Thought Leadership

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Just Culture is a management philosophy designed to hold people appropriately accountable. According to one of the current thought leaders in Just Culture, there are three basic kinds of behavior: human error, at risk behavior, and recklessness.

Years ago, around the campfire, I heard this story and have told it to every troop of which I have been a Scoutmaster. Two brothers were leaving the town they had lived in for several years. They were both moving to a new town many miles away.

The fear of “what if” is a significant driver in making ethical decisions. This fear can lead to positive results •  Fear of getting in an accident – can prevent drinking and driving •  Fear of getting caught – can prevent falsifying information •  Fear of hurting someone else – can prevent unsafe behavior.

When safety is a personal value people naturally choose to make the safe choice. They don't need a no-texting or seat belt law. They even use hearing protection and safety glasses at home.

Recent I joined the BNSF Road Way Equipment Safety Leadership Team in Dallas, Texas. They began their meeting, as many companies do, with a safety briefing. For most meetings, I hear someone give a quick safety minute talk about a general hazard. At many meetings, the emergency exits are pointed out and actions to take are shared. BNSF went way beyond that in just about the same amount of time.

In every profession there is reality and the perception of the reality thrust upon us on a daily basis. Our Oil and Gas industry is littered with statements, idioms and ideas about how we should discuss and market health and safety to our personnel.

Ever since Jack Ruby gunned down Lee Harvey Oswald while being transferred from a Dallas police station to county jail debate has raged as to whether or not Oswald acted alone or if he was part of a larger conspiracy.

Strategy is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals. Strategy is important because the resources available to achieve these goals are usually limited. Strategy generally involves setting goals, determining actions to achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions.

More and more of safety and health professionals want to talk about influence rather than authority. You see, they understand that relying primarily on position or rank will simply lead to compliance -- not to individual commitment.

Let me begin by thanking all of you who voiced your support for me during the past week. As you may have surmised, I get frustrated from time to time, mostly because so many safety practitioners still don’t get it.