celebrate this moment, on this podcast we bring you a conversation between Bob and Kyle where they talk about the history of the Chapman family ownership of Barry-Wehmiller. They talk about a legacy of leadership. They talk about the transition, what it means for the company and our people. And what it means for the future. And you're going to hear a lot about how business can be a force for good.  We announced a couple of weeks ago the new revised and expanded edition of Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family, the book Bob Chapman co-wrote with Raj Sisodia which chronicles Bob and Barry-Wehmiller’s journey. Bob and Kyle also talk about the book and its significance and Bob talks about his future. Spoiler alert: in addition to remaining chairman of the board, he’s going to continue to share the message of Truly Human Leadership for a long time to come.

We told you in the last episode about the new revised and expanded edition of our CEO, Bob Chapman’s book, Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family, which will be out Oct 21. Learn more about it at everybodymattersbook.com. If you read the original version, you know it’s a story of transformation. It’s about a leader who realized there was a better way to lead that was different than everything he was taught and thought he was supposed to do. And how his company changed because of those realizations and why others should change as well. On our podcast today, we havea fantastic discussion with a leader who also had a dramatic transformation experience. Mohammad Anwar is the CEO of Softway, a people-first consulting firm that helps evolving organizations truly transform in areas of technology, communication, and culture. Mohammad and Softway’s story was chronicled in their first book: Love as a Business Strategy. Their recently released book, Love as a Change Strategy details Softway’s further learnings. On this episode, we talk to Mohammad about his leadership journey. We talk about his amazing transformation and how Softway transformed. We talk about what it means to be a human centered technology company. And we talk about why Mohammad thinks AI can help humans get back in touch with their humanity.

If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you’ve probably heard of Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia’s book, Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Treating Your People Like Family. Well, I’m pleased to be able to finally tell this audience that a revised and expanded version of this seminal book will be released Oct. 21. It has 75 extra pages, catching readers up to Bob and Barry-Wehmiller’s journey since Everybody Matters was originally released ten years ago. There are many new stories and insights that point to the thing we say at the top of each podcast: The way we lead impacts the way people live. You can find out all the particulars about the book and its release, download an excerpt and see more content at everybodymattersbook.com. On this podcast, we want to bring you a discussion between Bob and Raj where they talk about the new version of Everybody Matters. They have a wide-ranging discussion on the need for a new version, the impact of the original version and their hopes as this expanded edition is released into the world.

BW CEO Bob Chapman often tells a story about meeting Steve Jones, who was formerly a high school football coach at Kimberly High School in Kimberly, WI. Steve led his teams to five consecutive state titles from 2013-2017 with an incredible run of 70 consecutive victories, a Wisconsin state record. With those impressive credentials, Bob asked Steve what he taught his players about winning and losing. Steve said they didn’t. He said that they teach them to play their position well for their fellow team members. Do it as an act of respect for their fellow team members. He said, “When people truly care for one another, it’s amazing how hard they will work for each other.” To Bob, it begged the question: if you create an environment of unconditional care, wouldn’t the people there want to “play their position well” for their teammates? But how do you create that environment? Well, that’s the subject of today’s podcast. Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller’s company that is a human-centered consultancy that helps organizations and their leaders align people, culture and strategy to drive results.​ They help build agile, purpose-driven workplaces ​where individuals thrive, teams perform and impact endures.​ You can find out more at ccoleadership.com When it comes to building a high-performing team, Chapman & Co. will say it isn't just about assembling talented team members and setting a shared vision or common goals. You can have exceptional individuals, a compelling mission and still feel like something's not clicking in your team dynamics. Most teams don't need fixing, maybe they just need perspective. On this podcast, you’ll hear from Praisy Isaac and Emily Gauvain, experts on team building at Chapman & Co. They’re going to talk about the hidden dynamics that determine whether teams merely function or genuinely thrive and ultimately create that environment of care where people want to play their position well for their teammates.

Our friend Jane Adshead-Grant says this is key in furthering our hope to build a better world: "As we begin to share the message of what it means to be a Truly Human Leader, to take the responsibility of leadership and be this great steward of people who have been entrusted to us… What I see, time and time again is that there are few role models that enable our future generations to be this way. And so, for me, it’s about how do we role model this way of being in the world? And it isn’t just at work, you know, it’s how we show up in every day life." We are fortunate to have Jane as one of those role models. Jane shares quite a bit of insight in this episode, including a discussion of the challenges of the changing landscape of leadership. Based in the UK, she has been a leadership coach and mentor for almost 20 years. In a conversation with Mary Rudder, Barry-Wehmiller’s Director of Communications, Jane talks about some of the challenges her clients are facing in today’s world and the tools she uses to help them become better leaders.

