Every day, across every corner of aging services, from senior living communities to PACE programs, from skilled nursing centers to small-house homes, care professionals show up with extraordinary heart. They carry the emotional, physical, and human weight of supporting older adults through some of life’s most vulnerable chapters. Their compassion is the backbone of our sector.

At AgingIN, we believe these professionals deserve more than gratitude. What if every senior living community, every PACE center, every skilled nursing provider intentionally enhanced the lives of their care teams? What if we lifted them up, not just with training or checklists, but with access to ideas, resources, and support that enrich them as whole people? Not just at work, but in every dimension of their well-being?

What if the care workforce felt seen, valued, and empowered, every single day?

This is where Bob Chapman’s philosophy of Truly Human Leadership resonates so profoundly. His message is as relevant to long-term care as it is to corporate America: when you care for the people who care for others, everything changes.

What if business could be the most powerful force for good in the world?

That’s the question Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, asked himself, and answering it has transformed not only his company but the lives of thousands of employees and leaders around the globe. We believe THIS is what senior living is ready for.

In a recent podcast conversation, Chapman shared his remarkable journey from inheriting a struggling $20 million family business to building a $4 billion global enterprise rooted in empathy, care, and purpose. His leadership philosophy, known as Truly Human Leadership, is more than a management style, it’s a movement.

Three Revelations That Changed Everything

Business Should Be Fun

A spontaneous moment during March Madness revealed something profound: joy at work increases performance. A simple bracket game among customer service reps sparked a 20% revenue increase and a surge in morale.

Business Has the Power to Influence Lives

A reflection in church made Chapman realize leaders have 40 hours each week to impact people’s lives—more than most spiritual leaders ever get. Business, he concluded, can be a tremendous force for good.

Employees Are Someone’s Precious Children

At a wedding, as a father walked his daughter down the aisle, Chapman realized every employee is someone’s beloved child. That moment shifted his view from seeing people as roles to seeing them as human beings worthy of care and respect.

Building a Culture of Care

These insights led to the founding of Barry-Wehmiller University, focused on teaching three core human skills:

  • Empathetic Listening: Listening to understand, not judge.
  • Recognition & Celebration: Letting people know they matter.
  • Culture of Service: Moving from “me” to “we.”

The results? Employees reported life-changing improvements—not only in their professional lives but in their marriages, parenting, and personal well-being. Chapman teaches that caring is a skill—and like any skill, it must be taught, practiced, and valued.

Transforming Healthcare and Beyond

Chapman’s message hits especially close to home in healthcare and aging services, where burnout and turnover continue to challenge providers. He argues that caregivers must feel cared for themselves in order to deliver compassionate care.

His work with hospitals and universities is helping to bring Truly Human Leadership into care environments, creating places where both staff and residents thrive.

A Legacy of Leadership

Chapman is now passing the torch to his son, Kyle, who is expanding the reach of Truly Human Leadership while advancing the company toward its next chapter. With plans to grow Barry-Wehmiller to a $6 billion company, the movement’s influence continues to spread.

A Call to Action

Chapman’s message is simple but transformative:

Change the way you see people.

See every individual—not as a task, a function, or a problem to solve—but as someone’s precious child.

Whether you’re a CEO, nurse, dining director, CNA, therapist, or community leader, you have the power to create a culture of care.

As Chapman reminds us, “We don’t have a poverty of money—we have a poverty of dignity.”
—Tom Friedman

It’s time to heal that.

And in the aging services sector, it begins with honoring and uplifting the people who care for our elders—because when we elevate their lives, we elevate the lives of everyone they touch.

ABOUT AGINGIN

AgingIN is a global nonprofit dedicated to transforming the aging experience by empowering the people who care for older adults. Through education, training, research partnerships, and community-wide initiatives, AgingIN equips organizations across skilled nursing, assisted living, PACE programs, home- and community-based services, and small-house models, to deliver person-directed living rooted in dignity, purpose, and human connection. We believe that when care professionals thrive, older adults thrive. AgingIN exists to elevate both. Learn more at AgingInnovation.org.