Everybody Matters

It’s All About the People!

"In the end, it is about truly caring for every precious human being whose life we touch."- Everybody Matters, page 15

To start, their vision statement calls for them to measure their success by the way they touch the lives of others. Their approach to transformation, rejuvenation and renewed growth has been proven to create tremendous shareholder value in dozens of companies in different industries and cultures globally. The key pillars of their approach include:

1. Establish a shared long-term vision
2. Foster a people-centric culture
3. Develop leaders from within
4. Send people home fulfilled

It is about living with an abundance mentality; abundance of patience, love, hope and opportunity.

They share seven universal principles that can guide any team:

1. Every human being matters and is unique.
2. Evolution has a purpose.
3. The most powerful energy in the universe, and thus in human beings and in organizations, is caring.
4. The more we can combine work and caring, the more fulfilled we will be and the further we will collectively advance.
5. Individuals can choose to operate at a higher plane of consciousness or not.
6. Organizations can be built for resilience and inspired to care.
7. This is a journey with no end point.

Leaders learn to inspire people to solve problems rather than trying to manage them out of problems. Offering and developing deep trust is the essential foundation of great leadership. And this is built on respect and caring which replaces the typical fear and anxiety often felt at work.

Create the Culture

"Most businesses use people to build products and make money; we use our products to build people."- Everybody Matters, page 123

Do you consider the purpose of your business to maximize profits/shareholder value? The authors teach that this simplistic idea can damage the people and the business outcomes. It actually impairs the ability of the organization to sustainably generate value.

Great leaders of truly great businesses think differently. The purpose of every great business is something deeper and involves having a positive impact on the world and on the lives of people.

Bottom line, if you create and run a business with the primary intention of driving profits and maximizing shareholder value, you will not be as successful as if your primary intention is to serve others.

To ensure they have the right emphasis at Barry-Wehmiller, they do two kinds of visioning; business visioning and cultural visioning. Culture equals values plus behavior. Cultural visioning focuses on their “why” and the values and behaviors that support it. Among other things, they ask how they should treat each other so they go home fulfilled.

Where is your emphasis? I work with Pharma companies and encourage them to “serve patients by making medicines” rather than “make medicines to serve patients.”

Leadership Checklist

"When we engage our heads, hearts and hands around these habits, extraordinary levels of trust and fulfillment will result."- Everybody Matters, page 141

Being a good leader means choosing to be a good steward of the lives entrusted to you. Not just your people, but the families they go home to at the end of the day, either surly and drained or happy and fulfilled.

We all know that pilots follow checklists religiously. Thank goodness. Just like pilots, leaders are entrusted with precious lives every day. Chapman and Sisodia decided leaders too need checklists! So they took their vision and made it tangible. What must a leader DO every day? Here is their list. How many can you check off today?

1. I practice stewardship of the Guiding Principles of Leadership through my time, conversations and personal development.
2. I advocate safety and wellness through my actions and words.
3. I reflect to lead my team in achieving principled results on purpose.
4. I aspire to passion, optimism and purpose.
5. My personal communication cultivates fulfilling relationships.
6. I foster a team community in which we are committed to each other and to the pursuit of a common goal.
7. I exercise responsible freedom, empowering each of us to achieve our potential.
8. I proactively engage in the personal growth of individuals on my team.
9. I facilitate meaningful group interactions.
10. I set, coach to, and measure goals that define winning.
11. I recognize and celebrate the greatness in others.
12. I commit to daily continuous improvement.