People, Purpose, and Performance at Barry-Wehmiller: Business as a Powerful Force for Good

Abstract

Bob Chapman, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, looked out over the Rocky Mountains from the deck of his home in Aspen, reflecting on all that he and his team members had accomplished over the past decades. By adopting a unique set of value-creating strategies over the past 30 years and, more recently, embracing a culture of ‘Truly Human Leadership,’ Barry-Wehmiller had created a robust organization that delivered value to all of its stakeholders—from its almost 12,000 global team members and their families, to their customers, shareholders, vendors, and suppliers, and to the communities in which they conduct business. While proud of achieving more than 14% compound annual return for its shareholders over three decades, Chapman and his team had come to see that true success should be measured by the way they touch the lives of people.

Along their journey to create a sustainable business grounded in people-centric practices, Chapman and his team realized their profound responsibility for the lives entrusted to them as leaders and how their leadership significantly impacted not only the time people spent at work but also their health and family life. After testing and refining ground-breaking leadership practices on the 90-plus companies Barry-Wehmiller has acquired through the years, their challenge is to ensure that Truly Human Leadership becomes firmly integrated into the DNA of the Barry-Wehmiller global leadership practices. In addition, they wanted to inspire other organizations to adopt their approach—ensuring that business becomes a powerful force for good in the world by letting people know that who they are and what they do matters!

Chapter based on an interview with Bob Chapman (June 21, 2017); existing articles and videos; website Barry-Wehmiller; and the book Everybody Matters (New York, NY: Penguin, 2015)