Love in Action Why You Should Care for Your People Like Family with Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia
Episode recap
This episode is brought to you by Peak Performers, a nonprofit staffing agency that champions professionals with disabilities. Learn more at www.peakperformers.org.
This week on the Love in Action Podcast, I welcomed back Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia for a powerful conversation about what happens when leadership is rooted in genuine care. We talk about the 10th anniversary edition of their seminal classic, Everybody Matters, and why the book and movement continue to resonate around the world. We break down why people-centered leadership is more urgent than ever, and how treating people with care, dignity, and respect isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s what builds strong, resilient organizations. If you care about creating workplaces where people actually thrive, this episode is for you.
BOB CHAPMAN is the chairman of Barry-Wehmiller. A sought-after speaker on human-centered leadership, business growth, sustained performance, and culture transformation, Chapman strives to use his business leadership platform to build a better world.
RAJ SISODIA is a cofounder of the Conscious Capitalism movement and a pioneering voice in the global business renaissance. He is the author or coauthor of 16 books, including The New York Times bestseller Conscious Capitalism (with John P. Mackey of Whole Foods Market).
Quotes:
- We have a hunger for caring in the world, and this book addresses caring.
- The way we lead impacts the way people live.
- Business could be the most powerful force for good in the world if we simply knew how to care for the people we have the privilege of leading.
- You cannot ask people to care for others; you must teach them the human skills of caring.
- You cannot lead the people unless you love the people, and you cannot love the people unless you know the people.
Takeaways:
- Truly Human Leadership reframes business from an economic relationship to a deeply human relationship where people are the purpose.
- Caring is a learnable skill that must be intentionally taught, not just requested or assumed.
- The person you report to at work can affect your health more than your family doctor.
- Most business education still focuses on numbers and profit while bypassing the human heart and soul.
- Conscious, caring leadership positively ripples into marriages, families, and even future generations.
Timestamps:
00:00:03 Opening and introduction of Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia
00:02:33 Tenth anniversary of Everybody Matters and why it still matters
00:06:01 Origin story and why the book had to be written
00:08:02 Lessons from a decade of impact and stress testing through crisis
00:11:24 How leadership at work shapes health, marriage, and family life
00:16:15 What business schools still get wrong about leadership and purpose
00:21:08 How Everybody Matters deepened the idea of conscious capitalism
00:25:22 What Truly Human Leadership really means beyond just being nice
00:30:30 Stories of companies transformed by caring cultures
00:34:04 Why the wrong people often rise and how to rethink who becomes a leader
00:39:20 A message that can heal business, education, and society
00:44:18 Love, leadership, and practical caring in everyday management
00:46:00 Conclusion
Conclusion:
This conversation shows that leadership is not about titles or metrics, but about the lives entrusted to you. Bob and Raj reveal that when leaders choose to care, organizations do not just perform better; people become healthier, more hopeful, and more connected at home. They challenge the prevailing belief that profit must come before people and instead show how human dignity and strong business performance can reinforce each other. The episode also exposes how our education and promotion systems neglect the human side of work, and why teaching caring skills is no longer optional. In the end, listeners are invited to see business as a profound opportunity to practice love in action so that, in every workplace, everybody truly matters.
Links/Resources:
Bob Chapman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-chapman-89b936b8/
Raj Sisodia - https://rajsisodia.com/
Barry-Wehmiller - https://www.barrywehmiller.com/
Conscious Capitalism - https://www.consciouscapitalism.org/
Truly Human Leadership - https://www.barrywehmiller.com/blog
Bob Chapman, Episode #6: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/bob-chapman/
Raj Sisodia, Episode #36: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/raj-sisodia/
Substack: https://marcelschwantes.substack.com/