Holistic Leadership – A Critical Need
Copyright Material IEEE
Paper No. ESW2014-14
Danny P Liggett
Senior Member, IEEE
The DuPont Company
danny.liggett@ieee.org
Abstract - Having good procedures in place and having safe
equipment are just two of the elements that are needed in
having a good electrical safety program. People are the third
element. People do not automatically, instinctively or intuitively
follow the safe work practices contained in electrical safety
procedures. They need to be led. How we lead and encourage
people to be aware of the electrical hazards and to follow the
procedures is important to changing the culture of electrical
safety. Leadership is critically important in developing the
willingness to use and apply electrical safe work practices
developed by companies and organizations.
Index Terms — Electrical Safety, Leadership.
Managing
Equipment
Systems
People
Figure 1 Elements of an Electrical Safety Program
I. INTRODUCTION
Change has become a constant within our society. The
purpose of the Electrical Safety Workshop is to change the
culture within the electrical community. This change will not
occur without individuals taking the lead and creating the
change. No change is inherently sustainable. Even after a
change has been institutionalized cultural drift can and will
allow the change to revert to a former state [1].
Leadership is a critical piece of the puzzle to improving
electrical safety at any level in an organization sustaining that
improvement. Leadership is not just being a supervisor or a
manager. Management chooses the supervision but the
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Mike Doherty.
Senior Member, IEEE
Health & Safety Manager / Consultant
Powertel Utilities Contractors Limited
mdoherty@powertel.ca
people pick the leaders. Not all managers make good leaders
and not all leaders are capable of being good leaders.
The intent of this paper is to define what leadership is and
how to improve the leadership capabilities with in each of us.
There are some folks who seem to think being a leader is
easy. Maybe they have some natural talent with in them that
lends itself to being a good leader. But all of us have the
capability of being good leaders. Vince Lombardi stated
““Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just
like anything else, through hard work.”
We will look at what we believe is the current state of
leadership and what can occur in the absence of leadership.
True leadership requires a commitment to being a leader.
Part of being a leader is being accountable for our actions and
being accountable as a leader. Leaders have to build a
culture of accountability. The authors would also like to
discuss the concepts of “Holistic Leadership” which could be
characterized by the treatment of those on their watch as a
whole person, taking into account mental and social factors,
rather than just the physical components of everyday
interactions.
II. THE ABSENCE OF LEADERSHIP
In absence of leadership a very scary scenario can develop.
With no clear direction or vision a company, organization, or a
crew can drift. It can be pulled or pushed by whoever has the
strongest voice at the time. Usually an unofficial leader takes
control. It can be torn apart by multiple visions with everyone
going in different directions. At this point there is no
teamwork. Everyone is out for themselves trying get whatever
they can without regard of the crew, organization or company.
Chaos can rule.
Instead of progress at this point there is usually a regression
to a previous condition or to a state where things settle to the
lowest common denominator of the company, organization or
crew. A company can easily find itself starting over in the
area of electrical safety. Trying to get compliance with any
rule or regulation becomes a very difficult task. Operating
discipline falls by the way side because no one is held
accountable for their actions.
III. WHAT WE BELIEVE IS HAPPENING

As the authors have interacted with sites and work locations
some common themes begin to emerge. At too many places
there is an attitude of just “following orders”. There is a lack of
initiative among the supervision and the workers. People go
through the motions of doing what the rules say. This creates
a state of mind where people are thinking more about what
they will be doing when the get off of work. Their mind is not
on task. When this occurs hazards are missed or are not
appropriately dealt with.
In some situations supervision has not bought into the
“rules”. The old saying that you can’t sell what you don’t
believe in plays out. There is half-hearted enforcement of the
requirements. When requirements are not enforced
personnel get the feeling they can do what they want. You
could say, “What we allow, we promote”. This leads to the
setting of a new “norm” for expectations and performance.
Too many times new supervisors want to try to obtain
acceptance from the crew by being “friends” with the crew.
