the #1 safety leadership skill

Safety Leadership is all about what happens between people. It’s about connection and understanding. And being attuned to others is more critical to effectiveness than cognitive intelligence.
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, to give advice and problem solve, 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 log books or 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.
Whether it be in the field or at a Start-Up, I strongly encourage all of us to experiment with allowing the space, the silence, to truly listen. And remember, you can’t truly listen and do anything else at the same time.
And the rewards? Unlimited. They include: respect, trust, engagement, ownership, accountability, commitment, empowerment, increased productivity, compliance, time savings, motivation, innovation, safe work, and….. a lot less stress!

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