Several years ago, I was having lunch for the first time at a new and now very popular Pittsburgh restaurant. Before lunch was served, and out of necessity, I visited the restroom. As I proceeded, I moved my head upward to look at the wall in front of me (as guys usually do). I soon realized that I wasn’t looking at the wall but through it. I could see much of the waitstaff and visitors in front of me and I panicked – “these people can see me half-naked and they’re watching!” I quickly understood this was a one-way barrier that allowed only for one-way viewing. I breathed a sigh of relief and laughed as others did too. I was now hoping they weren’t just chuckling at me. I’m kind of paranoid!
When we think of our organizations as being intellectually honest and appropriately transparent, how do we begin to think about safety advancement? Do we feel comfortable being naked from an organizational standpoint? Do our leaders really want to know what they and their organization look like when the veneer is stripped away and the thinly veiled layers of false protection are peeled back?
Healthier organizations want to understand what’s really occurring and how people feel. Their leaders openly and honestly solicit feedback. They conduct focus group sessions with their workers and evaluate their culture for safety through perception surveys and other cultural tools. Some leaders want to hide from these types of evaluations and remain completely clothed for fear of personal exposure. They don’t want to be caught with their pants down or to be seen naked for the sake of safety or for the greater good of the organization.
No organization can improve safety, quality, or productivity, in any sustainable manner, without being intellectually honest and transparent. It’s about getting organizationally fit.
Getting fit means getting organizationally naked. When we do, we often see things that aren’t very appealing, which in turn motivates us to get healthier. With our organizational leaders, that takes honesty, transparency, and subsequent changes that will make the organization increasingly fit for duty and overall performance. Eventually it can take the organization out of its danger zone. Yes, staying in the danger-zone can lead to unacceptable risks, serious incidents, and fatalities.
I believe that being objective and honest about how we look naked drives us to healthier outcomes. But it takes courageous and selfless leaders who want to get naked in order to improve safety and the organization as a whole. How naked is your organization willing to get?
Please visit: www.DavidSarkus.com
