Vision - What's More Important?

In 1998, I was touring a large production facility to get a feel for the operations.  I was about to begin a safety culture assessment because the leaders wanted to more fully understand the perspectives of the entire workforce.  Company leaders also wanted to identify various management and employee perception gaps that were important to the health of their organization. This award winning Fortune 200 Company has been highly regarded for decades largely because of the way it values its workers, and it showed.  As I walked and talked with one of the leaders, it was clear that he had a vision for what he wanted to see but his new organization wasn’t there, quite yet.  He previously worked for an exceptional chemical company and stated, “I don’t see but I will — I’ve seen and felt it before.”  He had the remnants of a great culture for safety in his mind’s eye but it may have been fading.  This leader wanted a comparable culture within his current organization.  He had a vision for an outstanding future state but there was work to do.


It Starts With a Vision 

Any type of higher-ordered success in safety starts with someone’s vision for excellence — a thought, a mirrored image from the past, perhaps a muddied picture of perfection that bounces around in one’s thoughts.  Any great organization, institution, or innovation started with someone’s vision!   Having a great vision for outstanding safety performance gets things started and moves people to action.  A safety vision describes a compelling future state of excellence — it helps to paint a mental picture and assists others in building the framework and foundation.  It is inspiring, engaging, and energizing.  It pulls people in and gets people involved.  A shared vision helps to create a focal point, a positive sense of identification, and sheds light on the path forward. 

Many companies, certainly most large corporations, with safety and health professionals, have a safety vision statement.  However, I have my doubts about the time and energy put into these assertions. In my experience, vision statements are usually written by one or two people, with little input from the workforce or its organizational leaders.   One has to ask, was there buy-in from the senior most leaders?  Was the vision something that was truly desired and seen as achievable or worthwhile?  Was the vision for safety tested in any way?  Can leaders and workers regularly articulate the vision in ways that positively affect others?


A Mistake

Workers need to play a role in developing and framing the organization’s vision for safety — embracing it, validating it, branding it, articulating it, and making it thoroughly visible. Then it becomes theirs too, not the sole product of management or a committee or a small team. The vision is about “we,” rather than “I.”  To be honest, I don’t see many good safety vision statements.  I recently reviewed over 20 safety vision statements on various company websites. Few are persuasive. They are not going to make employees think "we" instead of "I". They do not give employees reason to move to excellence. But they do give employees reason to roll their eyes and shake their heads. The statements are often too wordy, too ambiguous.  I don’t see the time and valued importance put into these statements.


Bring The Vision to Life

John Maxwell, states that Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually…”

We are in a position to sell some form of our vision for safety to our leaders.  And we sell it by making an emotional connection for the potential loss of humanity, connecting with the organization’s values — whatever it takes!

A few years ago, I delivered a talk to a group of construction foremen and spoke about leading from the heart.  Afterward, I received a lengthy email from one of the supervisors.  I need to share a small part of his thoughts:

I’ve heard your words over and over in my mind and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you were saying. I had a safety meeting with all of our employees today.... I truly had everyone’s attention.  A lot of our safety talks are about what to do and what not to do.  I’ve done talks before where I asked them to be safe for their wives and kids, but I think this one made an impact. In all the years I’ve done safety talks, I’ve never had employees thank me. A few of the guys told me they never went to a safety meeting and had their hearts massaged.

Embracing a vision for safety excellence is about more than simply gaining additional support. Getting the vision means getting it deep inside, cognitively and emotionally. 

Our vision rarely comes alive, until we feel it, understand it, and share it in deeply personal ways — connecting the heads and hearts of those around us. And we need to do whatever is possible to help our leaders see and share a compelling vision for safety so that eventually — everyone’s heart is massaged. 

Are You Making These Mistakes With Your Safety Climate Surveys?

In 1980, Dov Zohar addressed various implications of assessing safety climate through a 40-item questionnaire in order to improve safety-related outcomes.  Zohar wrote one of the first scholarly works pertaining to safety climate and I was intrigued.  His work led to more research on my part during a time when there were many heated debates regarding the assessment of broader forms of organizational climate – not safety alone.  Amongst the many arguments, there were questions raised regarding the validity and ethical use of surveys to gather culturally-based information through surveys alone.  Many believed that culture assessments should largely be addressed by direct observation and interviews rather than through the use of surveys. In the late 1980s, I began using various self-developed safety perception surveys which proved quite useful. 

Through the 1990s, the climate-culture debates continued and became more pronounced. However, this led to more common uses of surveys to better understand one’s culture for safety, primarily through climate surveys. Since that time, I have seen several common mistakes that should be avoided when examining ones climate and culture for safety.  Averting these pitfalls can make for a more accurate and useful understanding of your safety climate.

