October 03 2022
By: Shawn M. Galloway
During a break in one of the recent workshops I led, an attendee shared details from a phone call he had just concluded. An operational leader responded to a request to free up an employee to serve in a committee as a path to eventually joining the safety team full-time. The leader responded, "You can't have him. He is one of my best production employees." There are two sides of the spectrum regarding how valued safety professionals and safety leadership are within the company.
In Company A, when asking for safety resources from the workforce, management responds by providing the available warm body, offering up someone who was injured or is underperforming.
In Company B, serving in a safety leadership role is a critical path to promotion. Experience in leading safety efforts is necessary. The company wants to embed safety thinking into future leaders and sees value in high performers and their ability to influence others safety mindsets and practices.
These two companies demonstrate the difference between thinking safety is something we have to do versus how we lead. Which is your company?
"Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are." — José Ortega y Gasset
"Values aren't buses... They're not supposed to get you anywhere. They're supposed to define who you are." — Jennifer Crusie
"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don't." — Robert Benchley
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.
