Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People like Family
by Bob Champan an Raj Sisodia
Donna Able, CEO of Jersey Cheshire Homes reviews one of her favourite books in the lead up to the Business Book Club launch.
Barry-Wehmiller has found a way to find value where other people can’t see it: in the unrestrained care for people.
This book helped me set out a blueprint to help drive cultural change. Companies love saying that people matter, but few make decisions that consider the well-being of employees. This book provides evidence that what can happen if you honestly believe this. Bob Chapman calls this “Truly Human Leadership”. This happens when leaders care about the lives of the people inside the company like they were family.
This book recounts the history and the leadership philosophy of manufacturing equipment company Barry-Wehmiller, written by the CEO. The heart of Barry-Wehmiller’s vision, is to use the power of business to build a better world. He believes that leaders are responsible for the culture and environment of the teams or organisations; this means that they can change the way things work if they want to. This book shows the impact of making that change and treating people with care.
Tips for success I took from this book are:
- Businesses and culture within a business is based on TRUST. If you trust your colleagues and demonstrate that trust to them, they’ll be able to transform your business.
- If you want your team members to be happy, loyal, and productive, trust them with the freedom to make their own decisions.
- Create a cultural vision to inspire your people with HOPE for where you’re heading in the future.
- You have to truly care about your employee’s needs if you want your business to thrive.
- You don’t need to be a CEO to implement any of the changes, approach your role as a leader based on the intricacies of people, this will inspire success and increase loyalty.
In the book Chapman contends that the long-accepted management practices of business run counter to the way people are wired. But he says plainly, “It doesn’t have to be this way.” his approach to leadership on the intricacies of people, not the intricacies of his business’ operations.
My favourite snippets:
Often, we can take for granted our roles as leaders. These words really resonated as it demonstrates to the roles, leaders need to pay in creating an environment or culture where people can thrive.
I found the following words refreshing and they really resonated with me during these challenging times we find ourselves in.
- “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
- “Truly Human Leadership”
- “Awesome responsibility of leadership”
- “The right inspiration”
- “Courageous patience”
This book is easy to read and is actually very good, Bob Chapman outlines how to more deeply engage your people with their hands, heads and hearts by allowing them to be a part of the process of creating their own future.