Thank you to the ASSE Women in Safety Engineering for inviting me to speak about leadership and the safety professional. During this PDC session and in this paper, I want to share with you what I have come to know about leadership, what has worked for me (and what has not), as well as some things I wish I knew about leaders and leadership when I began my career in workplace safety!
What is leadership? What constitutes a good leader? There is a large, collective body of knowledge around this concept. Just Google "leadership" and you get 232,000,000 results ranging from Harvard Business Review references, numerous books, seminars, key note speakers, websites, government offices, consultants, and much more. However, for me leaders possess a commonality of characteristics. They have a vision, are good communicators, understand relationships and are accountable for their actions. As well, they care about those they lead, and the followers know they will be protected by the leader both internally and externally to the environment they are working within, be it a business, government, school district or ASSE.
There are no hard and fast rules for "how to" be a good leader, but there are some truths that have worked for me. Essentially it is about having the confidence to be true to your vision, listening to your inner voice, following that "moral compass" with character, integrity and respect for others, being competent in one's area of expertise, seeking to understand through listening, taking risks in the face of opposition and leading in a way that works best for you.
Leadership opportunities and skill development come packaged in many different experiences both on and off the job. Leaders are not just CEOs, Presidents or Prime Ministers of nations or the President of ASSE, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) or the Singapore Institute of Safety Officers (SISO). Leaders run safety committees and soup kitchens, chair the membership committee in your local ASSE chapter, serve on their local school or library board, run for National ASSE office, lead a team within their company, "walk the talk" for safety, oversee new company initiatives (sustainability, product integrity, risk assessment, etc.), serve on non-profit Board of Directors, oversee EHS operations for their company locally or globally, or volunteer to be a class parent. One thing I have come to know is that life provides many opportunities to hone one's leadership skills, and those skills are transferable.
Four things about Leadership that are truisms for me:
Relationships are the essential ingredient for effective leadership. Always treat others with dignity, integrity and respect; even those who have a very different opinion or perspective than you do.
Keep your ego in check; be credible, demonstrate humility, ask questions and listen. Always, stay grounded in who you are.
Be a Risk Taker, Knowing Failure Comes Along with the Territory
Leaders are a magnet for detractors.
