Bob Chapman: The Leader Who Refused to Fire Anyone
The crisis hit Barry-Wehmiller hard. The company lost 30 percent of its orders almost overnight, and the board gathered
When the 2008 financial crisis struck, most companies reached for the same well-worn playbook: redundancies, restructuring, survival mode. Bob Chapman, chief executive of Barry-Wehmiller, a manufacturing company based in St Louis, chose a different path entirely. His people-first leadership approach would be tested in the most challenging circumstances.
The crisis hit Barry-Wehmiller hard. The company lost 30 percent of its orders almost overnight, and the board gathered to discuss the inevitable: who would be let go, and how many jobs would disappear. The company needed to save $20 million. The numbers were brutal, and the solution seemed obvious.
But Chapman refused to follow the script.
A Different Choice
Instead of layoffs, he devised a furlough programme where every employee, including himself, would take four weeks of unpaid leave. It was the announcement that mattered most. Chapman told his staff: “It’s better that we should all suffer a little than any of us should have to suffer a lot.”
The response was extraordinary. Morale actually went up. Employees who could afford the time off began trading shifts with colleagues who couldn’t. People voluntarily took extra unpaid leave to help their workmates, even though nobody asked them to. The overwhelming feeling wasn’t resentment but gratitude.
Barry-Wehmiller, which employs about 11,000 people worldwide, saved the $20 million it needed. More importantly, it kept its workforce intact. When the economy recovered, the company could ramp up quickly because it hadn’t lost its experienced people to redundancies. This people-first leadership strategy had worked.
This wasn’t just clever crisis management. It was the result of a philosophy Chapman had been developing for decades, one that treated leadership not as control but as stewardship.
The Early Years
Bob Chapman became chief executive of Barry-Wehmiller in 1975 at age 30, following his father’s sudden death from a heart attack. He inherited a 90-year-old company worth $20 million, with outdated technology and a weak financial position. Within a month, the bank pulled the company’s credit line. It was a baptism by fire.
Chapman responded by cutting costs and investing in new technology. By 1980, revenue had grown to $71 million. But financial success alone wasn’t enough. Over the next two decades, something shifted in how Chapman thought about business and people.
The Parenting Epiphany
The turning point came through parenting. Chapman realised that parenting is the stewardship of precious lives that come through birth or adoption. Leadership, he concluded, is the stewardship of precious lives that come to you when people walk through your door and agree to share their gifts with you.
This insight transformed Barry-Wehmiller into a model of people-first leadership. Chapman’s approach centres on the idea that family is a place of unconditional love, the one place you ought to feel safe and valued. He applied this thinking to his company, treating employees not as resources to be managed but as people to be cared for.
The Numbers Tell the Story
The results speak for themselves. Under Chapman’s leadership, Barry-Wehmiller has grown from that struggling $20 million business to a $3.6 billion global enterprise. The company has completed over 145 acquisitions, with 18 percent compounded annual revenue growth since 1990. Chapman calls these acquisitions “adoptions”, seeing value where others don’t and building a better future for the people who come with each company.
But Chapman insists that culture isn’t the foundation of success. The business strategy is. Culture is merely the fuel that allows a well-designed engine to perform at its potential. You need both: sound business practices and genuine care for people.
A Philosophy That Works
Chapman’s approach, which he calls Truly Human Leadership, rejects the idea that employees are simply functions to be moved around or discarded at will. Barry-Wehmiller measures success not just by profits but by the way it touches the lives of people.
This people-first leadership philosophy attracts talent. Chapman reports that his company has no trouble filling positions because job seekers want to work somewhere that treats them like family rather than like expendable resources.
The 2008 furlough programme proved that when people feel safe and valued, they naturally look out for one another. Unlike companies that announce layoffs and send everyone into self-preservation mode, Barry-Wehmiller’s people spontaneously began doing more for each other.
The Bigger Picture
Chapman has become evangelical about his message. He co-authored the Wall Street Journal bestseller “Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family” and launched the Chapman & Co Leadership Institute to spread his philosophy to other organisations.
His motivation isn’t just about running a successful business. Chapman believes business can be the most powerful force for good in the world. Leaders have employees in their care for 40 hours a week, giving them the opportunity to provide lives of meaning and purpose.
It’s a stark message when you consider that research suggests 88 percent of employees feel their organisation doesn’t care about them. Chapman wants to change that, one company at a time.
The 2008 crisis was a test of his philosophy, and his employees passed with flying colours. They proved that when leaders treat stewardship seriously, when they refuse to sacrifice people for short-term financial relief, something remarkable happens. People respond with loyalty, creativity, and a willingness to sacrifice for the greater good.
Chapman didn’t just refuse to fire anyone. He created a workplace where nobody wanted to leave.
Sources:
- Barry-Wehmiller Blog – Walk Your Talk
- Barry-Wehmiller Blog – How a Family Shared a Burden
- Knowledge at Wharton
- Fortune
- Wikipedia
