There are some people who change not only how we lead, but how we see the world and our place within it. Bob Chapman was one of those people. I want to write this in memory of, and in deep gratitude for, my mentor and dear friend, Bob.
He has been an inspiration in both my work and my life, and his absence leaves a quiet, reverberating space. And yet, in many ways, his presence continues, in how I choose to lead, to listen, and to live.
I met Bob through my husband, Ed, who was studying the Barry-Wehmiller case study during the AMP at Harvard Business School. At the end of the programme, Bob joined one of their discussion groups. As Ed listened, he recognised something deeply familiar. The leadership and culture Bob described echoed the very essence of the work I had been devoted to for years: listening in a way that enables people to think for themselves and to step into who they are meant to be.
After the session, as delegates queued to have their copies of Everybody Matters signed, Ed quietly stepped away. He returned not only with Bob’s book, but also with one of mine, sensing there might be something of interest in it for him.
A journey I had no idea where it might lead
Four weeks later, I received a call from Diane, Bob’s PA. She shared that Bob had read my book on his flight home and wondered if I would be open to a conversation to exchange ideas, particularly around one of the key pillars of Truly Human Leadership: empathetic listening.
We scheduled a 30 minute call. It lasted nearly 50.
Bob spoke with such clarity, warmth, and conviction. He shared stories and insights that captivated me. I remember coming away thinking this is the leadership I had always hoped I had shown in my own career, yet had not fully found the confidence to articulate. This was human centred leadership, not as a concept, but as a lived, breathing reality.
He spoke about the importance of creating both human value and economic value, not as competing priorities, but as essential partners. To build sustainable economic success, he believed, we must first treat people well. We must communicate with care, recognise generously, and create the conditions for people to grow into their gifts and talents within the structure we call work.
When people feel valued, they add value to their teams, their families, and the organisation.
It felt like hearing a truth I had always known, finally spoken aloud.
Bob shared the story of taking over the business at the age of 30, initially following a more traditional leadership approach, until three profound experiences reshaped his thinking entirely. These moments, which he recounts in his book, led him to a simple yet powerful truth that when leaders dare to care, and when there is a sound business strategy, people and performance grow together.
A few weeks later, in January 2017, Diane called again. Bob was coming to the UK and wondered if I might be able to meet him. He would be visiting their Nottingham plant and had 20 minutes available.
I live in the south of England. It was a five hour drive.
I paused briefly to consider it. I left home at 6am that Friday for a journey I didn’t know where it would lead.
That 20 minute meeting became 45 minutes with Bob, and the rest of the morning with his team and the leaders on site.
What I witnessed that day was extraordinary. Truly Human Leadership was not a concept. It was alive.
Leaders were listening, deeply and attentively. Letters of recognition were displayed with pride. People spoke with genuine joy about being seen and valued, and about the impact this had not only on them, but on their families. The business strategy was visible and understood. Progress was shared openly. There was clarity, dignity, and pride in the environment.
People were proud to work there, and you could feel that pride in the way they stood, spoke, and welcomed me into their world.
At the end of the morning, Bob invited me to join one of the courses his Leadership Institute was running in the summer.
In August, I attended the Inspire Like a Leader programme, led by exceptional colleagues, and met leaders from across the United States and Europe, each carrying their own stories of why Truly Human Leadership mattered to them.
On the first evening, we gathered for dinner. As I took my seat, I realised I had been placed next to Bob.
I felt both excited and quietly nervous. I was eager to learn, and also wondering what, if anything, I could contribute among such accomplished leaders.
Then I was asked, without warning, to facilitate the after dinner activity at our table.
In hindsight, I am grateful I had no time to prepare.
I did what I know best. I created a listening round.
I invited each person to speak in turn, without interruption nor judgement, knowing they would be met with full attention, respect, and interest. One person began. Then another. And another.
Something softened and opened.
After everyone had spoken, I invited each person to appreciate both the experience and the person to their right.
It was extraordinary.
In a room of around 60 people, our table of eight felt as though we were the only ones there. The quality of attention was almost tangible, as if you could feel it in the air between us. The appreciations were deeply felt. Emotions surfaced. People spoke with honesty and ease, held in a space that felt safe.
At the end of the evening, Bob turned to me and said he had never experienced such a level of connection and respect among complete strangers.
