Cover Story
Leading with heart
How Robert Chapman helps Barry-Wehmiller drive revenue by pushing inspiration ahead of monetary gain
By Mark Scott
Smart Business St. Louis | February 2010
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Robert H. Chapman was having a really good day. He had just eaten a fabulous breakfast with his wife, complete with impeccable service and great food at the Ritz-Carlton hotel where the couple was staying.
After the meal, on the way back to his room, Chapman noticed a man painting the hallway.
As he approached, the man stopped his painting and began to speak to Chapman.
“He paused and apologized for interrupting my stay because he was touching up the paint,” says Chapman, chairman and CEO at Barry-Wehmiller Cos. Inc. “I said, ‘I can’t believe anybody has engaged people so much.’ If Ritz can do it with a lady serving breakfast and a gentleman touching up the paint in the hallway, any organization can do it. Those people felt valued. So when they felt valued, they treated people with value.”
The idea of ensuring a positive experience between your employees and your customers is a universal challenge. How do you ensure that each and every interaction between employee and customer is a good one?
Chapman says it’s more about showing employees that you value their role in your business and much less about trying to be their manager.
“Never have I really sensed that we have learned to teach inspirational leadership,” says Chapman, who has led the 5,500-employee manufacturing and service company since 1975. “People graduate with management degrees and take management courses and are put into place managing companies. So what do managers do? They manage people. Nobody in this world can be managed or wants to be managed, but we put people in management positions instead of leadership positions.”
It’s not as if the moment at the Ritz was an epiphany for Chapman. He always viewed a leader’s job as being more about what you can do to put your employees in a position to fulfill their potential. When you’re able to do that, your customers will notice.
That morning at the hotel simply reinforced the idea that he wasn’t the only one who thought altruistic leadership was the way to go. You need to show your people that you value their talents and value their ability to put those skills to use for your business.
“We think that’s why we’re here, to create an environment where each of us can help the other person by working together and sharing our gifts to do something with our life,” Chapman says. “It’s the core thought. We don’t do this to get more out of our people. That may be a byproduct, but it’s not the intent.”
Chapman has helped his business succeed by developing an inspirational vision that appeals to his people. He firmly believes in asking employees to think deeply about their talents and to think about how they might be put to the best use in the organization.
And even though he says it’s not his goal, the approach has resulted in growth for his business. The company hit $960 million in fiscal 2009 revenue and expects $1.1 billion for fiscal 2010.
Here’s how he inspires his people and as a result, intentionally or not, puts his company in a position to be great.
