Be an Inspired Safety Leader Overcome Flaws that Cripple Effectiveness Inspiration is not a word commonly used in safety programs,

, but it should be! Workers are asked to participate and cooperate and even get involved, but they are not asked to get inspired or to inspire others. We tend to concentrate on how to be safe rather than why it is important. We stress the numbers and overlook the people and lives that are damaged or lost. We see the money impact and forget the other critical ways that accidents impact operations and morale. We get hands and feet moving and neglect the hearts and minds. It has been argued that the rationale for safety is obvious and that workers will participate simply out of self-interest. While this may be true of individual efforts, it falls far short when applied to the cultural aspects of safety. Excellence in safety performance involves the interactions of the group as well as the isolated actions of each individual. Workers look out for each other because they care, not because they are directed to do so. Remember Performance equals Skill times Motivation (P=SM). We tend to lead safety by increasing skill and overlooking the importance of motivation. Many leaders who truly desire to improve safety make some common mistakes that undermine what they are trying to accomplish. Some actually damage their own safety programs while trying to improve them. Good intentions are not enough! You have to follow some simple guidelines and avoid the common flaws that can be detrimental to safety leadership efforts. A little attention to detail can produce drastically improved results. Learn the techniques that can make you a more inspired, inspiring and effective safety leader. Learning Objectives: Discover the power of inspiring workers rather than simply directing them in safety Learn the most common flaws in safety leadership and discover how they damage, rather than improve, safety efforts Take away a list of dos and donts that will greatly improve your effectiveness Develop a vision of what safety excellence is and the business rationale for pursuing it Get inspired to become inspirational!