This tack is usually an attempt to avoid having to correct a
member of the crew or to avoid having to enforce a
requirement the supervisor knows will not be popular. When
a supervisor says “they say we have to do this”, then the door
has been opened for non-compliance. Usually in the form of
“I’ll do this while you are watching”. The workers will not do it
at 2 AM in the morning when no one is around. If the
supervisor does not believe in a requirement there is no way
he can convince his crew to buy into doing it.
If a supervisor or manager takes a stance of “just do what I
tell you to do”, then the workers are thrown into a state of just
following orders. Frustration can lead to this also. When a
supervisor does not have all of the information on the “why” of
a requirement it is difficult for the supervisor to convince the
crew to embrace a new regulation or a change in
requirements.
In any of these situations the outcome is undesirable.
IV. WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING
Sustainable progress in changing the culture of electrical
safety can only come through leaders taking the initiative.
In order for leaders to be effective they need to perform in a
manner that is recognized by others. Actions speak louder
than words. What people see or experience is what they
will come to believe.
Communications is one of the key skills a leader must
have. Not only in providing direction but there must also be
a dialogue between the leader and those he/she wishes to
lead. The communications must be a two way discussion.
As part of communicating there must be the ability to listen.
One of the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” [2],
written by Steven Covey, is “Seek first to understand, then
to be understood”. Only when we truly listen and try to
understand where a person is coming from will that person
then listen to the leader and try to understand what the
leader is trying to convey. A leader needs to find a way for
people to motivate themselves. This is a critical, pivotal and
foundational skill set for any leader. Sometimes
management and supervision get in the way of that.
Listening will help to understand how we can motivate
people in the most effective manner.
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Before a leader can communicate effectively any new
requirement the leader must have a clear understanding of
the new requirement and why it is necessary to have that
requirement. Here is where we as management often fail in
our role of communicating. If we cannot communicate the
need and the why to supervision, then we cannot expect
supervision to communicate it effectively to the crew. Often
nonperformance in field situations has a fundamental lack
of understanding as a root cause in particular by the leaders
at all levels. Effective, value added training rather than
“check box” training is mandatory for example. Far too often
crews have been trained but haven’t learned very much.
Great leaders ensure that learning requirements have been
transferred at high levels and not just as another card in a
wallet.
Part of our role as management is we need to have a
strategy in place for how we will implement any new
requirement, change management principles for example
are critical to this process. Explaining what is being done
today and how the new requirement will impact that sets the
stage for gaining understanding. Outlining what will be
gained by making this change is critical. If statistics are
available to support the change, use them. Case histories
and stories involving the experiences of others is a very
powerful tool to assist with the buy in from leaders to staff.
Great leaders make a holistic and heartfelt connection to
show empathy with those they lead. This connection in
particular is deeply rooted in the DNA of the very best
leaders. Getting feedback from those impacted will show a
desire to understand any issues that may arise from the
change. These issues need to be addressed as soon as
possible. Good leaders look for solutions.
The term fitness for duty is being used a lot these days. It
is important for management and supervision to be
observant and recognize the state of their people. Leaders
think of the wellbeing of their people. This is just a part of
holistic leadership. Making sure they are fit for the tasks
they have been assigned. This comes from a desire to
know their people are ok and can function at their best.
When a person is not in the right state the leader can look
at options that work for both the person and the need to get
the work done. The altered state can be from illness or a
personal distraction. Personal distraction can be from good
news or bad news. Looking after our people is one of those
actions that demonstrate the kind of leader a person is.
V. ELEMENTS OF LEADERSHIP
Previously we have discussed some of the attributes of a
leader. In this section we will look some specific elements of
electrical safety leadership that needs to be at the core of a
good leader.
Each leader needs three elements to be successful. Figure 2
depicts these [2]. One of the key elements of an electrical
safety leader is being knowledgeable of how electrical work is
performed, how a person is exposed to electrical hazards and
what actions or steps that needs to be taken to avoid those
hazards. Having this kind of knowledge allows for effective
communications with the workers. If a leader cannot
communicate in a way that is somewhat knowledgeable then
it is difficult to build any kind of trust with the workers.

Knowledge Skills
Will
Figure 2
Trust is critical. People must have trust in the leaders.
