Podcast: Randall Fleming and the Power of Caring in the Workplace

November 05, 2025
  • Brent Stewart
  • Brent Stewart
    Digital Strategy & Content Leader at Barry-Wehmiller

You may have heard Simon Sinek's recent "A Bit of Optimism" podcast that featured Barry-Wehmiller Chairman Bob Chapman and a number of BW team member from our BW Papersystems company in Phillips, WI. 

One particular team member that was interviewed was Randall Fleming, who was a welder when we acquired (or adopted) Marquip, the company that would become BW Papersystems. 

While presenting our message of Truly Human Leadership, our CEO Bob Chapman is often asked: What about the people who don't get it? What about the people who actively work against positive change?

Barry-Wehmiller has adopted more than 150 companies and as Bob once wrote:

We realize that when we acquire a company, the people within that company are a product of their experiences. They may have experienced great leaders in their past or, more likely, they have had some negative experiences. Consequently, some have difficulty trusting our leadership message. That’s okay. We’re all at a different point on this journey, and we have to be patient and trust that the skeptics will eventually see the transformative power it can have—on both their work lives and their personal lives.

On this podcast, you'll hear the story of Randall Fleming, who was one of those people who resisted change at first, but then experienced a radical transformation. He told Simon a part of his story, but we wanted to give you a deeper dive. This episode is Randall's story, told by Randall. It also features BW team members Ken Coppens and Maureen Schloskey.

Randall's story is testament to the life-changing power of meaningful work and the power of what happens when people care in business. It's what happens when you establish a workplace culture of empathy and shared purpose as opposed to the "command and control" atmosphere of most traditional management environments.

Randall's story is an illustration of when we say that the way we lead impacts the way people live. He not only found more fulfillment in his work, his whole life completely changed. And Randall then became a leader, mentor and inspiration to others.

You can listen to this podcast through the links above or through your favorite podcast provider.


 


Related Posts

Bob Chapman / Oct 30, 2013
Be Patient With Stormtroopers
Bob Chapman / Dec 18, 2013
The Tools of Trust

Need help in applying principles of Truly Human Leadership in your organization? Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute is Barry-Wehmiller's leadership consulting firm that partners with other companies to create strategic visions, engage employees, improve corporate culture and develop outstanding leaders through leadership training, assessments and workshops.

Find out more at ccoleadership.com