In early 2002, 20 team members from throughout the Barry-Wehmiller organization gathered to discuss leadership and the strengths of our culture. As an outcome of this conference, they created the Guiding Principles of Leadership as a set of principles to which the entire organization to aspire.

How do the Guiding Principles of Leadership affect the everyday experience at Barry-Wehmiller?

As a set of foundational statements, the Guiding Principles encourage our organization to embrace the awesome responsibility of leadership - to promote trust, positive communication, pride, and an atmosphere of high performance. As the impact of the Guiding Principles has spread throughout the organization, team members continue to find opportunities to transform their everyday experiences. Initiatives have included breaking down the barriers between the office and production areas, hosting events to facilitate team building, and sharing information on flat screen monitors throughout our facilities.

They are called the Guiding Principles of Leadership - what positions of leadership do the GPL apply to?

At Barry-Wehmiller, we believe that all of our team members have the opportunity to be leaders, the opportunity to touch the lives of the people around them and to contribute to a nurturing and productive environment. The GPL are not just for those people in formal leadership roles. The Guiding Principles serve as a vision for the organization that we invite everyone to be a part of.

How do you spread the Guiding Principles of Leadership in the organization?

We have developed multiple layers of communication to spread the GPL throughout the organization. Utilizing the power of technology, stories and articles about the GPL are frequently spread throughout the organization via websites, email, flat screen monitors, and postings on bulletin boards. In addition, nearly every week, a GPL Session is hosted somewhere in the organization to allow small groups of our associates to discuss the GPL. Over the last several years, we have also hosted more than a dozen cross-divisional conferences which focus on applying the GPL to a particular functional area of the organization.

How do you know that Barry-Wehmiller team members are embracing the Guiding Principles of Leadership?

When cross functional groups of team members in our organization gather to develop new programs and initiatives specifically to support the GPL, then we know that the Guiding Principles have transformed from a statement to a way of life in our culture. Over the last several years, the pace of new GPL initiatives has continued to grow.