Without trust there is no leadership. Without trust you are
back to “just do what I tell you to do”. You are no longer a
leader. Trust is built by being open, honest and ensuring the
fair treatment of everyone. It is also built by consistent
implementation of requirements.
People like being around someone who is enthusiastic about
the work and the people. Being enthusiastic about people is
caring about their wellbeing, i.e.; the holistic connection of
leadership. Making sure they understand that you do not
want to see them injured in any way and you want them to be
successful at every level.
Being enthusiastic about the work is another piece of the
holistic leader. That leader wants to see the work done
correctly and wants the company and the crew to be
successful. The holistic leader wants the “whole” to be
successful, not just he/she. When your words and your
actions both depict this attitude then trust will develop.
When you look around today it seems there are a lot of
people who are good at identifying problems. Leaders look
for solutions. Leaders take the initiative to seek out solutions.
They address issues so that progress can be made, progress
in either achieving buy-in from the crew or in changing the
culture. It is easy to identify problems but people will follow
those who can provide solutions.
If you can identify some of these attributes in someone then
you have found a person who can be a leader.
VI. LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Earlier in this paper we discussed being able to communicate
effectively. But what do we communicate? A leader must
have a vision of what the future needs to look like. That
picture needs to be communicated in a way that people will
embrace that vision. They can see the vision. They can see
themselves in that vision. Buy-in only comes when people
can see themselves in the vision and their role in achieving
the vision. There has to be a tangible benefit for achieving the
vision. Adults tend to listen to radio station WITFM, “What’s in
it for me”.
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Once the vision has been communicated and bought into
then there has to be a clear path of how the vision will be
achieved. A leader has to be decisive, but we all know that
the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. As
challenges present themselves leaders must take the
necessary actions to keep the progress moving forward
towards the vision. Barriers (problems) can and will get in the
way of progress. Leaders will find the path (solutions) around
or through those barriers. This can be ideas the leader has
come up with or ideas that someone in the crew has come up
with. Implementing ideas or suggestions that come from the
crew is a great way to build the kind of teamwork that leads to
progress.
Rarely does a leader act alone. Usually there are many
people involved in achieving a vision. The leader must be
able to coordinate all the actions. It does not mean the leader
must do them but does mean the leader must know what is
going on with each action and that action is aligned with
vision. When necessary slight adjustments need to be made
it is important for those corrections to be made in a manner
that encourages people.
Acting professionally and in an encouraging manner inspires
trust. Trust is critical. Not only do the people need to trust the
leader, the leader needs to demonstrate trust in the people
performing the tasks to achieve the vision.
If a leader demonstrates and has trust in his staff then the
talents of the people are unleashed. Too many times
supervision is intimidated by people. Leaders need to
embrace the talents of their staff and encourage people to do
their best. I have heard too many times from successful
managers (real leaders) that the best way to be successful is
to surround yourself with good people and let them do their
job. Sounds like trust to me.
VII. CONCLUSIONS
As we move forward in changing the electrical safety culture
leaders are a critical need. The culture will only change if
leaders make it happen. If you are reading this paper then
you have a desire to be a good leader if not a great electrical
safety leader. Dedicate yourself to making that happen. Look
at your own skill sets and determine which of those need to be
sharpened. All tools become dull with time. We need to pull
them out, clean them off and give them a new edge.
No change ever occurs without leadership. What we need to
recognize is that there are leaders at every level of any
organization. We need to embrace them. We need their buy-
in. We need them to lead.
Real, genuine and accountable leaders create other great
new leaders. One time I had a manager tell me that I needed
to set up my organization so that it could run very well without
me for a week but at the end of two weeks it needed me back.
The very best leaders ensure sustainability in all facets of their
business. When they leave the organization the business
doesn’t falter, it thrives.
In every organization there are those who could be good
leaders. We need to find them. We need to encourage them.
We need to provide them the tools and training they need to
become good if not great leaders. They will be the ones who
will sustain the change.

VIII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank all of those with whom we
have had a conversation. Each of you have provided a
perspective that has contributed to our growth and to this paper.
