Safe Production Leadership Competency Series: Walk the Talk
By Kelly Hamilton, Madison Hanscom, & Josh Williams It's not uncommon for leaders – who are pulled in many directions at once – to take shortcuts when it comes to safety. This can be detrimental, however, to safety culture and employees’ safety behaviors. In fact, research has shown that when employees perceive their leaders are not acting in ways that align with the company’s stated safety values, it leads to a decrease in safety compliance, a decrease in prioritization of avoiding accidents, and an increase in injuries. Leaders who effectively “walk the talk” demonstrate to employees that their safety is the main