December 20 2021
By: Shawn M. Galloway
One of my sons was playing in the backyard. In the front, I hear the lawn crew begin their helpful service. Opening the back door to ask him to come inside for lunch, hearing the mowers, he directed my attention to a few small colorful flowers in an area of the grass. "They won't cut them?" he inquired with noticeable concern. I explained that some weeds have flowers. 
"But they are pretty," he retorted. Not all that looks nice is nice.
Due to the rain Houston's received the past months, the day before, I observed how green the grass looked when pulling into the driveway. Weeds are a likely indicator; something is not right with the soil, despite how the yard might look.
How confident are you of your safety performance and culture? What are you monitoring that would indicate something is going in the wrong direction before an event occurs? Are you training employees but not assessing knowledge or periodically ascertaining demonstration of competency? Are you investigating failures but not also investigating successes? Are you closing corrective action plans but not measuring them against the hierarchy of controls? Are you deploying more paperwork and PPE rather than engineering out the risk? Celebrate safety success and accomplishments. Also, proactively look for where the weeds might be starting to grow.
"Your minds may now be likened to a garden, which will, if neglected, yield only weeds and thistles; but, if cultivated, will produce the most beautiful flowers, and the most delicious fruits." - Dorothea Dix
"Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure." - Thomas A. Edison
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.