There is a hunger for a new kind of leadership. Throughout business and organizations, people continue to be taught to be managers, not leaders. They make sure everyone is in their seat on time, they take headcount for the day, they check off the boxes of daily tasks. But this is changing. As the evidence of the success of caring organizations becomes overwhelming, organizational leadership is reconnecting with their own humanity and recognizing the humanity of those they lead. They are recognizing that the people within their span of care are not numbers on a spreadsheet that are part of the calculations that equal profit and loss, but someone’s precious children and should be treated accordingly. They are recognizing that the people within their span of care are not just functions, but whole beings who are capable of so much more than the role into which they’ve been pigeonholed. Leaders inspire. Leaders care. Leaders help people grow. It’s not about the tasks, it’s about the person. When we treat people with respect and dignity and create opportunities through which they can realize their potential and be appreciated for it, we, in business, can really impact the world in a positive way. Jacob Morgan interviewed Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman and 140 other CEOs and leaders for his new book, The Future Leader. He took that insight and turned it into a roadmap for leaders present and future to see that leadership is not management, it’s something much bigger and much more valuable. This is Jacob’s second appearance on our podcast. Hear Jacob talk about his research on the future of leadership on this episode.

One thing we have consistently believed at Barry-Wehmiller is that everyone can be a leader. Anese Cavanaugh‘s book, Contagious You advances the notion—for good or for bad—that leaders have tremendous power to influence those who follow their example. As Anese says, “The quality of our leadership is based upon our intentions, energy, and presence. By emphasizing authorship, self-care, and response-ability (not responsibility) as leadership skills and therefore cultural amplifiers, Contagious You shows you how to walk the path of more effective leadership while navigating the road blocks in your way. Whether these road blocks be working with negative co-workers, secret agendas, unrealistic expectations, or just the general ‘busyness’ of life and its excessive demands, this book will take you on a journey to create more space, more courageous leadership, and stronger collaboration to influence others and create the impact you desire. “The common denominator is you. No matter what level you’re on, your intentions, energy, and presence impact your ability to do anything within your life. Contagious You is an invitation to unlock your own power. You set the tone. You are the culture. So show up, lead, and intentionally become the change you wish to see.” Anese’s book is a gift to yourself and anyone in your span of care: your work team, your spouse, your children, your friends. When we show up in a manner that is life-giving, rather than life-draining, it creates the space for you and others to do their best, be their best.  Learn more from Anese on this podcast. 

Almost ten years ago, our CEO, Bob Chapman’s book, Everybody Matters was released. It is a documentation of the lessons Bob and Barry-Wehmiller have learned along our journey. Among the most important insights we gained: Everybody wants to know that who they are and what they do matters. Mattering is a term that is getting more and more attention lately. A while back, you may remember episodes of our podcast that featured our friend Jennifer Wallace, who has written a book on mattering and children. And separately, Professor Isaac Prilleltensky, who has done a lot of research on the subject. On his episode, Dr. Prilleltensky said that mattering consists of feeling valued and adding value. On today’s podcast, we’re going to have a discussion about mattering with Zach Mercurio, a researcher, author, and speaker specializing in purposeful leadership, mattering, meaningful work, and positive organizational psychology. He has a new book titled: The Power of Mattering, How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance.  Barry-Wehmiller and Bob Chapman are featured in a chapter in Zach’s book, who made this observation based on his research that included BW: How people make meaning in their jobs inevitably affects how they make meaning in life. It’s an observation that aligns alongside what we say at the top of the podcast: the way we lead impacts the way people live. Zach and I talk about a number of mattering-related things on this episode. Including how mattering relates to recognition and celebration. That the skills of helping people feel like they matter can be taught. We talk about mattering as it relates to leadership. And we talk about how mattering can be a solution to the crisises of our time. But we start out talking about how conversation about mattering has come to the forefront, specifically as people start to realize they don’t feel like they matter.

