September 27 2021
By: Shawn M. Galloway
One of my daughters is taking equestrian riding lessons from my sister, a professional instructor. As other students were using the main arena, she instructed in a secondary area, which she did not use as often. At one point, my sister warned my daughter not to venture too far in a particular region as there were some small holes hidden in the grass, which could injure the horse. My sister knows her playing fields. Beyond the physical aspects of work, there is another essential playing field to know - your culture. Culture is why both compliance and excellence-seeking initiatives succeed or fail.
Strategy is a framework of choices, tradeoffs, and small bets an organization makes to determine how to capture and deliver value. These choices are just as much about what not to do as what to do. If your tactics are not congruent with what the culture will support, or the individuals do not see the value, the effort is likely dead on arrival. Data, not opinions, should drive these decisions. How well is your three-to-five-year safety strategy considering the current reality of your culture playing field? What data confirms this?
"There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception." - Aldous Huxley
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.
