I'm not sure when or where I picked this truism up...clearly it was in the Army at some point. There are a couple of important messages embedded in that slogan..
One is that what you do is more important than what you say as a leader. In many organizations, leader development is so good that just about everyone says the right things. Staff, however, watch a leader's behavior to determine what they really intend to enforce. If you tell everyone that wearing of Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) is mandatory, yet walk past someone not wearing a hard hat or reflective vest and don't say anything, your actions have just set a new standard...wearing PPE isn't important. If you see someone smoking in a designated non-smoking area and don't say anything, you have just set a new standard. If a driver gets in a vehicle on company property and doesn't fasten their seat belt and you see it and don't say anything, you have just set a new standard.
A second point is that first line leaders play a primary role in work-place safety. Yes, Health and Safety professionals play a role, and yes, compliance with regulations is important and yes, senior leaders show their commitment by personal involvement....all of that is true enough.. However front-line leaders are most likely to see mistakes and make the on-the-spot correction and enforce standards.
A final point is staff don't go around looking for ways to avoid standards. They get in a hurry, they have multiple priorities, they've taken shortcuts before and nothing bad happened so they take them again.
Being the "standards police" isn't the most fun part of being a leader but it is part of looking out for the welfare of those you lead.
One is that what you do is more important than what you say as a leader. In many organizations, leader development is so good that just about everyone says the right things. Staff, however, watch a leader's behavior to determine what they really intend to enforce. If you tell everyone that wearing of Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) is mandatory, yet walk past someone not wearing a hard hat or reflective vest and don't say anything, your actions have just set a new standard...wearing PPE isn't important. If you see someone smoking in a designated non-smoking area and don't say anything, you have just set a new standard. If a driver gets in a vehicle on company property and doesn't fasten their seat belt and you see it and don't say anything, you have just set a new standard.
A second point is that first line leaders play a primary role in work-place safety. Yes, Health and Safety professionals play a role, and yes, compliance with regulations is important and yes, senior leaders show their commitment by personal involvement....all of that is true enough.. However front-line leaders are most likely to see mistakes and make the on-the-spot correction and enforce standards.
A final point is staff don't go around looking for ways to avoid standards. They get in a hurry, they have multiple priorities, they've taken shortcuts before and nothing bad happened so they take them again.
Being the "standards police" isn't the most fun part of being a leader but it is part of looking out for the welfare of those you lead.
No comments:
Post a Comment