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January 2020

By Brie DeLisi Most organizations believe that having ‘safety’ as a company value and conducting annual safety training is sufficient to drive the message that safety matters. At Propulo, we’ve heard time and time again that “it goes without saying” and “employees know that safety matters” when we ask about a lack of safety conversations. However, the human brain doesn’t quite work like that – the brain prefers to prioritize what is considered important. Imagine the following scenario: As an employee of Widgets and Co, you received new employee training on safety (delivered by the safety professional) and heard from HR that safety

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By Kelly Hamilton, Madison Hanscom, & Josh Williams A key responsibility of leaders is creating an environment where people can do their best work. To do this well, leaders must be able to drive thinking and speaking—in other words, to foster a climate in which people feel they can speak up without fear of negative consequences, known as psychological safety. Leaders drive thinking and speaking by creating an environment of psychological safety, getting employee input for safety solutions, encouraging system thinking, and reinforcing teamwork and collaboration. Leaders who effectively create this environment increase employee engagement and decrease the likelihood of serious

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By Kelly Hamilton, Madison Hanscom, & Josh Williams, Ph.D. A common complaint of employees is that leadership doesn’t dedicate enough time to listen to and respond to their needs. Over time, this can lead workers to believe their leaders don’t care about them or their concerns, which can erode safety culture. Active Caring is a core leadership competency because it demonstrates organizational support and fosters a sense of support and trust among employees, leading to positive outcomes for employees, the team, and the entire organization. How can leaders demonstrate Active Caring? Leaders exhibit Active Caring in three primary ways: • Show personal concern and

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By Kelly Hamilton, Madison Hanscom, & Josh Williams, Ph.D. A critical skill all leaders must develop is the ability to provide high-quality feedback to their team members so they can perform their jobs well and grow and advance in their careers. When leaders do this well, it can fuel employee motivation and commitment, as well as positive safety outcomes. Fostering growth contributes to an overall sense of organizational and supervisor support, which is important because employees want to feel they are valued by the organization. Employees who report feeling valued by their employer are 93% more likely to report they are motivated

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By Kelly Hamilton, Madison Hanscom, & Josh Williams One of the most important jobs of any leader is to build and live the vision for employees. Building and living the vision means painting a picture for employees of desired performance and living and managing organizational values in everyday interactions. Providing employees with a sense of the organization’s vision and mission should inspire them to align their goals with those of the organization. Research indicates that when leaders encourage employees to strive for something beyond their individual goals, this has a positive impact on safety climate, safety compliance, and safety participation. Leaders who

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By Kelly Hamilton, Madison Hanscom, & Josh Williams, Ph.D. In today’s increasingly complex workplace, organizational leaders must be equipped to effectively deal with the relentless demands of daily decisions, challenges, and opportunities that impact all aspects of business, including safety. It is increasingly important to make intelligent decisions for safety in order to advance safety culture and prevent serious injuries and fatalities at work. Anchored in years of research and science, our team has identified five core competencies to optimize safety culture: Active Care, Walk the Talk, Build/Live the Vision; Recognize Often/Foster Growth, and Drive Thinking and Speaking. Leaders who master these

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