IX. REFERENCES
[1] Floyd, Anna H.L. and Floyd, H.L. “Cultural Drift and the
Occlusion of Electrical Safety”, 2013 IAS Electrical Safety
Workshop Conference Workbook
[2] Steven Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,
New York, NY: Simon & Schuster 1989
X. VITA
Danny P. Liggett has been employed by DuPont since 1989.
He was employed by an engineering/construction firm from
1968 until his employment with DuPont. During his
employment with the engineering/construction firm he worked
as an electrical superintendent for 15 years. During his
employment with DuPont he has worked as an Electrical
Consultant with primary focus on construction activities and
electrical safety. His work also involves work with
maintenance activities at the DuPont sites. He is a member of
the DuPont Corporate Electrical safety Team, Senior Member
of IEEE, Past Chair of the IEEE IAS PCIC Safety
Subcommittee, Tutorials Subcommittee and Electrical Safety
Workshop Subcommittee. He currently serves as Chair of the
Advisory & Nominations Subcommittee of the IAS Electrical
Safety Committee and is the past Chair of the IAS Electrical
Safety Committee. Danny served as Chair of the 2000 IEEE
IAS Electrical Safety Workshop. He has served on the NFPA
National Electrical Code Panel 8 representing the Cable Tray
Institute and the NFPA National Electrical Code Panel 6
representing the American Chemistry Council. He currently
represents the American Chemistry Council on the National
Electrical Code Technical Correlating Committee, as an
alternate on National Electrical Code Panel 3 and as an
alternate on NFPA 70E. He has authored or co-authored 15
papers on electrical safety, 10 of which have been published.
Mike Doherty - Over 39 years industrial and electrical utility
experience as a licensed industrial electrician, industrial
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instrumentation technician, electrical skills instructor, utility
safety department professional, electrical safety trainer and
health and safety manager. He is presently the Health and
Safety Manager / Consultant at PowerTel Utilities Contractors
Limited in Whitefish, Ontario, Canada. They specialize in high
voltage transmission and distribution construction. He
completed 31 years in September 2007 finishing as the
Electrical Safety Program Coordinator at Ontario Power
Generation’s (OPG) Darlington Nuclear Power Plant near
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
He is the President and owner of Blue Arc Electrical Safety
Technologies Inc. He joined the Electrical & Utility Safety
Association (E&USA) which is now called the Infrastructure
Health & Safety Association (IHSA) from 2009 to 2012 as a
Consultant in the Training and Evaluation Department. He is a
Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) and a Petroleum & Chemical Industry
Committee (PCIC) Emeritus. He is the Technical Committee
Chairman of CSA Z462 –Workplace Electrical Safety –
Canada since inception in 2006. He is the official liaison
between Canada – CSA Z462 (Canadian Standards
Association) and the United States - NFPA 70E (National Fire
Protection Association).
He is a member of the NFPA 70E Technical Committee -
Electrical Safety in the Workplace – USA. He is also a
member of the International Social Security Association
(ISSA) “Guidelines for the Selection of PPE against the
Thermal Hazards of Electric Arc Faults” Working Group in
Europe. He is an associate Member of the CSA Strategic
Steering Committee (SSC) on Occupational Health & Safety.
He is also a member of IEEE 1584 -Arc Flash Calculations
Working Group. He is the only Canadian member on the
original collaborative Research & Testing Planning Committee
(RTPC) between the NFPA and the IEEE to investigate the
Arc Flash Phenomena. Mike was the Secretary, Vice-Chair
and Chair of the IEEE IAS Electrical Safety Workshops in
Denver (05), Philadelphia (06) and Calgary (07) respectively.
He is a current member of the IEEE Electrical Safety
Workshop Sub-Committee and the leader for the IEEE IAS
ESafC – Construction Working Group. He has acted as an
expert witness in court for an industrial electrical related
fatality for a major global corporation. Has also acted as a
technical expert for a Canadian government regulator in
regards to a critical electrical injury in the electrical utility
sector in 2010. He has completed many electrical safety
presentations, papers and tutorials at various professional,
business and safety organizations.