Last summer, regular readers of this blog will remember that we rolled out a brand new corporate identity for Barry-Wehmiller.
As a result of our cultural transformation, we had changed significantly as an organization and we wanted our brand to reflect that. We had worked hard to establish a culture centered upon care, compassion and human connection and drive that deep into the organization as we aspired to a workplace where every team member had an opportunity to find meaning and fulfillment through their role.
A wonderful thing happened while we were focused on creating that environment: we realized that the impact of our culture had transcended our walls. Not only were our team members finding fulfillment but the ripple effect of that was spilling over into their families, their friends, their communities, and more. In essence, we weren’t just building a better business; we were building a better world.
And as author and friend Simon Sinek once told us, we’d be selfish if we didn’t share this with others.
This week we took another big step in building that better world through the launching of our new BW Leadership Institute, (now Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute, learn more here) created to share with other organizations what we have learned about building and fostering a people-centric culture.
Through the BW Leadership Institute, like-minded organizations can now partner with us to undertake the critical steps to implement their own culture change and develop outstanding leaders: learning better listening and communication skills, developing leaders, establishing a vision, creating an environment of continuous improvement, and much more.
Three pilot sessions of the Leadership Institute’s introductory course, Beyond Benchmarking, have sold out. Executives from organizations like Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Roquette, Ariens, Accenture, MiTek Industries, and City of Clayton, MO, attended the events. Business leaders from as far away as South Africa have even travelled to St. Louis to participate.
In fact, Mike Lewis with Peninsula Beverage, the Home of Coca-Cola in South Africa, had this to say about his experience:
“They created a wonderful manner to not only explore the Barry-Wehmiller way, but also connect with ourselves deeper. Their process, their passion and their authenticity were great to experience,”
Tom Manenti, Chairman and CEO of MiTek Industries, said, “More CEOs need to embrace the leadership philosophy that is being taught and lived out at Barry-Wehmiller. This is not just a ‘better’ way to lead, it is the ONLY way to lead!”
As the BW Leadership Institute website states, we cannot build a better world alone. The Leadership Institute will help us create partners in building a better world through business. I invite you to explore the BW Leadership Institute website and their leadership development resources.