Truly Human Leadership

The Gund Company, a Case Study of Truly Human Leadership

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For more than 75 years, The Gund Company has grown into one of the largest manufacturers and fabricators of composite materials, thermoplastic materia...

Bonus Episode: Raj Sisodia and Nilima Bhat on Shakti Leadership

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our last episode featured an interview with Raj Sisodia and Nilima Bhat on their new book, Healing Leaders: 7 Steps to Recovery of Self. In that disc...

Healing Leaders w/ Raj Sisodia and Nilima Bhat

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Raj Sisodia is the co-founder of Conscious Capitalism and, with BW Chairman Bob Chapman, the co-writer of Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power o...

The Powerful Impact of Listening

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Barry-Wehmiller Chairman Bob Chapman has said this about the importance of listening: Time and again, I've written that listening is the most importan...

Kyle Chapman at Gonzaga University

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A few months ago, we were honored that Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, named the week of October 13, 2025 "Chapman Leadership Week." That w...

Jan Rivkin of Harvard on the Barry-Wehmiller Case Study, Layoffs and Teaching Leadership

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the years, we've talked about the Harvard Case Study that was written about Barry-Wehmiller in 2016. It's a best seller, taught in over 200 unive...

Aaron Witt, Building a Better Dirt World

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron Witt started his career as a kid who loved construction. But over the years, he's built something bigger than he could have ever envisioned to s...

Simon Sinek and Bob Chapman, An Experiment in Humanity

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A few months ago, our friend Simon Sinek visited our BW Papersystems location in Phillips, WI to record an episode of his "A Bit of Optimism" podcast ...

Randall Fleming and the Power of Caring in the Workplace

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard Simon Sinek's recent "A Bit of Optimism" podcast that featured Barry-Wehmiller Chairman Bob Chapman and a number of BW team member ...

Jason Lippert, President & CEO of Lippert Components

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we are celebrating the release of the new revised and expanded edition of Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your Peo...

Bob Chapman and Kyle Chapman, a Legacy of Leadership

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Love as a Business and Change Strategy with Mohammad Anwar of Softway

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Bob Chapman & Raj Sisodia Discuss the 10th Anniversary Revised and Expanded Edition of Everybody Matters

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Unleash Your Team w/ Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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, W...

The Changing Landscape of Leadership w/ Jane Adshead-Grant

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Looking at the Future Leader w/ Jacob Morgan

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Your Leadership is Contagious w/ Anese Cavanaugh

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One thing we have consistently believed at Barry-Wehmiller is that everyone can be a leader. Anese Cavanaugh's book, Contagious You advances the not...

Zach Mercurio and the Power of Mattering

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 l...

Bob Chapman at the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The Influencer's Impact with Bob Burg

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 pr...

A Truly Human Approach to Service and Language, Metlife and Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Scaling Culture on a Global Level with BW Chief People Officer, Rhonda Spencer

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Barry-Wehmiller's Chief People Officer, Rhonda Spencer, was recently recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal in their 2025 HR Awards for Innovati...

Michael Gelb, Encouraging Creativity for a Better Workplace

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 super...

Belonging in the Workplace with Shawn Murphy

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Marcel Schwantes Defines Humane Leadership

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marcel Schwantes is a speaker, author, acclaimed executive coach, and an Inc. Magazine Contributing Editor. Marcel writes and delivers presentations, ...

Elevating a Leadership Journey w/ Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast features a story from Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute, Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that specializes in helping other organization...

Kristen Hadeed, Permission to Screw Up

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 – St...

Raj Sisodia, the Conscious Business Movement, Yesterday to Today

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 abo...

Donna Hicks, Dignity and Truly Human Leadership

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our friend Donna Hicks, a Harvard professor, world peace negotiator and author of the book, Leading With Dignity, was recently in St. Louis to partici...

Building the Leaders of Tomorrow Through Succession Planning

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Better Work, Better World: Interviews with BW Team Members Pt. 1

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Often on this podcast, you'll hear Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman, other BW leaders or other thought leaders talk about the waycaring leadership or T...

