BFCGI director Andy Gustafson was fortunate to participate in a humanistic management brainstorming session hosted by Bob Chapman, of Barry-Wehmiller in Phillips Wisconsin March 30-April 1. Around 20 academics from across the US as well as Spain, Mexico and Columbia participated, as they worked to hammer out a Humanistic Management manifesto, to encourage other like minded teachers to help students capture the vision to manage for the betterment of their employees, not merely to make more money.

Bob Chapman is a remarkable manager, having taken the reigns of his fathers company suddenly at a fairly young age, and having grown the company by acquisitions into a 1.7 Billion dollar company today. More importantly, Bob has found that focusing on his employees is the most important thing, and he takes his responsibility as steward for them very seriously. His vision is infectious, and his commitment is unshakable. His journey and method is laid out clearly in his book, “Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family“.

Chapman provides many practical insights from his own experience turning around companies throughout his career. He has come to be absolutely convinced that “Everything we value in life and business begins and ends with people” and he has put the flourishing and well being of his people as top priority. Profit is the fuel for business, but the aim and end is to help people reach their full potential, and as an employer, Bob Chapman takes that stewardship responsibility very seriously.

our sessions