Beware of The Golden Boy Effect and Safety

“Oh – he’s Lou’s ‘golden boy.’  You better stay away and pick your battles.” 

I was 25 years old and working for one of the largest airlines in the world when I first heard the term golden boy.  I quickly understood and experienced what it meant.  Today I see the harmful effects of the “golden boy glow” in clearer ways especially when it comes to improving safety performance.

A golden boy is someone, often a senior leader, or favored individual who is protected from closer organizational scrutiny because of their education, knowledge, position, or special relationship to others in positions of authority.  I have seen first-hand the harmful glow of the golden boy that blinds people, pushes individuals away, limits important communications, and insulates them from others.

The flow of information through and from the golden boy is limited and protected often for personal reasons.  In turn, others work in guarded ways around the golden boy where openness and candor are damaged. 

Openness, candor, trust, and collaboration are critical to the health of any organization, especially when it comes to safety.   And the damaging effects of leaders who exhibit the “golden boy glow” are best resolved by other leaders who ask for multiple forms of input from other trusted organizational members.  In this way, the golden boy’s opinion becomes one of many.  Specialists in safety or other areas who have particular forms of expertise must also be aware of the golden boy effect and ensure that their expertise is open to scrutiny and evaluation. 

Wise and purposeful leaders understand the favored and harmful glow of the golden boy.  They know it isn’t healthy for the organization and causes division and detachment rather than engagement and alignment with the vision for safety.

When it comes to protecting people and their lives nobody should be “hands-off” regardless of title, position or role.  Everyone needs to be engaged and involved with improving safety.  And everyone should be on the same page – humanity amongst humanity! 

Beware of the golden boy effect and look for multiple forms of safety-related input.  Keep asking questions, and allow the golden boy glow to highlight, not harm your safety-related communications and ongoing performance improvements.