On a recent assignment in the Middle East, I met some fascinating people from different cultures.  During the events of the days and nights, we shared many interesting tidbits on names, cultures, beliefs and favorite sayings.  The given names in this part of the world are very different from what I am accustomed to hearing.  Besides that, the names often have real significance and are given by parents with the heartfelt desire for their children to grow up with a hope of significance.  While preparing a campfire dinner, Fawaz explained his name means “winner.”  Later, during a conference session, Waddah told me about “the clarity and inspiration of the sunrise” his father and mother desired him to be. 

As we dug into names, we also discussed sayings and philosophies from our upbringing.  For the sake of a short blog article, I will only share two of these gems:

  • Train until you cannot get it wrong (like done in the airlines) vs. train until you get it right (like is often done in general industry).
  • Who is the rich man?  The one who is happy with what he does!

The reapplication to our safety profession struck me; pay grades do not make safety pros winners. Nor should our training be as superficial as it often is. What kind of clarity and inspiration can we achieve and deliver by performing the best we can while being happy doing so?

The Doc