meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
A Bit of Optimism

The Man Who Proved Me Right with CEO Bob Chapman and the Barry-Wehmiller Team

A Bit of Optimism

The Optimism Company from Simon Sinek

Business, Education, Careers, Self-improvement

4.82.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 72 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I’ve long imagined a world where people wake each morning inspired, feel safe wherever they work, and return home fulfilled by what they’ve created. That vision once felt like a dream - until I met Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, who quietly built it into reality. Over five decades, Bob has grown a humble Midwestern manufacturing company into a global business success story, proving that leadership grounded in humanity can scale across the world. Bob sees the people in his company not as line items, but as human beings within his span of care -  individuals he feels responsible to help become healthy, fulfilled, and whole. His belief is simple yet profound: when people are cared for at work, they create happier families, stronger communities, and a better world. He captured this vision in his book Everybody Matters -  which I’m proud to have published -  inspiring leaders everywhere to imagine a kinder form of capitalism. In this episode, we return to BW Papersystems in Phillips, Wisconsin where Bob first brought me fifteen years ago where he showed me what his Truly Human Leadership movement looks like. There, I speak with Amber Meyers, Randall Fleming, Lance Johnson, and Jared Nelson, each at different points in their journey with Barry-Wehmiller - some just three years in, others more than twenty-five. Through their eyes, we see the company’s evolution and the lasting power of care in action. What I once thought was idealism, I now know is possible: proof that capitalism can, in fact, be kind. This Is A Bit of Optimism.  For more of Bob’s work check out:  Bob's book, Everybody Matters https://www.barrywehmiller.com/bobchapman/b Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute: https://www.ccoleadership.com/ Barry-Whemiller: https://www.barrywehmiller.com/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I wish leaders took leadership as personally as you.

0:05.6

They see it as a rancor position.

0:07.0

They see it as power and authority.

0:09.1

But they don't take it as seriously as raising a child.

0:11.4

And you take taking care of your people as seriously as taking care of your children.

0:17.2

You deeply mean it.

0:18.2

You deeply feel it.

0:19.8

I know people who turn it on and turn it off,

0:22.1

and you can't turn it off. It's core to who you are. I always say, Simon, you can retire from a job,

0:28.4

but you can not retire from a calling. And when I look today as we talk, the issues we face in the

0:34.3

world, I see business as a source of destruction, creating economic

0:38.8

value but not human value. And I feel a profound sense of responsibility. Change the way the world

0:44.7

sees its responsibility to people they have the privilege of leading. I imagine a world in which

0:50.6

the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe

0:56.0

wherever they are, and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. When most people hear

1:01.0

me say this, they think it's just the ramblings of a crazy idealist, and I would actually agree

1:07.0

with them, until I met Bob Chapman. When I met Bob, he claimed that he'd actually built a company

1:14.2

that embodied what I imagined. And to be honest, I didn't believe him. Again, I'm a crazy idealist

1:20.5

and what I imagine isn't supposed to exist in reality. It's supposed to be a striving, which is why I

1:27.0

wanted to go see for myself.

1:29.3

Bob has spent 50 years leading a company called Barry Waymiller,

1:33.3

and what started as a humble Midwestern manufacturing company is now a $3.6 billion

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Optimism Company from Simon Sinek, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Optimism Company from Simon Sinek and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.