February 28 2022
By: Shawn M. Galloway
If you averaged workforce responses from a question to ascertain what the vision of safety excellence is, how well would it align with the average response from management or executive leadership? Would you find unity or division? Even with the best intentions, and a tremendous amount of leveraged discretionary effort, a large group will never arrive at excellence when what excellence looks like or how it is defined is not aligned throughout the organization. 
If you aren't on the same page, that is precisely where to start — get on the same page.
Once the vision is defined, the organization needs to assess where they are today before creating a strategic plan to align the group and make the vision a reality. It all starts with a clear, concise and group-owned vision, not assessing the current state. If creating this future-state vision is a difficulty, then work on maturing the safety excellence thinking of the leadership team so they can think differently and perhaps a bit more audaciously.
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." — Lewis Carroll
"People support what they help create." W. Edwards Deming
Shawn Galloway, CEO of ProAct Safety, is an expert in safety excellence. With almost thirty years of experience, he is a highly sought-after advisor, keynote speaker, and expert witness. Shawn has become a trusted partner to leading organizations across various industries worldwide. He ranks in the top 1% of the most prolific writers in his field, having authored over 500 articles and several bestselling books. He also launched the world's first safety podcast, Safety Culture Excellence©. As a recognized authority in safety, Shawn has received awards such as being named among the Top 50 People Who Most Influence EHS and a Top 10 Speaker, among others.
He is a regular guest on Bloomberg, Fox News, The Daily Mail, Dubai One, U.S. News & World Report, Sirius Business Radio, Wharton Business Daily, and leading safety magazines and podcasts. Shawn also serves as a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, Forbes Business Council, and Fast Company Executive Board, enabling his influence to shape safety thinking and strategy at the executive level.