Bob Chapman Answers Listener Questions Pt. 3

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is the third and final part of this podcast series where Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman answers questions submitted by our social media audience...

Bob Chapman Answers Listener Questions pt. 2

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is the second episode of our podcast where Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman answer questions submitted by our social media audience. You will find...

Bob Chapman Answers Listener Questions Pt.1

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A while back, we asked followers of Barry-Wehmiller on social media to send in questions for CEO Bob Chapman to answer on our podcast. We were overwhe...

Exploring Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times with Anita Sanchez

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

BW CEO Bob Chapman met Dr. Anita Sanchez a few years ago through a mutual friend, William Ury. Since then, Anita and her husband, Kit Tennis, have b...

Compassion and Empathy with Dr. Ken Druck

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Ken Druck has been a trusted advisor through the years, personally to Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman, and also to the leadership of BW during som...

Meijer and Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute, Letting Leaders be Leaders

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that specializes in helping other organizations unleash the extraordinary in t...

Developing a Coaching Habit with Michael Bungay Stanier

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Bungay Stanier (or MBS) is the founder of Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that helps organizations move from advice-driven ...

Productivity Reimagined with Jacob Stoller

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jacob Stoller previously appeared on our podcast to discuss his last book, The Lean CEO: Leading the Way to World-Class Excellence. A number of years ...

Leading From the Inside Out, Bob Chapman and Ramesh Srinivasan of McKinsey & Company

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Barry-Wehmiller's CEO, Bob Chapman, often says that to be a Truly Human Leader, you need to have the skills and courage to care. Often, when you are p...

The Journey of Leadership, Hans-Werner Kaas and Bob Chapman in Conversation

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

McKinsey and Company is one of the most, if not the most, prestigious consulting firms in the world. McKinsey creates immeasurable value for its clien...

Bob Chapman Talks About Writing Your Eulogy

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever thought about what your eulogy might say? It's kind of a macabre thought, but it's actually a pretty important question. And it's the to...

Rich Sheridan, Chief Joy Officer

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rich Sheridan is the CEO and co-founder of Menlo Innovations, a software development company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He's the author of the book...

Implementing an Organizational Culture Survey Within a Global Company

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that specializes in helping other organizations unleash the extraordinary in th...

Raj Sisodia and Michael Gelb, Business as a Healing Organization

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Businesses destroy lives all the time. Not just by being poor partners to their consumers or communities, but through poor leadership and work environ...

Jeffrey Pfeffer Thinks the Workplace is Killing Us

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Most leaders understand their influence on team members' lives during work hours, but often enough, they don't think about how their leadership affec...

Bob Chapman, Inspiring a Human Revolution

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, BW CEO Bob Chapman had a conversation with Jane Adshead-Grant, a facilitator and coach in the UK and Europe. In this conversation, t...

Anese Cavanaugh on Building a Positive, Contagious Workplace Culture

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anese Cavanaugh is the CEO of Active Choices, Inc. She is the creator of the IEP Method (Intentional Energetic Presence) and the Positive Energy Workp...

Donna Hicks, Honoring Dignity with Leadership

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. You may recall that she has facilitated di...

Teaching Empathetic Listening to College Students

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listening is not always a dedicated subject in educational curriculums.  Think about it. There are speech classes, debate teams. You don't hear much ...

The Ripple Effect of Leadership with Laurie Butz, CEO of Capital Credit Union

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Laurie Butz is the President and CEO of Capital Credit Union, a credit union with more than 120,000 members in northeast Wisconsin. And we at Barry-We...

Teaching Human Skills in Primary and Secondary Education

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On several episodes of this podcast, you've heard about Barry-Wehmiller's efforts to transform how business education is taught. If you want leaders w...

A Transformative Partnership for Teaching Leadership in Business Education

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to change the way people lead, maybe you should go to the source of where they're taught to lead – business schools. Maybe the way we te...

Redefining Leadership On and Off the Football Field with Steve Jones

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman met Steve Jones, former head football coach at Kimberly High School, several years ago through a mutual friend. Coach ...