Over the last few years, Bob Chapman has been honored to present the message of Truly Human Leadership to more and more audiences. Whether to a group of manufacturing executives, city government leaders, business students, human resources professionals, and countless others, the goal remains the same. Bob wants people to understand that the way we lead impacts the way people live. Bob has long been inspired by the work of The Aspen Institute and their contribution to the conversation around leadership in the world. So, it was an honor when he was invited to speak at the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival alongside a diverse slate of names, such as New York Times columnist David Brooks, Sen. Cory Booker, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost, Katie Couric, Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Pulitzer-Prize winner Thomas Friedman, Political Writer Bill Kristol, and Author Susan Orlean. “The Privilege of Leadership” was the theme of his talk, where he was able to tell the stories of our learnings and journey at Barry-Wehmiller to this esteemed audience. It is our hope that our message took root in many of the discussions that occurred and will continue to resonate afterward, causing action and change in more and more organizations. On this podcast we share an edited version of Bob's presentation. 

The term "influencer" has really become a marketing term. It's a job. People are paid on social media to influence behavior, usually toward certain products. But there are real influencers in our lives -- intentional or unintentional -- that have a much greater effect on our behaviors, in positive or negative ways. We've long held at Barry-Wehmiller that your leader is one of the most powerful influencers in your life. Many years ago, I was told that the person you report to at work can be more important to your health than your family doctor. A few years ago, Forbes published a study that said 69% felt their leader had the greatest impact on their health, on par with the impact of their partner.  Bob Burg is the best selling author of the classic business parable, The Go-Giver. Another book in that series, The Go-Giver Influencer, is a book that describes the characteristics a  leader should have to exert a positive influence on others. Key among them is listening. It’s written, as are his other books in the Go-Giver series, as a parable, and it has a powerful message. When it was released, our CEO, Bob Chapman wrote a blurb — or recommendation. In it, he said, "If you do nothing more than read and follow the lesson in chapter seven, you will have given yourself a life-changing gift." Here’s a quote from the book about that chapter that explains what he meant: “The next time you listen to someone speak, imagine you’re using the back of your neck to hear… It’s like listening not only to what a person says, but also to what they don’t say. What they mean. What they’re feeling, behind the words and facial expression.” On this podcast, we talk to Bob Burg about what it truly means to be an influencer.

Here’s something our CEO Bob Chapman recently wrote in a post on our Truly Human Leadership blog:  The people our leaders lead, they do not “report to” that leader, they are within that leader’s span of care. Just that simple deviation from the normal way of phrasing things completely changes the dynamic of the relationship. Per a Google search, the literal definition of “report to” someone is “to work under the supervision of or take instructions from someone who is in a higher position. It implies a hierarchical relationship where the person reporting is accountable to the individual they report to.” But when you talk about being within a leader’s span of care, it helps to change the way leaders think. It suggests the sense of responsibility a leader should feel to those they lead. Our children do not “report to” us. Our spouses certainly don’t. When we invite someone to join our team, we are bestowed with the awesome responsibility to provide the care and inspiration and support that that precious human being needs to become everything he or she was meant to be. As Bob says here, just a simple phrase like “span of care” can change our perspective as a leader. And this takes us to our conversation today. Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that specializes in helping other organizations unleash the extraordinary in their businesses and their people. They do this by helping those organizations identify, develop, and equip their leaders. On this podcast, Ben Huebner, a Senior Consultant at Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is going to talk to a couple of leaders from Metlife, who I’m sure you’ve heard of. Since 1868, MetLife has been of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individuals and institutions around the world. Ben’s conversation is with Anna Lavery, Vice President, Market Enablement and Andrea Douglas, Vice President, Regional Business Service & Implementation. The three talk about the work Chapman & Co has done with Metlife for a few years now, mainly with what Chapman & Co calls Truly Human Service and Truly Human Language. Notably, you’ll hear the impact using the phrase “span of care” has made in their organization.  

Barry-Wehmiller's Chief People Officer, Rhonda Spencer, was recently recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal in their 2025 HR Awards for Innovation in HR. This was a long overdue recognition of Rhonda’s leadership, but also the work of the BW Global People Team and everthing they've done to help all of our people, all over the world, feel like they matter. Rhonda has been with Barry-Wehmiller since before the development of our Guiding Principles of Leadership and was one of the major voices in its creation. She was our first Chief People Officer and it’s her primary responsibility to be the steward of our values and make sure that light shines to the furthest reaches of our organization. Recently, Rhonda took part in a webinar discussion with Mike Budden, one of the partners in our Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute, Barry-Wehmiller’s consulting arm that specializes in helping other organizations unleash the extraordinary in their businesses and their people. They do this by helping those organizations identify, develop and equip their leaders. You can learn more about them at ccoleadership.com. On this week’s podcast, we want to showcase an edited version of that discussion. It’s an interesting conversation as Mike and Rhonda discuss what it means to scale a Truly Human Leadership culture globally. They talk about the processes and systems we’ve developed to try to make that happen and there's a lot of insight to apply to your own organization.

