These “special kinds of people” have a lot to do with making your culture for safety a very special one. And your safety culture needs to take a better look at these special individuals if you want to turn your followers into everyday leaders, and your culture into a community, a family.
In my 30 years of safety work, I realized a long time ago that organizations that have outstanding safety cultures have built an exceptional community or family environment where people really care about each other. It’s not just about the culture – it’s about much more!
Remember Susan Boyle from Britain’s Got Talent? Yes, she’s the amazing mezzo-soprano who blew everyone away with her television performance in 2009. When she took the stage, we saw that she was dressed a bit frumpy and didn’t fit the part. She was somewhat unkempt and looked down upon by just about the entire viewing audience. But we soon witnessed an amazing voice that brought people to their feet for a standing ovation that seemed to last forever! Ms. Boyle was incredible and continues to impress! In fact, her first week album sales were the best the USA had seen in more than 10 years! Her voice helped her to gain immediate respect.
Sometimes we avoid those who are different because their presence makes us a little uncomfortable. You see, we are more comfortable with those who are most like us. There is a psychological attraction to individuals who validate our similarities and values. Special people don’t always help to validate us in those ways.
Earlier in my career, I often avoided these kinds of individuals because
of the way they looked, acted, or spoke. Maybe they made me a little uncomfortable and it was easier to go along with everyone else and just avoid them. But it’s a process that we all have to work on. For a start, the next time you’re in a coffee shop, evaluate who you attempt to avoid or spend time with – likely it’s those who validate you in some particular way. And as you also know, with maturity and experience, most people really aren’t so different and don’t need to be avoided.
or in-the-field leadership, or want to build a greater sense of community, there will have to be visible signs of change. These signs are visible actions that signal a new start and direction. And these signals help to show respect for the worker at an individual level, on their turf, where change really needs to happen. Here’s a few simple ways that you and your leaders can start to make change happen at a grass roots level:
1. Be in a place and position to greet people before, after, or during a shift. The same can be said for safety related meetings. Offer them your hand so you can greet them or wish them a great day and a safe one too! These small gestures will also give you time to talk about a new direction or path forward.
2. Learn the names of your workers, especially those quiet followers who can become some of your more effective leaders. Knowing everyone’s name can seem daunting but you have to start somewhere. Hearing one’s own name means a great deal to each worker. And just don’t learn a name – get to know something unique about them.
3. Walk through your operations regularly and be willing to simply listen to issues, some of which may or may not be safety-related. Listening is a powerful skill that should never be overlooked. You will be amazed at how much a few minutes can do for getting more engagement from others, especially those who have not been very involved in the past.
About the Author. David Sarkus, MS, CSP is an author, consultant, coach, and motivational speaker. He has written five books and more than 50 empirically-based articles. David is Chief Motivational Officer and President and Founder of David Sarkus International Inc. His talks focus on teamwork, coaching, safety leadership, and safety culture change. His firm also conducts safety culture assessments and interventions for some of the biggest and best run corporations in the world. Please visit us at: www.davidsarkus.com.