A Truly Human Approach to Pre-Hire Assessments

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The leaders of your business can affect its health and vibrancy. They also can have a tremendous impact on the people within their span of care in the...

Identifying Leaders with Melinda Bremley of Chapman & Co.

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Melinda Bremley is the newest Partner at Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute, Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that specializes in helping other or...

Leadership in Times of Transition

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Times of transition can be challenging for any organization. But challenging times and times of change often presents many opportunities for growth. ...

Bob Chapman Speaks to Business Leaders

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is a universal truth -- every one of us, no matter what our job or where we live, simply wants to know that who we are and what we do matters. As l...

Leader Expectations and Commitments

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At Barry-Wehmiller, we consider leadership to be an awesome responsibility--it holds the key to growing our business and, as important, improving the ...

The Life-Changing Power of Meaningful Work

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While presenting our message of Truly Human Leadership, our CEO Bob Chapman is often asked: What about the people who don't get it? What about the peo...

Lean, Continuous Improvement and People

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Lean was introduced to the Barry-Wehmiller organization a number of years ago, CEO Bob Chapman's concern was that people would be lost along the ...

Former Air Force General and Author, John Michel

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Michel is a former Air Force General who has not only used his leadership experience in service of his country, but also to help transform busine...

Dealing With Crisis in Business, Bob Chapman and Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller's consulting company that helps organizations identify, develop, and equip leaders. They bring t...

Building and Sustaining Company Culture w/ Rhonda Spencer

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rhonda Spencer is Barry-Wehmiller's Chief People Officer. She has been with our company since before the development of our Guiding Principles of Lead...

Bob Chapman, Looking Back to Move Forward

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine going to get coffee for your team and finding your coffee maker had been repossessed. In the early 1980s, Barry-Wehmiller was in trouble as a ...

Burnout with Dr. Neha Sangwan

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Here are some insights on the effects of burnout:  The World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized burnout as an occupational phenomenon i...

Bob Chapman and Jeffrey Pfeffer, Wellness in the Workplace

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, the World Health Organization added "burn-out" to the International Classification of Diseases. Here's how they define it: Burn-out...

Modeling Truly Human Leadership in the Classroom

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As we've talked about in several past episodes of this podcast, Barry-Wehmiller's CEO, Bob Chapman, has a passion for transforming the way business ed...

Raj Sisodia on Looking Inward as a Leader

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout his writing career, Raj Sisodia has put together a roadmap of how businesses can be a powerful force for good in the world through powerful...

Simon Sinek and Bob Chapman

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It was Simon Sinek who coined the term "Truly Human Leadership." Simon and Barry-Wehmiller CEO Bob Chapman became fast friends when they first met y...

A Harvard Case Study of Truly Human Leadership

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016, Harvard Business School published a case study on Barry-Wehmiller's approach to leadership that is now taught at 80 business schools. In this...

Joey Coleman and The Simple Path to Remarkable Retention

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Joey Coleman is the founder and Chief Experience Composer of Design Symphony – a customer experience branding firm and also the author of Wall Stree...

Leadership Mindsets with Leanne Holdsworth and Naryan Wong

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What if the best workplace we've ever experienced is just a fraction of what is possible? Dare we dream of something so far beyond 'business as usual'...

Stephen Shedletzky on Creating a Speak Up Culture

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does your organization have a Speak Up Culture? One where people feel it is safe and worth it to share their ideas, concerns, disagreements, and mista...

Starbucks Former President Howard Behar

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Howard Behar, former president at Starbucks and a key figure in establishing their culture, talks about his views on leadership, his time at the coffe...

Dr. Alise Cortez and the Great Revitalization

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past several years, for multiple reasons, we've seen an upheaval in the workplace. Not least of which is the so-called Great Resignation. But...

Your Leader is More Important Than Your Doctor

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard our CEO, Bob Chapman, say that the person you report to at work is more important to your health than your primary care physician. ...