True leaders create space for individuals to be passionate about their work and feel a sense of ownership. Nobody wants to be managed, bossed or supervised. We must inspire creativity in our people. Those ideas are the backbone of a culture of continuous improvement and a culture where people feel like they matter. Michael Gelb is the author of books such as How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci and Innovate Like Edison. He has been applying the principles of genius thinking to personal, leadership and organizational development for more than 40 years. He has worked to inspire creativity in the workplace and his journey led him to our friend and Everybody Matters co-author, Raj Sisodia. Together, they wrote The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World. On this podcast, Michael talks about inspiration, creativity and how that leads to helping people in organizations feel like they matter.

BW CEO Bob Chapman often tells a story about meeting Steve Jones, who was formerly a high school football coach who led his teams to five consecutive state titles from 2013-2017 with an incredible run of 70 consecutive victories, a Wisconsin state record. With those impressive credentials, Bob asked Steve what he taught his players about winning and losing. Steve said they didn’t. He said that they teach them to play their position well for their fellow team members. Do it as an act of respect for their fellow team members. He said, “When people truly care for one another, it’s amazing how hard they will work for each other.” To Bob, it begged the question: if you create an environment of unconditional care, wouldn’t the people there want to “play their position well” for their teammates? Our friend, Shawn Murphy, has written a book about teams, team building and team performance: Work Tribes: The Surprising Secret to Breakthrough Performance, Astonishing Results and Keeping Teams Together. To Shawn, one of the key aspects of an environment of unconditional care is belonging. As he wrote in a guest post on our Truly Human Leadership blog: "As human beings, we are wired to belong. Some researchers say that belonging is what bonds people together. It’s the bond that is either life-giving or life-depleting... Of course, the reverse is true when you don’t feel a sense of belonging. You protect your thinking. You become hyper-focused on yourself. You limit pro-social behaviors. You close yourself off to relationships. Your potential is limited. Yet, when a leader can help someone feel like they belong to the team, the team benefits. Ultimately the company benefits. Human potential is unleashed. Mediocrity is diminished." As we often say, everyone wants to know that who they are what what they do matter. That is important for every leader to remember. On this podcast, you'll hear a discussion with Shawn as he talks about Work Tribes and the idea of helping your people feel like they belong.

Marcel Schwantes is a speaker, author, acclaimed executive coach, and an Inc. Magazine Contributing Editor. Marcel writes and delivers presentations, workshops, courses, and coaching programs about the human side of business and how cultures of care, connection, and belonging power companies to thrive and outperform the competition. Marcel also hosts the popular "Love in Action" podcast, on which our CEO, Bob Chapman has been a guest. Marcel has a new book that just came out, Humane Leadership: Lead With Radical Love, Be A Kick-Ass Boss. There are a lot of parallels in Marcel’s writing with what we talk about at Barry-Wehmiller. In his book, Marcel draws on personal experiences, case studies, and compelling research to reveal how leaders can transform organizations by embracing genuine care for their people.  On this episode, we talk with Marcel about how he defines "Humane Leadership" by exploring what he calls the five principles of effective leadership: patience, kindness, humility, advocacy, and trustworthiness. explains the five principles of effective leadership: patience, kindness, humility, advocacy, and trustworthiness.explains the five principles of effective leadership: patience, kindness, humility, advocacy, and trustworthiness.

This podcast features a story from Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute, Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that specializes in helping other organizations unleash the extraordinary in their businesses and their people. They do this by helping those organizations identify, develop, and equip their leaders. You can learn more about Chapman & Co. at ccoleadership.com. Chapman & Co. has a dedicated branch in South Africa which has worked with Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages on leadership development for a number of years. Peninsula Beverages is the largest Coca-Cola franchise in South Africa with 1300 team members. To date, more than 60 percent of their organization has taken the Listen Like a Leader class, which is Barry-Wehmiller's groundbreaking empathetic listening training. Mike Budden is a partner at Chapman & Co. and the managing partner of their Cape Town South Africa office. On this episode, we’re going to feature a conversation between Mike and his friend and colleague, Bryn Morse, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages HR Leader. Mike and Bryn talk about their journey to bring Cola-Cola Penn Bev’s company culture to another level. They talk about the difference it has made in the company and why the journey was important. And they talk about the importance of Barry-Wehmiller, our CEO Bob Chapman and Chapman & Co to that journey. They talk about a trip to a Barry-Wehmiller facility in Phillips, WI and a lot more.

