Are you a DOC or COP?

July 12 2021
By: Shawn M. Galloway

How do you come across in your exchanges about safety with employees? Especially if they are unfortunately infrequent, it is quite likely they are remembered. Once you walk away, back to focus on other priorities, how are your conversations remembered? Like a great physician with great bedside manner, you can tell they are demonstrating they care for your wellbeing. We call this, coming across like a DOC (Demonstrating Opportunities to Care).

While I have many friends and a few family in the profession of law enforcement that truly do care, so this is not to disparage… If you are driving and the police are following you, turn by turn, are you excited that you might just have the potential to meet the local law enforcement officer? Or are you thinking, what did I do wrong? Rarely are community members pulled over to thank them for their law-abiding behavior. Too bad; what a positive impact that would have on society. Instead, we fear they are looking for opportunities to COP, (Catching Opportunities to Punish). How do you come across, like a DOC or a COP? The impression you leave is your responsibility to manage, not those impacted by your presence.