The speaker visited Bob Chapman's factory and spent three to four days watching how 3,000 employees created a safety culture so strong they didn't need signs because workers embodied it themselves. Chapman's company keeps these practices private, and the speaker argues they should share them with the millions of dissatisfied workers everywhere.
Chapters
Bob Chapman, I wrote about him in Leaders Eat Last. He's a very important CEO. A bunch of years ago, like nearly 15 years ago, I get this letter from Bob Chapman. I saw your TED Talk. I've built the company you're talking about. We schedule a 1-hour lunch together. We get along so well, we both clear our schedules to spend the next 3 hours together. I tell Bob, everything you're saying is amazing. I love all your words. But every CEO tells me they're doing amazing things, but I want to see it to believe it. And he opens up the doors of the factory, says, go talk to whoever you want. I'm not going to go with you. You can ask them any question. You can talk to anybody. Just go have fun. And after 3 or 4 days, I saw something that— it blew my mind. I've never seen anything like it. I went into factories that there were no signs that say safety first because they didn't need them. If you ask the people on the factory floor, how come there's no signs? They'd literally say to you, look around you. Everybody here is a sign. We do it for each other. Bob is so excited to introduce me to the culture team, and he says, so? And he expects me to fawn. And I said to the room, I said, I think you're the most selfish company I've ever met. I was like, what you have built is remarkable. I've never seen anything like it in my life. I didn't know it could exist. How dare you keep what you have discovered for only 3,000 people? Meanwhile, there are millions of people going to work every day who hate their lives. You have to share what you've built.
