Making safety personal – it starts with you
If you want your managers and front-line leaders to have more influence and impact with your workers, they need to get more personal and transparent. Getting personal allows leaders to deliver a message that will have impact and help workers align their actions with their personal values. Here's a bit of what leaders need to do to make their safety-related communications more real and relevant.
1. Talk about events and occurrences that have personally happened to them - good and bad. Often people relate to failures more readily than successes. It makes people more human and susceptible. Try it.
2. Be available to talk and really listen. Often leaders appear too busy and workers see them as uninterested or unapproachable. Be present and be available when you are with others.
3. Show appreciation for others' support and hard work. At times, associates simply want a thank you and handshake that's genuine. And that leads me to one final point.
4. Be yourself and be genuine. Leaders should not try to be someone they are not. Xerox still makes copies so please be an original - be you and nobody else.