Kristen Hadeed hadn't turned 30 and she was already the CEO of a successful company and well on her own leadership journey. Through her company – Student Maid, an all-student cleaning company – she was able to touch the lives of hundreds of college students and hundreds more clients. She has helped these students work their way through school, but she also created a culture that helps them develop important life and leadership skills. Today, Kristen spends her time helping leaders, teams, and organizations around the world embrace their humanity. She has worked in just about every industry,in almost every U.S. state and several other countries, and in hundreds of virtual meeting rooms. Whether she is delivering a keynote talk, multi-day workshop, or facilitating ongoing development, her goal is always the same: to ignite the kind of human leadership that builds trust, belonging, and wildly engaged cultures. Her work has been featured in news outlets including PBS, FOX, Inc., NBC, TIME, and Forbes. Her first TED Talk has more than three million views on YouTube. Kristen has long been a friend of Barry-Wehmiller and she wrote about her leadership journey in a new book, Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing Almost Everything Wrong, that has sold more than 50,000 copies worldwide. Kristen was previously a guest on our podcast for a profound conversation about the Millennial generation. She returned to talk to us around the time Permission to Screw Up was released.

Raj Sisodia is the co-author of our CEO, Bob Chapman’s, book, Everybody Matters, and the co-founder of Conscious Capitalism. You can find out more about Raj on his website, Raj Sisodia.com Raj is working on a very special project we’ll be able to talk about soon and, as every conversation with Raj is enlightening, we decided to roll the proverbial tape to capture some of his insight. We ended up talking about Raj’s experiences for the last 20 years or so, specifically through some of his books: Firms of Endearment, Conscious Capitalism, Everybody Matters and The Healing Organization. Raj’s career in and out of writing has mirrored the rise of the conscious leadership and conscious business movement, and so we talk a little history as well. On this podcast, you’re going to hear that conversation. One of the reasons it’s such an important conversation, is that while Raj recounts a bit of history, he traces things to today and where the conscious business movement is right now. It’ll give you a lot to think about.  

Our friend Donna Hicks, a Harvard professor, world peace negotiator and author of the book, Leading With Dignity, was recently in St. Louis to participate in an event co-sponsored by Barry-Wehmiller at St. Louis University. It was a roundtable discussion on a subject of which Donna is an expert: dignity. We also brought her to Barry-Wehmiller to have a discussion with our senior leadership team. Donna has appeared on this podcast before, but while she was in town we wanted to sit down and have a conversation to talk about her work in defining and characterizing the importance of the concept of dignity. We also wanted to talk with Donna about how Truly Human Leadership and the work Barry-Wehmiller is doing to influence leadership and business honors dignity.    

We’ve all heard about those organizations who have a dynamic and powerful leader who brings everything to new heights of success and notoriety. But then, when the times comes where that leader moves on, things are never quite the same. Other able and competent leaders left because they never received an opportunity to grow and use their gifts because the organization so relied on that one dynamic leader. So, after his departure, the organization flounders, or worse, ceases to exist. This is a scenario that Barry-Wehmiller has seen a time or two in our history of acquiring or, as we say, adopted companies and brought them into our family to hopefully give them new life. One of the most caring acts of leadership and one of its greatest responsibilities is to provide a safe and stable living for those people who are in our organizations, who are within our span of care. That’s why the subject of today’s podcast is so important. We’re going to talk about succession planning, or strategic workforce planning. You may think you understand what that means, but after this discussion, you’ll truly understand why it should be a high priority of caring organizations. Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that specializes in helping other organizations unleash the extraordinary in their businesses and their people. Succession planning is at the heart of what Chapman & Co. does, helping those organizations identify, develop, and equip their leaders. Today’s discussion features three Industrial Organizational Psycologists from Chapman & Co. — Melinda Bremley, Andrea Cornelius and Jenny Morton Eagen — and is moderated by Chapman & Co’s Jessie Turner. As Melinda says during the discussion, "Succession planning requires people to stop and think more strategically about 'what are we looking for, what is needed now, what is needed in the future.' And that front-end piece of the process really is kind of the game changer for having a more strategic mindset."