"When we say our people matter but we don’t actually care for them, it can shatter trust and create a culture of paranoia, cynicism, and self-interest."
- Everybody Matters, page ix
"Leaders are responsible for overseeing the environment in which people are asked to work… and people will act in accordance with that culture."- Everybody Matters, page ix
Bob and Raj make it very clear that it’s about the leaders and how they behave that creates the workplace climate. Their leadership philosophy is firmly grounded in the responsibility that leaders, much as parents, have for role modelling and authentically demonstrating desired behaviours. Indeed, many of the actions identified for improving the workplace are seen as starting with the leader. Establishing the expectations of leadership and what it is to be an employee of Barry-Wehmiller (Bob’s organization) is the first step towards creating a strong and desirable workplace climate. Consistent with this approach, they developed a Leadership Checklist (see below) which outlines what is required of an individual assuming this responsibility.
Leadership Checklist
I accept the awesome responsibility of leadership. The following statements describe my essential actions as a leader.
To support embedding their culture, they have developed their own internal leadership development program which involves individuals considering “leadership as a conscious commitment rather than a title or a role description”. As a consequence, individuals decide when they are ready to attend the program and to be open to learning what this conscious commitment involves.
"Encourage and insist that each team member – every member of the family – play to his strengths so that each one has the opportunity to become great at what they’re good at."- Everybody Matters, page 73
There are some great examples of leadership that are not hierarchically based which links to this first GEM. Throughout the book, Bob and Raj emphasize the importance of giving others the space to grow. The book outlines the importance for leaders to have patience and provide their teams with the space to learn and grow based on their own experiences. A critical element for leaders is acknowledging staff when they do the right thing and helping them learn from experiences. This creates a positive environment and encourages people to think about the strengths of their colleagues which decreases the likelihood of gossiping about their foibles. A key aspect of this is seeking to recognize and acknowledge individual and team achievements which in turn demonstrates caring, and creates inspiration and joy through celebrations.
"Responsible Freedom encapsulates two ideas: freedom, the opportunity to exercise personal choice, to have ownership of the work that you do and the directions you make; and responsibility, ensuring that personal choice is exercised with care and concern for other people and the requirements of the organization, and it requires two-way trust."- Everybody Matters, page 175
As with many other aspects, Bob and Raj share their sources for some of their ideas with the concept of Responsible Freedom coming from the philosopher Peter Koestenbaum. For Bob and Raj, this involves three key behaviours:
This requires having clear goals and ensuring that all individuals know and understand these goals so that they can use their strengths and work proactively and collaboratively to help make them happen. This empowers people and gives them the freedom to strive for success on behalf of, and with, their teams.
Throughout the book, the authors include anecdotes and quotes from other thought leaders, including Simon Sinek who lauds this approach, seeing it as something he wishes more companies would focus on. I loved many of the concepts in the book and will endeavor to create a desirable climate based on my takeaways. The book provides a lot of food for thought and did get me thinking and wondering what work would be like if we accepted each other’s foibles. I was left wondering what would happen in an organization where we genuinely view our staff, peers and leaders with the same sense of ‘blood is thicker than water’ as when we turn a blind eye to actions of family members that hit our buttons.
Bob Chapman intends to change the world. Chapman is Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, a capital equipment and engineering consulting firm with more than 8,000 team members worldwide. After seeing the positive impact of Barry-Wehmiller’s people-centric culture on the lives of his employees, Chapman felt compelled to raise awareness about business enterprise’s opportunity to become the most powerful positive influence on our society.