1.  The Response Scale.  There are endless varieties of arguments related to the number of response choices that pertain to the level of disagreement or agreement with survey statements.  Some surveys use 4, 5, 6, 7, or even more response choices for each statement.  However, many researchers believe that using an even number of choices with no “uncertain” or “neither agree nor disagree” option in the middle, works best.  This is especially true within climate surveys as opposed to political polls.  Like many, I prefer the use of a 4-point scale because it forces respondents to choose a position, not simply resort to a neutral response. In safety, most people have strong opinions that need to be reflected in the data.  Wider-ranging scales, from 6 to 10-points, provide too much of a gradient and makes interpretation even more difficult.  Can you imagine the frustration of a line or field worker in having to choose along a 10-point continuum – my head would hurt! 

2. Your Statements.  Using the right kinds of statements or questions in order to obtain useful information from your employees is a necessity.  Statements that relate to front-line leadership, openness in communications, or tools, equipment, and facilities, as well as a host of other critical statements is required if you want a well-painted picture and in order to intervene in a cogent way.  By example, if you want to begin to understand how front-line leadership communicates with its workers and the degree of their two-way communications, your statements need to get to that understanding, with the right types of statements.  Don’t add to your employees’ confusion by asking more than one question in a single statement.  Ask one question at a time, by not using the word and, because it often leads to two questions being asked, rather than one.    “Double-barreled” questions like these produce ambiguous data.

3. Questionnaire Length.  Some surveys are too short or too long.  When they’re too short they typically don’t capture enough important information regarding what should be a robust reflection of your culture for safety.  Generally, I have seen 10 or 20 statements used in an attempt to cover multiples dimensions (categories) that should reveal what people believe about their organization and its culture for safety.  In contrast, more lengthy surveys with 60 to 80 or more items, may take 25 minutes or longer to complete.  These types of surveys are unwieldy and bothersome for the user.  Typically, a larger number of survey items can be collapsed into a lesser number and would prove more useful.  Who would want to work though such a questionnaire?  Respondents tire quickly and end-up giving useless or thoughtless responses because the survey is too burdensome to complete. 

4. Aggregating Data.  Another common problem that I have seen in working with safety climate surveys is the way people aggregate their data.  For example, if you work in a plant and simply lump all your data from management and the workforce together, it’s going to be reasonably poor data.  These higher-level results may allow management to feel good about their support but the data is rather limiting.  However, if you segregate comparison data with regard to senior management, supervisors, and employee perceptions, you can begin to examine the perception gaps between groups, with lower-level data that becomes increasingly useful and actionable.  If for example, management believes they are very open in receiving information and feedback from their workers regarding hazards and other concerns, but their employees don’t feel nearly the same, you have work to do in order to close that particular gap.  There are times to aggregate data in collective ways, quite possibly when comparing and ranking plants or locations, but on most occasions, organizational data should not be compiled in a higher-level manner, with a view from 30,000 feet.   

Make it Better…
These are just a few common mistakes that can lead to less than desirable safety data that could make huge differences in better understanding your culture for safety.  This is particularly true if you are attempting to construct your own survey without the support and validation of a group of experts.  Making your survey data more useful and actionable will allow you to intervene more cogently with appropriate support, improvements, training, and other distinct ways that will leave a positive impression on your safety culture.  I have said it for many years, it matters what you measure and how you measure it.

Chuck Noll’s Leadership Legacy

Chuck Noll's human body was laid to rest today but his legacy lives on forever.  The very recent passing of Chuck Noll, Hall of Fame coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers has stirred the emotions and thoughts of many.  Chuck Noll is the only NFL head coach to win four Super Bowls and may be the greatest NFL head coach of all time.  Charles Henry Noll never received the credit he truly deserved but those closest to him realized his exceptional leadership qualities, almost instantly.
  

In the local press coverage, former players and those from the Steelers’ front office have had the most to share about Coach Noll.  He had many outstanding leadership qualities but one of the most highly regarded was his candidness.  Chuck Noll knew how to be very straightforward about performance but he wasn’t deeply offensive – he had tact. We can learn from Chuck Noll by being forthright and candid about safety related performance.

          1.  Be as direct about performance issues by being as open and honest
               as possible.
          2.  Don’t make it personal or use name calling to defeat someone.
          3.  Don’t wait to address performance issues - the earlier the better.
          4.  Don’t belittle someone in front of their peers or others.
          5.  Use your words carefully – some words cut deeply and humiliate.

It takes courage and tact to be appropriately candid, but it is very necessary in order to hold people accountable and to set a standard of performance that will define your culture for safety.  Mike Tomlin, the current head coach of the Steelers often uses a phrase that characterizes the Steelers’ culture of success, “the standard is the standard.” 

The Steelers’ standard of success didn’t start with Coach Tomlin, it started with Chuck Noll.  Learn to be candid about safety performance; it will go a long way in setting and defining your own standards of success. 

Where's Your Deadline Now?

Deadlines and Shutdowns May Define Your Culture for Safety

During most of my college summers, I worked heavy construction. In nearly all of those jobs, I experienced scheduling pressures. As a bottom man or laborer, I was placed in physically demanding activities that were dirty and dangerous.  We took lots of chances because we thought our calculated risks were necessary to achieve our short-term goals.