We spoke further about listening with intention, and the profound impact it can have on people’s lives.
Bob was a master storyteller. And yet, in that space, as people were truly listened to, everyone found their voice. Confidence and courage emerged. What mattered was spoken.
Memories of a Mentor
That evening marked the beginning of our mentoring relationship.
Our mentoring journey grew through shared belief and lived experience.
Bob taught me that human centred leadership is not a nice to have. It is essential.
He showed this not only through his words, but through the success of his own business and the growing number of organisations around the world drawn to his philosophy. He believed, as I do, that business can be a force for good in the world.
It is where individuals discover their gifts and talents. Where they grow through the roles they undertake, the experiences they engage with, and the relationships they build.
Business, at its heart, is about people.
Without people, there is no business.
And yet, Bob taught me something even more profound. Truly human leadership is not something we simply teach. It is something through which we dignify others.
Often, I would walk alongside Bob at events where he was speaking. We rarely made it far without stopping. He would pause, turn fully towards someone, and become deeply interested in them. Their story. Who they were. What they had felt.
In those moments, people were not part of a crowd. They were seen.
He dignified them through his presence, his interest, and his recognition of who they were.
He also taught me that joy matters.
That bringing lightness into a moment is not a distraction, but a gift.
Bob often made me laugh. He would comment on the way I pronounced his name, gently mimicking me with warmth and humour. Even while waiting in a queue for coffee, he would find a way to turn the ordinary into something funny, shared and human.
These were not small things. They were expressions of how he chose to be with people.
A privilege to share the message
During my time with the Barry-Wehmiller Leadership Institute, now Chapman & Co Leadership Institute, I had the privilege of facilitating programmes across the United States, Europe and the UK.
Each time, I witnessed the impact of listening as an experience.
I saw the profound shifts when people received recognition that truly named who they were. I saw courage emerge in those sharing their stories. I saw leaders become more conscious, more intentional, more human.
And I saw a deep desire to take this way of leading back into their own organisations and lives.
One of the highlights of my time was organising the Truly Human Leadership European Tour in 2019, just before the world changed.
Across six countries in five days, we created spaces for leaders to encounter Bob and his message. Over dinners, over breakfast conversations, in lecture halls and meeting rooms, people gathered not just to listen, but to feel what this kind of leadership could be.
Bob was tireless.
Consistent. Present. Deeply committed.
He never wavered in his belief that how we treat people matters.
Generosity beyond measure
In my own work, he supported me in navigating the complexity of coaching senior leaders and working in the boardroom. He helped me see multiple perspectives and approach with care, especially where leaders were balancing economic and human value.
He helped me recognise when to move forward with courage and when to pause.
He was generous beyond measure.
During the Covid year of 2020, I invited Bob to join an online conversation with Ernst von Kimakowitz from the Humanistic Management Society. Hundreds of leaders joined from around the world.
What stood out most was his generosity.
With his time. With his thinking. With his presence.
Every conversation I invited him into, he made space for.
Every engagement I hosted, he sought to support. And when he could not be there in person, he would share a message, always thoughtful, always encouraging.
We spoke regularly as I continued to develop my work. He listened. He asked. He shared.
He was always interested.
And in that, he modelled the very leadership he spoke of.
Bob inspired me to create the Dare to Care Leadership programme. After two years of developing and living this work with leaders, launching it was a moment of deep fulfilment.
Through this work, and through my connection with Bob, I have met so many thoughtful, compassionate, and committed leaders.
For this, I am eternally grateful.
This world is better because Bob Chapman was in it.
And because of the equally compassionate family who continue his legacy.
His son, Kyle Chapman who continues to lead with care at the heart of business. His granddaughter, Aidan whose love and dedication to her grandfather is something I will always remember during our time together on the THL European tour.
What stays with me most is this.
Bob was the very essence of a truly human leader.
His vision for a better world.
His compassion.
His wisdom.
His humility.
There was no separation between what he believed and how he lived.
Truly Human Leadership lives on in the thousands of lives he touched, and in mine.
Each day, I seek to carry this forward.
- To listen in a way that dignifies another.
- To appreciate the goodness we see in each other.
- To inspire people to step into who they are meant to be.
- To remind people that it is not simply what they do that matters, but who they are.
Bob showed me that to lead is to care and to care is to listen.
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