Truly Human Leadership

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 episode of our podcast, its authors, Jan Rivkin and Dylan Minor talk about the case study method of teaching, why they chose Barry-Wehmiller as a subject, how business school students are responding to people-centric principles and how Truly Human Leadership might apply in our current business and political climate.

Joey Coleman is the founder and Chief Experience Composer of Design Symphony – a customer experience branding firm and also the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, Never Lose a Customer Again. Joey has a new book that very appropriate for our current times where we've had a Great Resignation and people are demanding better leaders and better work experiences, Never Lose an Employee Again: The Simple Path to Remarkable Retention. Whether you are an owner looking to hire your first few employees, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or an enterprise that needs to keep growing on a global scale, on this podcast, Joey will reshape the way you think about recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and retaining quality team members.

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' that it feels like a fantasy? ...to venture past the workplaces of the past and into the unknown to imagine and create something recognizably different. To create Truly Human work.

The preceding passage is from the introduction of the book, Human Work: Five Leadership Mindsets for Humanizing the Workplace, written by Leanne Holdsworth and Naryan Wong. On this podcast, we're going to talk about the five leadership mindsets mentioned in their book's title and we'll address the initial question asked in their introduction.

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 mistakes?

Are you a leader who listens? What are you doing to make sure all voices in your organization are heard? These things are vital to having a thriving organization.

You may recognize Stephen Shedletsky from his work with Simon Sinek. On this podcast, Shed defines a Speak Up Culture and talks about why it is important for leadership, business and the people within.

Howard Behar, former president at Starbucks and a key figure in establishing their culture, talks about his views on leadership, his time at the coffee giant, Uber, Lyft, Amazon, Whole Foods and a whole lot else.

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 could the turmoil of the last few years result in better workplaces? Could business leaders really understand the value of caring for their people? Could we really see a massive shift from traditional management to Truly Human Leadership?

Dr. Alise Cortez thinks so. In fact, she thinks the time is ripe for a Great Revitalization.

Dr. Alise Cortez is an author, leadership consultant, an organizational logotherapist, the host of the Working on Purpose radio show and the Chief People officer at Dr. Alise Cortez and Associates. Alise has been on our podcast before, where we had a conversation about the insights she gained from leaders and their experiences in 2020.

On this podcast, Alise will talk about her new book, which is incidentally titled The Great Revitalization: How Activating Meaning and Purpose Can Radically Enliven Your Business.

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. It sounds outrageous, but it underscores one of the profound truths we've discovered at Barry-Wehmiller: That the way we lead impacts the way people live.

The research to back it up can be traced to Dr. L. Casey Chosewood, the Director of the Office for Total Worker Health at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn more in this in-depth discussion about wellness and work.

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

Jennifer has written a book that discusses the importance of mattering in children that comes out in August 2023, Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic-and What We Can Do About It. Along with her friend, Sarah Bennison, Jennifer is trying to build The Mattering Movement, with the goal of helping people of all ages learn the skills and tools to enact meaningful social change by identifying genuine needs, big or small, and to recognize the unique value that each individual can bring to the world.

Bob and Jennifer struck up a conversation because of their similar interests in the idea of mattering. Bob invited Jennifer and her friend, Sarah Bennison to visit a couple of Barry-Wehmiller facilities. After their visit, they had a conversation with Bob and Mary Rudder about the idea of mattering, which is featured on this episode of the podcast.

"Today, leaders need to recognize the impact work has on peoples' overall life satisfaction. It is an antiquated belief that leaders should focus solely on the professional side of team members' lives. Work needs to be a positive influence, given that it consumes much of our waking time. The work we do and how we feel about it shapes our identity. Leaders have a responsibility to help their teams understand the importance of their work."

On this podcast, find out more about what "The Optimistic Workplace" is in an interview with author Shawn Murphy.

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

They can help companies hire the right people, inspire them through a thriving and inclusive culture, develop and support your leaders and create stronger customer loyalty.

Sara Hannah and Matt Whiat are the leading partners of Chapman & Co. On this THL Refresher, we're going to bring you a couple of individual talks given by Sara and Matt that discuss their personal leadership journeys.