Through my summer jobs I gained a great deal of respect for those who work construction and in the trades.  But the push to get it done was an everyday part of the job, especially in the 1970s.  Thirty years later, I’m thankful to be alive, and realize that my construction experiences lead to my career in safety.

Don’t Run The Red Light - Be a Safety Leader

For all sorts of leaders, it’s easy to justify what’s not right or to take measured risks.  Think about your driving routines.  You’re late for work or an appointment.  Nobody’s around so you exceed the speed limits or run a yellow light.  Pretty soon you start running the red light and increasing your speed even more. 

We get pretty good at rationalizing our actions as a necessity and generally continue with our path of action until something bad happens – a ticket, close call, or an accident.  The same thing occurs in the workplace when it comes to schedules and deadlines.  We push the envelope, cut corners, take short cuts, or place workers in risky activities that aren’t acceptable.  In some way, leaders and workers overestimate the value of their particular risks and actions.

In their own minds, leaders and workers rationalize the acceptability of their particular exposures and actions – “we have a schedule to meet – it’s just one time,” or “the customer has to have it” and “we’re losing big money on this and it might mean my job”.   The list continues and thoughts of justification, looking the other way, and related actions become quite the slippery slope.

Reframing Deadlines

What about schedules and deadlines - aren’t they mostly artificial?  Will a few hours of downtime, or even a day, really break your organization?  Are there ways to negotiate timetables, reduce the risks, and still be able to move forward?

Unrealistic and unnecessary downward pressures on your front line leaders will eventually cause a backlash that disrupts the performance capabilities of your workers.

Management has to learn to become increasingly open to listen to its front line leaders (and workers) in a very genuine and transparent way.  There has to be enough trust to believe in what front line leaders are saying and allow them to push back, slow things down, or to stop work altogether.

Management and Supervision – Keep It 68 and Breezy

Supervisors play a big role in defining a culture and have to be able to push back and keep the heat off their workers.  By doing so, supervisors foster a culture of trust and a manageable pace for work - especially when operations have to be slowed or stopped.  I have a few additional thoughts. 

     1. Be objective about your situation and attempt to understand perspectives of management and the worker.  Sometimes leaders may need to talk to others to gain a clearer viewpoint of scheduling issues that are often negotiable.  Additionally, the view of safety professionals may provide greater clarity regarding the risks and possible changes that will lessen potential downtime. But don't look too far ahead and enlist the support of others, right away. 
 
     2.  Many young athletes wear a rubber bracelet as a reminder to remain calm when situations become difficult.  The printing on those bracelets reads, 68 and Breezy.  That can become your mantra too.

Supervisors have to be especially aware of their emotions, keeping them in check and holding back.  Fight potential outbursts and remain calm.  Don't get too fired-up or say things you may regret by verbally smearing others.  Even more, part of gaining control is learning how to say it – speaking up about what’s necessary, without being too emotional, defensive, disruptive,
or demeaning.

You have to weather the storm for your workers.  If you show that you’re upset and rattled, that affect will trickle down to your workers, causing unwanted emotions, distractions, and a lack of focus. 

     3. Management needs to remain very aware of reasonable amounts of justifiable pushback and the trust that will be developed through it.  Senior leaders and seasoned supervisors know there will be obstacles – that’s why they’re needed.  Leaders who’ve been in similar positions to slow down or stop operations realize there’s a workable solution and process – step back and slow it down, evaluate risks collaboratively, allow each side time to push back, mitigate the risks to the lowest possible levels, and move forward.  Finally, keep communicating so that necessary adjustments can be made. 

From a strategic viewpoint, improving bid processes is a proactive measure that may allow for changes in contract adjustments that afford “cost-plus enhancements”.  This is especially relevant whenever additional safety requirements or stoppages are needed.  As an example, contractual changes may highlight requirements for additional time and expenses that relate to fall protection or excavation safety.  Proactive measures must always be identified as a viable long-term solution.

Organizational Pressures and Storms

Various pressures to meet deadlines may cause or lead to poor communications, cloudy thinking, confusion, and conflicts.  Even more, emotional pressures within your leaders and workers will eventually bring about judgment errors and mistakes that will prove costly on a number of levels.  

The way you and your leaders manage deadlines, risks, slowdowns and the potential havoc created by stoppages, will define your safety culture in various ways, but particularly with regard to your ability to engage. 

The great 1^st Century B.C. writer and mime, Publilius Syrus, once wrote, Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm. 

Sadly, in the midst of your storm, when that incident or fatality occurs, you may have to ask your leaders, where’s the deadline now?

David J. Sarkus, MS, CSP is an author, speaker, consultant, and coach with over 30 years of experience. He has written five books and more than 60 evidence-based articles. He is president and founder of David Sarkus International, Inc., which provides a full menu of safety leadership and culture driven services for some of the biggest and best run organizations in the world.  Please visit www.DavidSarkus.com for more information. David can also be reached at 1-800-240-4601.