January 02 2023
By: Shawn M. Galloway
Improvement needs a plan. A plan needs a strategy. A strategy needs focus. Focus should create value. 
Value should be verified by data and perception.
Strategy is a framework of choices, tradeoffs and small bets an organization or leader makes to capture and deliver value. Improvement efforts should yield new value to the organization and the people within. For the new year 2023, I recommend strategic focus in two areas and three questions to guide your decisions:
Two Areas: Ensure your safety improvement strategy focuses on improving safety performance and overall occupational culture.
Three Questions: What, if focused on, would most directly improve safety performance and occupational culture? What, if focused on, would sustainably improve your safety system's capacity to prevent and recover from human error? How will you ensure and validate the areas you focus on are creating the perception of value from all levels of the workforce?
"You can focus on things that are barriers or you can focus on scaling the wall or redefining the problem." — Tim Cook
"The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus." — Alexander Graham Bell
"That's been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. " — Steve Jobs
Shawn M. Galloway is the CEO of ProAct Safety and an advisor to leading organizations across all major industries. With over twenty years of experience in safety systems, strategy, culture, leadership, and employee engagement, he is a trusted advisor, keynote speaker, and expert witness.
He is the author of several bestselling books and has multiple regular columns in leading magazines, with over 400 articles and 100 videos to his credit. He also created the first safety podcast, Safety Culture Excellence, with over 800 episodes. Shawn has received numerous prestigious accolades and has been featured in Power 101 Leaders of the EHS World, Top 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS, Top 40 Rising Stars, Top 11 Health and Safety Influencers, and Top 10 Speakers.
He serves on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council and the Fast Company Executive Board. He has appeared as a 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, reinforcing his status as an authority in the field of safety excellence.
For more information, call +1.936.273.8700 or email info@ProActSafety.com.