Building a Mattering Movement, Jennifer Wallace and Sarah Bennison

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Wallace recently wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal, "The Power of Mattering at Work" that was forwarded to Barry-Wehmiller CEO, Bo...

Shawn Murphy and the Optimistic Workplace

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"Today, leaders need to recognize the impact work has on peoples' overall life satisfaction. It is an antiquated belief that leaders should focus sole...

Sara Hannah and Matt Whiat of Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller's consulting arm that helps other companies and organizations through what we have come to call ...

Getting to Yes with Bill Ury

16 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Ury is the co-founder of Harvard's Program on Negotiation and is one of the world's leading experts on negotiation and mediation. Trained as a so...

The Science of Mattering with Prof. Isaac Prilleltensky

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the cornerstones of Truly Human Leadership is that everybody wants to know that who they are and what they do matters.  Someone else that came...

Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia on Everybody Matters

19 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's been almost eight years since the publication of Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family by Raj Sisodia,...

The Shape of Leadership

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At the start of every new year, many people make New Year's resolutions to get in shape. They join a gym, go on a diet. But do we ever think about wha...

Discussing Human Flourishing at the Vatican, Brian Wellinghoff and Matthew Lee

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Lee, Baylor professor and Research Associate at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and Brian Wellinghoff, Barry-Wehmiller Dir...

How Would a Caring Family Respond? BW in the 2008-2009 Recession

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rightsizing, de-layering, business re-engineering, streamlining the organization…these are a few of the more current terms for the conventional busi...

Mark C. Crowley Talks Fallout from the Great Resignation

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We first talked to Mark C. Crowley in May of 2021 when people were starting to return to the office amidst a global pandemic that transformed the remo...

Purpose and Fulfillment with Lynne Twist

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our friend Lynne Twist is a global visionary and pro-activist committed to creating a future that is environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilli...

Trust with the Leadership Freak Dan Rockwell

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Building trust requires constant, authentic communication. Communication is not just about words; it is also based on actions. Every action communicat...

Kristen Hadeed on Leading Millennials

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2009, at the age of 20, Kristen Hadeed started Student Maid, an all-student cleaning company that grew to employ more than 400 college students in ...

Transforming the Healthcare Workplace with Paul DeChant and Bruce Cummings

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who heals the healers is a question Barry-Wehmiller CEO, Bob Chapman asked in 2019, long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the need for better lead...

Bob Chapman Talks to New BW Team Members

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, our CEO, Bob Chapman, spoke to a group of new Barry-Wehmiller team members in our St. Louis office. Bob gives a good overview of the history...

Bob Burg, Author of the Go-Giver

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Many people think of customers as existing externally from an organization, someone who pays for goods and services. We at Barry-Wehmiller feel that a...

Richard Sheridan, Author of Joy Inc.

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this THL Refresher, we bring you the first interview we did with Richard Sheridan, the CEO and Chief Storyteller of Menlo Innovations. Menlo is...

A Conversation on Sustainability with BW Packaging Systems

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Barry-Wehmiller is a $3+ billion global supplier of manufacturing equipment to a variety of industries. Our companies build machines that help our cus...

Michael Pirson and the Effort to Humanize Business Education

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Pirson is an Associate Professor of Management, Global Sustainability, and Social Entrepreneurship at Fordham University and Research Fellow a...

Raj Sisodia and Conscious Capitalism

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As well as co-authoring the groundbreaking book with Whole Foods' CEO John Mackey, Raj Sisodia is the co-founder and co-chairman of the Conscious Capi...

The Importance of Recognition and Celebration

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Recognition and celebration is one of the most important ways you can help everybody in your business feel like they matter. This episode is an audio-...

Darrin Tulley, Looking Inward as a Leader

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Darrin Tulley had a dramatic experience where he found out he wasn't who he thought he was. He wasn't the leader he thought was. And it completely cha...

How Can Business Education Develop Compassionate Leaders?

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We want to help the generations of tomorrow become leaders who care, not managers who manage. Sophia Town is an assistant professor of organizational ...