Why should leaders care about EHS? This is a question I have been asked to address by a global EHS corporate group. Sadly it is an attempt to encourage managers to take responsibility for safety and health performance rather than thinking it is the safety professionals’ job. Let me begin by saying that
“leaders” already care about EHS. Managers may care but do not understand how to improve it. This is based on my experience that safety excellence cannot exist without caring leaders.
The word “care” says volumes about the perception that safety professionals have about managers. I have written before that the belief “they don’t care about us” drives lack of trust at all levels of the organization. Who the we and they are varies with the situation but the outcome is the same, “lack of trust and open communication” between parties involved.
Our talk will be aimed at new managers who may be stressed and wondering how they can include EHS related matters on an already full plate. The fact that they consider this an “additional” responsibility
as opposed to an expectation is a problem that we will have to move up the food chain to those who define the manager’s role.
Relationship Centered Leadership belief # 4 is “People are able and willing to contribute to the success of the organization.” So we will approach this topic with this assumption and highlight the benefits of paying attention to safety and health related matters.
- EHS may be a scary place due to the complexities of compliance. Understanding the leader’s role as separate from compliance is key.
- There is a need for ongoing support for the manager who may be facing blame and criticism.
- Most of the time we talk about EHS when something has gone wrong. It is difficult to associate it with success.
- DHS is viewed as a dry and boring topic when the conversation consists of metrics, rules, policies and filling out incident reports.
- Engaging with people in conversation related to safety and health is an opportunity to build positive relationships, gain credibility and gain trust.
- We don’t have to change who we are to build positive relationships. Quite the opposite authenticity and vulnerability our assets to be leveraged. This is a whole topic in itself.
- In essence this question falls under do I want to commit to becoming a leader? There are demands such as being humble, staying calm in the face of setbacks or simply dealing with the frustrating interactions that we experience with people.
For me the turning point was determining my purpose: what I wanted to accomplish with my life. It was then I realized that embracing the challenges of leadership was the only way to be in alignment with my purpose. I have had many mentors along the way, but it was accessing my inner Self that proved the most helpful. That is where I found the will and ability two observe my emotions and the impact of my reactions to them. My relationships change dramatically for the better when I was able to stop reacting and start enacting with a trusting open mind.
You can read about my new book on The Relationship Factor in Safety leadership here. The book may be purchased at Amazon.com.
