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Hard Talk. Let's bust it all open and live dangerously. Genuinely ask our team to give us feedback on anything they feel we should do more of and also perhaps one thing we could do differently. This is what builds trust, respect and engagement. That we too are keen as mustard to keep improving. That we are enthusiastic about hearing their suggestions - even if sometimes they may be hard to swallow. It's not whether they're right or wrong. Perception is reality and totally valid for that person. And I guarantee there'll be at least a grain of Truth worth taking on board. Maybe even a whole loaf. The harder the message, the more we need to look at it. And it actually goes even one step further: the louder the message the more a great Safety Leader celebrates it. Woahhhhh.... 
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 Safety Leadership is all about what happens between people. Being attuned to others is critical to our effectiveness. And the key to genuine connection is a rare and endangered species. It goes by the name of …listening. We put so much pressure on ourselves to come up with all the answers yet all too often the reverse is true. Filling the space with strategies or solutions almost never is. In fact it can often get in the way of the transformations we are after. Deeply listening encourages individuals to take responsibility and open themselves up to new insights and approaches, to find their own new way forward. It requires being fully present, non-judgmental, still and quiet, not looking at your watch or thinking about what you are going to say or need to do next, not checking schedules while we are ‘listening’, not second guessing or coming to conclusions. It’s about having the genuine intent to understand, listening for potential and possibility, being curious to learn something new, really being there.
It’s letting go of the need to control and trusting that individuals, with our enabling support, have the insight and capacity to solve the challenges themselves. Remember, you can’t truly listen and do anything else at the same time Tired of seeing rules being bent through a lack of buy-in? Don't forget the emotional power of having people share their close encounters. Even if, as recently experienced, it's 'just' an injured finger. When there's someone from our workplace whose brave and vulnerable enough to share what happened and what they learnt from the experience, bring it on. Real-life stories leave dry, procedural reminders for dead. It doesn’t have to be a work event; it’s all just Life and about looking after ourselves and each other. You'll hear a pin drop and floods of genuine questions afterwards. It also humanizes the workplace and breeds connection and compassion. P.S. as a Safety Leader, we could even perhaps start the ball rolling ourselves. We’ve all had close calls or been close to one (God knows I've had a few:).  The very last thing a passionate Safety Leader would want is to be accused of communicating their commitment to Safety but not actually doing anything tangible to make it better. Now I’m sure we could all recite a long list of recent impressive actions but the missing link can be that our team doesn’t necessarily know about them. Remember not to assume, perception is reality and unless we are regularly communicating what we are doing in the background, what we may well be chipping away at on their behalf, we can easily create the impression of all talk and no action. And this then comes across as the very opposite of Integrity. It rapidly erodes Credibility, Respect and Trust and eventually leaves our team saying nothing, rolling their eyes, having no buy-in and just going through the motions. This isn’t about bragging! It’s critically important sharing of mission-critical Safety Leadership in action. Perhaps embed a mini-slot in our Pre-Starts where we personally share what we’ve been up to safety wise (especially those related to improvement suggestions). Guaranteed positive, safety culture impact.  Whether it be mentoring someone at the work front, facilitating a Safe Start, or even just chatting over a coffee, always remember that what we do or say as Safety Leaders, no matter how impressive, is never, ever as powerfully long-lasting compared to the effect of where we are really coming from on the inside. Why? Because this is what people actually feel most deeply and remember forever (even if unconsciously). Our thoughts and feelings about the people in our team bleed out way, way more than we think. Our integrity and trustworthiness actually stem from where we are really at, not where we we may pretend (or even intend) to be. Keep an eye out on the inside.  'Shane', a Haul Truck operator - early 30’s with a wife and young child. The night before coming back for his next swing his partner said “no more Shane, it’s all over, but best if you go to work, we’ll figure out the details when you get back.” His Supervisor saw him in the crib room, sitting off to the side of everyone by himself, which was really unusual for Shane, by nature he was a very social guy. He asked Shane’s workmates if something was wrong : “ Dunno, he’s definitely not himself today so we thought we’d just leave him alone”. The Supervisor did likewise and got on with organising the Pre Start. 45 minutes later, Shane, clearly with other things on his mind, flattened a Light vehicle, like a foot on a coke can - two workers inside, dead. I’m currently delivering Fatigue Management Training and one of the things we discuss is the critical role of a Safety Leader in getting to know the physical, mental and emotional norms of our team members and always acting on any subtle cues to have a quiet, one-on-one chat. Let’s all recommit today to this (and strongly encourage our teams to do likewise). Caring alone is not enough. We need to ACTIVELY care  A good Safety Leader is a good Teacher. A good Teacher clarifies their ideas and strengthens them by teaching them. They create the conditions and the thirst for learning. They are Enablers and Awakeners. They inspire curiosity. See the similarities? While sharing their experiences, stories, mistakes, insights and suggestions, a good Safety Leader is always learning as well. In order to energize our teams we need to both share our lessons learned along the long the way, tease out others, and, perhaps most importantly, believe in our team, every single one of them, just like a good Teacher. 
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AuthorI'm Pete, CTS Founder, Director and front-line 'Culture Whisperer'. ArchivesCategories |
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