Les Miserables, Your Leadership, Your Culture for Safety

Have you seen the movie version of Les Miserables?  I’m not crazy about musicals but I loved this one!  In fact, I encourage you to get to the movies, buy a supersized popcorn, bed wetter sized soft drink, and enjoy!  Like me, you might make it through the entire movie without incident!

Well, there’s a great plot within this wonderful show.  Jean ValJean is the star, played by Hugh Jackman.  Valjean was arrested for a minor offense and is imprisoned for nearly 20 years of hard labor.  Shortly after his release, Valjean again finds trouble but soon discoveries forgiveness and redemption.  He goes on to become a very successful businessman and mayor of a small town.  Valjean is a new man and gives back to society through his kindness and generosity.  However, even as a free man, his past haunts him and is chased by Javert (Russell Crowe) a former prison guard and law enforcement officer.  Javert wants to hold Valjean accountable to the letter of the law and send him back to prison.  Javert is relentless, calculating, and unforgiving.  In contrast, Valjean is caring, kind, and generous.  He is a man of integrity and a leader in many ways. 

Both of these primary characters help to draw distinct associations for me and hopefully for you as well.  I’m talking about associations regarding the way we manage and lead others in hopes of getting better safety results.  Some leaders have great character, they're positive, kind, forgiving, but know how to hold people accountable and raise the bar for safety excellence.  These leaders are your Jean Valjeans and their impact is often far reaching.  There are still others who attempt to lead through force or coercion.  Their influence is largely based on fear, punishment, and intimidation.  Sadly, these are your Javerts, who feel they have to closely manage and control nearly everything and everyone they’re able to observe.  At best, Javerts bring about superficial compliance, resistance, and leave a destructive path behind them.  The Valjeans bring about much more that is mostly positive. 

Old Lessons Repackaged

Aren’t these simply old lessons rehashed with different packaging?  Isn’t Valjean the Theory Y Manager who believes in people and their potential for good?  And how about Javert as the Theory X Manager who feels that workers can’t be trusted and have to be continually observed, pushed, and prodded?  The Theory Y folks believe they’re a big part of getting the culture right and performance will simply follow.  The Theory X individuals only believe in what they’re able to see, observe, and control through the force of their will.   They simply don’t believe people want to perform at a higher level unless they are forced.  Wow – that’s a lot of work and anxiety, isn’t it?

And The Culture

For every leadership action there is a corresponding reaction within
the culture. A ripple affect if you will.  In time, consistent actions from leadership will create a particular set of predictable actions and outcomes from managers, supervisors, and the workforce.  All of these actions and activities help to characterize and form your culture. 

The Valjean Affect and The High Performance Safety Culture

When our leaders create mostly Valjean management styles (Theory Y) we can create a high performance culture for safety.  In this type of organization, you’ll come to expect a high degree of individual accountability, a high degree of open communications, a great deal of collaboration, and leaders of all sorts who behave as coaches rather than cops.  The cops are your Javerts (Theory X Managers) who chase, spy, and have a desire to catch people doing things wrong rather than right.  What a mess Javert helped to create for all those who remained in his sphere of influence.  And what a mess the Javerts bring about in our organizations!

What kinds of management styles and culture are your leaders working to create?  Are there more Javerts or Valjeans in your organizations? 

If you want or need help in making your leaders and your culture better, please give us a call.  And take a moment to read about some of our clients and their results:  Click Here for Some of Our Results.

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David J. Sarkus, MS, CSP is president and founder of David Sarkus International, Inc.  He has over 28 years of experience as a speaker, consultant, and leadership coach who works with some of the biggest and best run organizations in the world.  David wants to work with you to turns your Javerts into Valjeans.  For more information regarding his services please visit www.DavidSarkus.com.